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Reflections On “Personal Responsibility” After Covid And Dobbs: Doubling Down On Privacy, Susan Frelich Appleton, Laura A. Rosenbury Jan 2023

Reflections On “Personal Responsibility” After Covid And Dobbs: Doubling Down On Privacy, Susan Frelich Appleton, Laura A. Rosenbury

Scholarship@WashULaw

This essay uses lenses of gender, race, marriage, and work to trace understandings of “personal responsibility” in laws, policies, and conversations about public support in the United States over three time periods: (I) the pre-COVID era, from the beginning of the American “welfare state” through the start of the Trump administration; (II) the pandemic years; and (III) the present post-pandemic period. We sought to explore the possibility that COVID and the assistance programs it inspired might have reshaped the notion of personal responsibility and unsettled assumptions about privacy and dependency. In fact, a mixed picture emerges. On the one hand, …


The Conflict Among African American Penal Interests: Rethinking Racial Equity In Criminal Procedure, Trevor George Gardner Jan 2023

The Conflict Among African American Penal Interests: Rethinking Racial Equity In Criminal Procedure, Trevor George Gardner

Scholarship@WashULaw

This Article argues that neither the criminal justice reform platform nor the penal abolition platform shows the ambition necessary to advance each of the primary African American interests in penal administration. It contends, first, that abolitionists have rightly called for a more robust conceptualization of racial equity in criminal procedure. Racial equity in criminal procedure should be considered in terms of both process at the level of the individual, and the number of criminal procedures at the level of the racial group—in terms of both the quality and “quantity” of stops, arrests, convictions, and the criminal sentencings that result in …


Racial And Ethnic Disparities In Housing Instability During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Yung Chun, Stephen Roll, Selina Miller, Hedwig Lee, Savannah Larimore, Michal Grinstein-Weiss Dec 2020

Racial And Ethnic Disparities In Housing Instability During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Yung Chun, Stephen Roll, Selina Miller, Hedwig Lee, Savannah Larimore, Michal Grinstein-Weiss

Social Policy Institute Research

Stable and adequate housing is critical in the midst of a pandemic; without housing, individuals and families cannot shelter in place to prevent the spread of disease. Understanding and combating housing hardships in vulnerable populations is therefore essential to a sound public health response. This study aims to explore the pandemic’s disproportionate impacts on housing-related hardships across racial/ethnic groups in the United States as well as the extent to which these disparities are mediated by households’ broader economic circumstances; namely, their pre-pandemic liquid asset levels and the experience of COVID-19-related job and income losses. Using a national survey of over …


What’S Wrong With Police Unions?, Benjamin Levin Jan 2020

What’S Wrong With Police Unions?, Benjamin Levin

Scholarship@WashULaw

In an era of declining labor power, police unions stand as a rare success story for worker organizing—they exert political clout and negotiate favorable terms for their members. Yet, despite broad support for unionization on the political left, police unions have become public enemy number one for academics and activists concerned about race and police violence. Much criticism of police unions focuses on their obstructionist nature and how they prioritize the interests of their members over the interests of the communities they police. These critiques are compelling—police unions shield officers and block oversight. But, taken seriously, they often sound like …


Mens Rea Reform And Iis Discontents, Benjamin Levin Jan 2019

Mens Rea Reform And Iis Discontents, Benjamin Levin

Scholarship@WashULaw

This article examines the debates over recent proposals for “mens rea reform.” The substantive criminal law has expanded dramatically, and legislators have criminalized a great deal of common conduct. Often, new criminal laws do not require that defendants know they are acting unlawfully. Mens rea reform proposals seek to address the problems of overcriminalization and unintentional offending by increasing the burden on prosecutors to prove a defendant’s culpable mental state. These proposals have been a staple of conservative-backed bills on criminal justice reform. Many on the left remain skeptical of mens rea reform and view it as a deregulatory vehicle …


Faculty Perspectives On Financial Capability And Asset Building In Social Work Education: A Research Report, Margaret S. Sherraden, Jin Huang, Lissa Johnson, Peter Dore, Julie Birkenmaier, Vernon Loke, Sally Hageman Apr 2018

Faculty Perspectives On Financial Capability And Asset Building In Social Work Education: A Research Report, Margaret S. Sherraden, Jin Huang, Lissa Johnson, Peter Dore, Julie Birkenmaier, Vernon Loke, Sally Hageman

Center for Social Development Research

This report is based on a study conducted in collaboration with the Council on Social Work Education. The report presents findings from a national online survey of social work faculty. Results identify financial and economic (F&E) content taught in the current curriculum, gaps in coverage, and strategies for improving the academic preparation of social workers in these areas. Findings will inform financial capability and asset-building curriculum and improve the academic preparation of social workers.


