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Our Mission
The
Institute for Policy Research (IPR) is an interdisciplinary public
policy research institute founded in 1968 at Northwestern University.
Our mission is to stimulate and support excellent social science
research on significant public policy issues and to disseminate
the findings widely -- to students, scholars, policymakers, and
the public at large.
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People
Currently, 33 faculty
fellows, and 58 faculty
associates, together with research
associates,
visiting
scholars, postdoctoral
fellows and graduate
research assistants, are drawn largely from sociology,
political science, economics, education, communications, law,
and management. They participate in research projects, seminars,
conferences, policy briefings, and workshops.
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Publications
Faculty research is published widely in books,
journal articles, chapters, monographs, and reports. It is
disseminated through IPR's working
paper series, an annual
brochure,
newsletters,
and policy briefs.
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Events
IPR sponsors or co-sponsors several dozen colloquia each year, in addition to conferences,
policy briefings, Distinguished Public Policy Lectures, and workshops. Past policy briefings have targeted healthcare, a new model for the working poor, and the challenges of state budgets. The Institute recently celebrated its 40th anniversary with a national conference on the "Dynamics of Inequality in America from 1968 to Today." Speakers included Christopher Jencks and Jane Mansbridge of Harvard's Kennedy School, Larry Bartels of Princeton, Lawrence Bobo of Harvard, Paula England of Stanford, in addition to many IPR faculty. Rebecca Blank, now Undersecretary of Commerce, gave the Distinguished Public Policy Lecture. IPR also supports undergraduate initiatives, such as a lecture series that has looked at welfare reform, immigration, and education and the establishment of a new student think tank to look at policy issues.
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Research
IPR research falls broadly into seven program areas:
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Affiliated Centers
IPR is home to:
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