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Researching Racism and Inequality
Structural racism in the United States is a historic and ongoing threat to the lives of people of color, particularly for Black Americans. It has undermined American systems of criminal justice, health care, education, employment, and the social safety net meant to protect the most vulnerable among us. Repairing the damage will be the collective work of a nation.
For our part, we are a company dedicated to leveraging the power of data and evidence to inform policy decisions that lead to positive social change. This has been Mathematica’s work for decades—from the study of basic income that launched us to more recent examples of our research on racial disparities and other inequalities. Together with partners in the public and private sectors, we’re proud to offer relevant research and analysis that can document gaps in resources and opportunities, respond with evidence-based solutions, and illuminate a path to progress.
Studies
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This report summarizes Mathematica’s evaluation of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s funded partners’ health insurance outreach and enrollment efforts in the 2022 Marketplace open enrollment period, including strategies to engage community power-building organizations and address structural racism in outreach and enrollment processes.
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A look at projects—some ongoing—that we’ve worked on with the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation to address the pressing challenges facing families with low income.
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This report examines and documents pre- and post-release services provided to formerly incarcerated individuals in Colorado and the frequency of recidivism for those who receive reentry support.
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DASH is one of several initiatives in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s (RWJF’s) ongoing efforts to build a Culture of Health and promote health equity. This formative evaluation report includes initial results from cross-sector data sharing that were used to identify trends and patterns at the community level and address social determinants of health.
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In partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, we explored the equity-based policy changes necessary to help children from under-resourced communities thrive.
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This experimental study looked at the effects of offering free school breakfast to elementary school students regardless of family income.
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This study documented a connection between hunger and poor health among children from families living on low incomes.
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The authors of this study explore the problems stemming from a policy intended to encourage people to move into the workforce.
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In a study for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, we looked at the housing options available to former foster youth and offered recommendations for future research and policy.
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We partnered with the Walton Family Foundation to uncover evidence about how school choice options— including charter schools, vouchers, magnet schools, and district-wide choice— affect the racial and economic integration of students.
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This report, the largest and most comprehensive examination of Americans who seek emergency food relief and the charitable network that serves them, notes that more than 23 million people received emergency hunger relief from Second Harvest in 2001.
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In partnership with the Urban Institute, we researched local and state policy aimed at decreasing the number of youth offenders placed outside of their homes in institutions, boot camps, residential treatment centers, and group homes.
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In partnership with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, we reviewed the landscape of informal child care options for families living on low incomes in Detroit, as well as ways to support caregivers.
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Missouri Foundation for Health launched The Right Time (TRT) in 2019 to increase contraceptive access and use to ensure women and families living in Missouri are empowered in their own health care decisions. This study sheds light on TRT's emphasis on achieving health equity, specifically achieving equitable access and outcomes for all women, regardless of income, race or ethnicity, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity, immigration status, and age.
Learning Collaboratives to Support the Development of High-Performing State Health Coverage Programs
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State and federal agencies are entering into Learning Collaboratives with the goal of increasing medical care and coverage for former foster-care youth and for justice-involved populations.
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A report on using targeted technical support to help states better serve Medicaid clients.
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The Rural Welfare-to-Work Strategies demonstration focused on helping families with low incomes in rural areas find employment and achieve self-sufficiency. This report focuses on program outcomes in southern Illinois.
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In this study, we looked at the efforts of four states—Florida, Oregon, Tennessee, and Utah—to address the mental health concerns that can be a barrier to employment for welfare recipients.
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This report examines ways to help states better meet the complex needs of people with disabilities who receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits.
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A review of economics literature that focuses on discrimination and disparities in the labor market and in the criminal justice system.
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Partnerships between providers of child welfare services, substance abuse disorder treatment, and other social services can enhance the safety and well-being of children who are in, or might be at risk of, out-of-home placement.
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This brief funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services presents recommendations created as part of the Research Development Project on the Human Service Needs of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Populations.
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To better understand the factors that influence students’ access to good teachers, we studied the number and effectiveness of teachers hired by high- and low-poverty schools.