Rethinking The Boundaries Of “Criminal Justice", Benjamin Levin Jan 2018

Rethinking The Boundaries Of “Criminal Justice", Benjamin Levin

Scholarship@WashULaw

This review of The New Criminal Justice Thinking (Sharon Dolovich & Alexandra Natapoff, eds.) tracks the shifting and uncertain contours of “criminal justice” as an object of study and critique. Specifically, I trace two themes in the book: (1) the uncertain boundaries of the “criminal justice system” as a web of laws, actors, and institutions; and (2) the uncertain boundaries of “criminal justice thinking” as a universe of interdisciplinary scholarship, policy discourse, and public engagement. I argue that these two themes speak to critically important questions about the nature of criminal justice scholarship and reform efforts. Without a firm understanding …


The Consensus Myth In Criminal Justice Reform, Benjamin Levin Jan 2018

The Consensus Myth In Criminal Justice Reform, Benjamin Levin

Scholarship@WashULaw

It has become popular to identify a “bipartisan consensus” on criminal justice reform, but how deep is that consensus, actually? This article argues that the purported consensus is largely illusory. Despite shared reformist vocabulary, the consensus rests on distinct critiques that identify different flaws and justify distinct policy solutions. The underlying disagreements transcend traditional left/right political divides and speak to deeper disputes about the state and the role of criminal law in society. The article offers a typology of the two prevailing, but fundamentally distinct, critiques of the system: (1) the quantitative approach (what I call the “over” frame); and …


Fair Housing And Inclusive Communities, Molly W. Metzger, Amy T. Khare Nov 2017

Fair Housing And Inclusive Communities, Molly W. Metzger, Amy T. Khare

Center for Social Development Research

Residential segregation—by race and by income—is a fundamental driver of inequality in the United States. Segregated living patterns undergird many of the social problems faced by disadvantaged populations. Solutions to segregation include interventions that create housing opportunity in higher income areas, preserve affordability in gentrifying areas, and target investment to the areas most in need. The realization of fair housing and the creation of inclusive communities would be bolstered by innovation in community–academic partnerships.


Policy Recommendations For Meeting The Grand Challenge To Achieve Equal Opportunity And Justice, Ruth G. Mcroy, Yolanda C. Padilla, Rocío Calvo, Jeremy T. Goldbach, Martell L. Teasley, Hortensia Amaro, Marilyn Armour, Manuel Cano, Sandra E. Crewe, Westy Egmont, Victor J. Figuero, Rowena Fong, Cynthia G. S. Franklin, Ruby M. Gourdine, John L. Jackson Jr., Mit Joyner, Michael S. Kelly, James E. Lubben, Larry Ortiz, Macheo Payne, Robert Rosales, William A. Vega, Michael D. Walter, Mary C. Waters Jan 2017

Policy Recommendations For Meeting The Grand Challenge To Achieve Equal Opportunity And Justice, Ruth G. Mcroy, Yolanda C. Padilla, Rocío Calvo, Jeremy T. Goldbach, Martell L. Teasley, Hortensia Amaro, Marilyn Armour, Manuel Cano, Sandra E. Crewe, Westy Egmont, Victor J. Figuero, Rowena Fong, Cynthia G. S. Franklin, Ruby M. Gourdine, John L. Jackson Jr., Mit Joyner, Michael S. Kelly, James E. Lubben, Larry Ortiz, Macheo Payne, Robert Rosales, William A. Vega, Michael D. Walter, Mary C. Waters

Center for Social Development Research

This brief was created forSocial Innovation for America’s Renewal, a policy conference organized by the Center for Social Development in collaboration with the American Academy of Social Work & Social Welfare, which is leading theGrand Challenges for Social Work initiative to champion social progress. The conference site includes links to speeches, presentations, and a full list of the policy briefs.


