The COVID pandemic has created both a public health emergency and a gigantic financial shock. Millions of people have lost their livelihoods. People need cash to support themselves and their loved ones, and this pandemic brings to the fore a policy set of responses that Dr. Lisa Gennetian and Dr. Daniela Del Boca have worked on for many years. Dr. Lawrence Aber recently spoke with Drs. Del Boca and Gennetian about their cash transfer research and the context of their work.

The Institute of Human Development and Social Change asked faculty, post-docs, and graduate students to answer a brief survey that explored the intersection of justice, research, and civic engagement. The goal was to imagine bold, equitable, and evidence-based ideas for policy and practice that promise to make a meaningful impact in the lives of children, youth, and families.

In a matter of weeks, the call to defund police departments has gone from a radical, fringe position to a mainstream protest slogan and policy prescription across the nation. Helena Wippick, project coordinator at IHDSC, makes the argument that this position has been one supported for years by social scientists.