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Our multiyear study of programs designed to help fathers living on low incomes improve their parenting skills concludes with this report featuring commentary from program participants.
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This brief looks at the well-being of LGBTQ young people aging out of foster care, comparing their economic self-sufficiency to that of their heterosexual peers.
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We studied the outcomes achieved and challenges faced by alumni of federal welfare-to-work programs.
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The round-the-clock nature of the new economy raises considerations for child care and child well-being. This study reveals how public child care assistance programs can offer a critical safety net for working parents with lower incomes (and nonstandard work hours) by helping them afford quality child care.
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Thirty-five years after the program launched, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) revised its food packages. In this report, we evaluate the reasons for the changes and their potential effects.
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A summary of the use and effectiveness of vouchers in public programs.
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Four decades after the United States declared a war on poverty, the authors of this study looked at how poor and immigrant populations were faring, as well as the effectiveness of government programs.
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Two of the nation’s largest publicly funded employment and training programs are the Adult and Dislocated Worker programs. Over the course of a decade, we evaluated their effectiveness.
Commentary
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Ronette Briefel, a senior fellow and nutritionist, summarizes the testimony she gave before the Maryland State Senate on policy to ensure year-round food security for children receiving free and reduced school meals.
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Senior Researcher Julie Bruch looks at the promise of statewide initiatives aimed at making higher education more diverse and equitable.
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The Urban Institute’s Kilolo Kijakazi talks with Mathematica’s Cleo Jacobs Johnson about what policy research organizations can do to make progress on addressing structural racism in policy research.
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In 2019, we hosted the first Sadie T.M. Alexander Conference, a forum to discuss the opportunity gap faced by Black women in economics and related fields. A year later, we asked the organizers if progress was being made.
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How can child welfare agencies protect children they are unable to see in person because of pandemic restrictions? Senior Researcher Allon Kalisher and Brady Birdsong, manager of BerryDunn, explore the use of predictive modeling to spot potential risk.
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Matt Stagner, our director of human services research, writes that for the social services sector, the pandemic is a wake-up call.
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Senior Researcher Candace Miller spotlights work from activists for gender equality whom she has met around the world.
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Senior Researcher Lauren Amos shares her professional expertise, and personal experience, with racial disparities in school discipline.
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A team of Mathematica researchers shares lessons learned by working in close partnership with American Indian and Alaska Native experts and elders.
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This episode of our On the Evidence podcast focuses on life coaching as a strategy to reduce violence.
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Researcher Debra Strong and Elaine Stedt, director of the Children’s Bureau Office on Child Abuse and Neglect, explain the potential of Regional Partnership Grants to provide wraparound family services.
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Director of Foundation Engagement Kimberlin Butler recounts the legacy of Dr. Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander, “one of the most notable figures in Black History you’ve probably never heard of.”
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Researcher Steven Malick looks at the opportunities that distance learning creates for schools and families to work together, opening the door to more culturally responsive practices.
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Researchers Joe Baker and Amanda Lechner look to past research for lessons on helping vulnerable populations in the time of COVID-19.
Events
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Mathematica hosted Dr. Wendy Ellis, founding director of the Center for Community Resilience at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University. Dr. Ellis presented on the history of systemic racism in the United States and its pivotal role in social and health disparities in the Black community.
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Together with the Walton Family Foundation, we presented a forum comparing the experiences of children in district schools with those of their peers who take advantage of school choice options.
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A four-part webinar series from our partners at the Regional Educational Laboratory Mid-Atlantic looks at ways to build more diverse and equitable schools through the practice of culturally responsive education.
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We brought together a diverse panel of experts from academia, philanthropy, and government for this conversation on fostering equity and cultural responsiveness in the areas of research and evaluation.
Connect with an Expert
Connect with current Mathematica team members who contributed to the studies, commentary, and events listed above.
Amy Wodarek O’Reilly
Principal Managing Consultant; Co-Lead, Health Human-Centered Design Practice
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