Policy Recommendations For Meeting The Grand Challenge To Ensure Healthy Development For All Youth, J.David Hawkins, Jeffery M. Jenson, Jordan Devylder, Richard F. Catalano, Gilbert J. Botvin, Mark Fraser, Kimberly A. Bender, Valerie A. Shapiro, Brian Bumbarger Jan 2017

Policy Recommendations For Meeting The Grand Challenge To Ensure Healthy Development For All Youth, J.David Hawkins, Jeffery M. Jenson, Jordan Devylder, Richard F. Catalano, Gilbert J. Botvin, Mark Fraser, Kimberly A. Bender, Valerie A. Shapiro, Brian Bumbarger

Center for Social Development Research

This brief was created forSocial Innovation for America’s Renewal, a policy conference organized by the Center for Social Development in collaboration with the American Academy of Social Work & Social Welfare, which is leading theGrand Challenges for Social Work initiative to champion social progress. The conference site includes links to speeches, presentations, and a full list of the policy briefs.


Tax Abatement In Saint Louis: Reforms Could Foster Equitable Development, Claire Dewind, Jennifer Dickey, Ellen O'Neill, Molly W. Metzger Jun 2016

Tax Abatement In Saint Louis: Reforms Could Foster Equitable Development, Claire Dewind, Jennifer Dickey, Ellen O'Neill, Molly W. Metzger

Center for Social Development Research

Across the United States, municipal governments use tax abatement in various ways to incentivize development and revitalize urban areas. In Saint Louis, historical housing trends related to deindustrialization, redlining, and “white flight” led to the City’s depopulation, creating the current need to incentivize development. However, in certain neighborhoods, development now occurs without tax abatement, and some homeowners and developers receive tax abatement despite being able to afford paying taxes. This points to a need to understand where and when tax abatement is necessary, and whether it is being used effectively. In this brief, we ask the following questions: (1) Does …


Racial Disparities In Student Debt: Evidence From The Refund To Savings Initiative, Samuel H. Taylor, Dana C. Perantie, Nava Kantor, Michal Grinstein-Weiss, Shenyang Guo, Ramesh Raghavan May 2016

Racial Disparities In Student Debt: Evidence From The Refund To Savings Initiative, Samuel H. Taylor, Dana C. Perantie, Nava Kantor, Michal Grinstein-Weiss, Shenyang Guo, Ramesh Raghavan

Center for Social Development Research

This brief provides evidence that low- and moderate-income (LMI) Black households accumulate significantly more debt in pursuit of a higher education than do LMI White students, even after using rigorous methods to account for race- and debt-related confounders. Using data from the Refund to Savings experiment, the authors find that LMI Black households accrued $7,721 more in student loan debt than their White counterparts did. This finding is crucial in light of the financial vulnerability of this population both before and after college. That vulnerability potentially contributes to diminished returns and exacerbates racial disparities in educational outcomes and wealth accumulation. …


The Excluded: An Estimate Of The Consequences Of Denying Social Security To Agricultural And Domestic Workers, David Stoesz May 2016

The Excluded: An Estimate Of The Consequences Of Denying Social Security To Agricultural And Domestic Workers, David Stoesz

Center for Social Development Research

The Social Security Act of 1935 explicitly denied Social Security coverage to several categories of workers, including those employed in domestic and agricultural positions. This exclusion disproportionately affected minorities of color, particularly those living in Southern states. This paper elaborates the context of that decision and presents an estimate of the decision’s cost in denied benefits. It then examines the far-reaching implications of the exclusion, demonstrating that the decision has been replicated repeatedly in U.S. social policy.


