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Policy Discourse and Decision Making

This broad multidisciplinary program traces how social, political, and institutional dynamics shape and constrain national policymaking in the United States and in comparison with other countries. Experts in political identity, public opinion, inequality, political parties, media, gender, and many others come together to debate and study political processes and institutions and their participants.

A Message From Daniel Galvin, Program Chair

Daniel Galvin

From the partisan divide on COVID-19 to systemic racial injustices to impediments to democratic participation, political institutions are being tested like never before. IPR faculty examine how political, social, and economic dynamics affect institutional operations and decision-making processes in the United States. Researchers analyze the interplay between political institutions, political behavior, and public policies.

Working Papers

Recently published articles and working papers in this program area include:

Lauren Bauer, Krista Ruffini, and Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach. 2024. The Effects of Lump-Sum Food Benefits During the COVID-19 Pandemic on Spending, Hardship, and Health (WP-24-35).

Aslihan Asil, Paulo Ramos, Amanda Starc, and Thomas Wollmann. 2024. Painful Bargaining: Evidence from Anesthesia Rollups (WP-24-34).

Thomas McDade, Jessica Polos, Kiarri Kershaw, Taylor Hargrove, and Stephanie Koning. 2024. Duration of Breastfeeding in Infancy and Levels of Central Adiposity and Systemic Inflammation in Early Middle Adulthood (WP-24-33).

All Papers

Faculty Experts

Representing the fields of political science, economics, social policy, psychology, and sociology, faculty delve into the worlds of politics, institutions, and policymaking.

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Events

Mar
03
2025
Recent Pregnancy and Birth Outcomes Research

By Joe Feinglass, research professor of medicine and IPR associate

Feb
03
2025
Using Computational Approaches to Understand the Social and Structural Drivers of Health

By Michelle Birkett, Associate Professor of Medical Social Sciences (Determinants of Health) and Preventive Medicine and IPR Faculty Associate

Policy Brief: Discrimination in the Housing Market

Are government housing practices fair? After WWII, millions of Americans bought homes for the first time thanks to the standardization of 30-year mortgages. IPR political scientist Chloe Thurston explains how many minorities and women were shut out of the housing market due to discriminatory government policies and how they fought for homeownership through advocacy groups like the NAACP and NOW.

Download the brief