Guns And Drugs, Benjamin Levin Jan 2016

Guns And Drugs, Benjamin Levin

Scholarship@WashULaw

This Article argues that the increasingly prevalent critiques of the War on Drugs apply to other areas of criminal law. To highlight the broader relevance of these critiques, the Article uses as its test case the criminal regulation of gun possession. The Article identifies and distills three lines of drug-war criticism, and argues that they apply to possessory gun crimes in much the same way that they apply to drug crimes. Specifically, the Article focuses on: (1) race- and class-based critiques; (2) concerns about police and prosecutorial power; and (3) worries about the social costs of mass incarceration. Scholars have …


Use Of Alternative Financial Services Among Low- And Moderate-Income Households: Findings From A Large-Scale National Household Financial Survey, Mathieu R. Despard, Dana C. Perantie, Lingzi Luo, Jane Oliphant, Michal Grinstein-Weiss Nov 2015

Use Of Alternative Financial Services Among Low- And Moderate-Income Households: Findings From A Large-Scale National Household Financial Survey, Mathieu R. Despard, Dana C. Perantie, Lingzi Luo, Jane Oliphant, Michal Grinstein-Weiss

Center for Social Development Research

Use of Alternative Financial Services Among Low- and Moderate-Income Households: Findings From a Large-Scale National Household Financial Survey


The University, The Community, And Race, Larry Davis Apr 2015

The University, The Community, And Race, Larry Davis

Center for Social Development Research

The University, the Community, and Race


Creating A Just And Inclusive America, Xavier Briggs Mar 2015

Creating A Just And Inclusive America, Xavier Briggs

Center for Social Development Research

Creating a Just and Inclusive America


Closing The Racial Wealth Gap: Innovative Solutions For Change, Southern Regional Asset Building Coalition Feb 2015

Closing The Racial Wealth Gap: Innovative Solutions For Change, Southern Regional Asset Building Coalition

Center for Social Development Research

Closing the Racial Wealth Gap: Innovative Solutions for Change


Section 8 In The St. Louis Region: Local Opportunities To Expand Housing Choice, Molly Metzger Nov 2014

Section 8 In The St. Louis Region: Local Opportunities To Expand Housing Choice, Molly Metzger

Center for Social Development Research

Section 8 renters in the St. Louis area are highly segregated in poor neighborhoods. I recommend four local actions to increase housing choice for Section 8 renters: St. Louis City: Remove the special occupancy permit requirements for landlords who wish to rent through the Section 8 program. St. Louis City: Revise local fair housing ordinances to include Section 8 as an explicitly protected source of income. St. Louis County and Municipalities: Pass local fair housing ordinances to provide fair housing protections by source of income, explicitly including Section 8. State of Missouri and Missouri Housing Development Corporation: Provide greater transparency …


Social Workers Shaping Welfare Policy In South Africa: The White Paper For Social Welfare And Lessons For Policy Practice, Leila Patel Sep 2014

Social Workers Shaping Welfare Policy In South Africa: The White Paper For Social Welfare And Lessons For Policy Practice, Leila Patel

Center for Social Development Research

Social Workers Shaping Welfare Policy in South Africa: The White Paper for Social Welfare and Lessons for Policy Practice


An Event History Analysis Of Educational Loans And College Graduation: A Focus On Differences By Race And Ethnicity, Min Zhan, Xiaoling Xiang Dec 2013

An Event History Analysis Of Educational Loans And College Graduation: A Focus On Differences By Race And Ethnicity, Min Zhan, Xiaoling Xiang

Center for Social Development Research

This study examines the association between educational loans and college graduation rates, with a focus on differences by race and ethnicity. Data come from the 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY97). Results from event history analyses that control for a number of student characteristics, college experiences, and financial resources indicate that educational loans are positively related to the rate of college graduation. Larger loan amounts tend to decrease the likelihood of college graduation. The relationship between educational loans and college graduation is stronger among minority (Black and Hispanic) students. Overall, there is little evidence that educational loans reduce racial …


The Impact Of Family Assets And Debt On College Graduation, Min Zhan, Deidre Lanesskog Oct 2013

The Impact Of Family Assets And Debt On College Graduation, Min Zhan, Deidre Lanesskog

Center for Social Development Research

This study examines the influence of family financial assets and debt, both measured during the time of youth’s college enrollment, on the chances of college graduation. Data come from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. Results from analyses controlling for a number of student, parental, and institutional characteristics indicate that family assets are positively related to the chances of college graduation among White and Black students; family debt is negatively associated with the odds of college graduation among Black students, but neither family assets nor family debt is related to the chances of college graduation among Hispanic students. Overall, results …


The Impact Of Family Assets And Debt On College Graduation, Min Zhan, Deidre Lanesskog Oct 2013

The Impact Of Family Assets And Debt On College Graduation, Min Zhan, Deidre Lanesskog

Center for Social Development Research

The Impact of Family Assets and Debt on College Graduation


Education Debt And Racial Disparity In College Success, Min Zhan May 2013

Education Debt And Racial Disparity In College Success, Min Zhan

Center for Social Development Research

Education Debt and Racial Disparity in College Success


Youth Debt And College Graduation: Differences By Race/Ethnicity, Min Zhan Feb 2013

Youth Debt And College Graduation: Differences By Race/Ethnicity, Min Zhan

Center for Social Development Research

This study examines the relationship between youth debt (from education loans and credit cards) and college graduation, considering the ways in which the relationship differs by race/ethnicity. Results show little evidence that student loans and credit card debt reduce the gaps between White and minority students in the likelihood of college graduation. Findings also indicate that the likelihood of graduating from college is higher among White and Black students with education loans of $10,000 or more than among those without education loans. However, among minority students (Black and Hispanic students), those with education loans of $10,000 or more are less …


Perspective On Diversity, Human Nature, And Social Inclusion, Michael Sherraden Dec 2012

Perspective On Diversity, Human Nature, And Social Inclusion, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

Perspective on Diversity, Human Nature, and Social Inclusion


Validity Of Infact Race/Ethnicity From Birth Certificates In The Context Of U.S. Demographic Change, Lisa Reyes Mason, Yunju Nam, Youngmi Kim Jul 2012

Validity Of Infact Race/Ethnicity From Birth Certificates In The Context Of U.S. Demographic Change, Lisa Reyes Mason, Yunju Nam, Youngmi Kim

Center for Social Development Research

In this study, we examined consistency of infant race/ethnicity across two data sources (N=2,63) using measures of sensitivity and positive predictive value. First we created and compared conventional measures of infant race/ethnicity from 2007 Oklahoma birth certificates and SEED for Oklahoma Kids baseline survey data, classifying infants as White, African American, American Indian, Asian, or Hispanic. Then we created and tested alternative measures with a biracial classification, based on biological parentage from birth certificates or parent report of infant biracial identity in the survey. We find that, for conventional measures, sensitivity is highest for Whites and African Americans and lowest …


"You Pay Your Share, We'll Pay Our Share": The College Cost Burden And The Role Of Race, Income, And College Assets, William Elliott, Terri Friedline Mar 2012

"You Pay Your Share, We'll Pay Our Share": The College Cost Burden And The Role Of Race, Income, And College Assets, William Elliott, Terri Friedline

Center for Social Development Research

Changes in financial aid policies may place too much of the burden of paying for college on students. In addition, incentives for accumulating college assets may exacerbate the college cost burden on minority and lower income students. Our study investigated the impacts of these policy changes on college cost burden using trivariate probit analysis with predicted probabilities. We find that recent changes in the financial aid system place a higher responsibility on African American, Latino/Hispanic, and moderate-income students to pay for college themselves. an implication is that greater opportunities for more and higher dollar grants and scholarships at 4-year colleges …


Parental Educational Expectations By Race/Ethnicity And Socioeconomic Status, Youngmi Kim, Michael Sherraden, Margaret Clancy Mar 2012

Parental Educational Expectations By Race/Ethnicity And Socioeconomic Status, Youngmi Kim, Michael Sherraden, Margaret Clancy

Center for Social Development Research

Research has linked parents’ educational expectations to children’s educational attainment, but findings regarding differences in educational expectations by race/ethnicity have been inconsistent. In addition, existing studies have focused on school-age children and their parents. In this study, we examine educational expectations in mothers of newborn children using a state representative sample. a series of logistic regressions are conducted for the full sample (N=2,572) and for individual racial groups to investigate parental educational expectations by race and Hispanic origin. The study finds that non-Hispanic Whites hold higher educational expectations for their children compared to African Americans, American Indians, and Hispanics. However, …