The COVID-19 pandemic is a public health crisis that generated an economic crisis, with job losses within several months that exceeded the job gains of the previous decade and negative effects on all facets of American life. The varying response of institutions, such as government, education, business, contributed to the differential spread of the virus and its effects by geography, race, ethnicity, gender, and social class.
In response, the Russell Sage Foundation will give high priority over the next several years to rigorous social science research that investigates the immediate and long-term social, political, economic, and psychological consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. We are particularly interested in research on the effects of the crisis on vulnerable populations and how they were shaped by both the increased inequalities of the last several decades and the differential effects of federal, state, and local policies implemented in response to the pandemic. We are also interested in how the resulting circumstances and outcomes might influence governments to better anticipate and respond to future crises.
Our priorities do not include analyses of health or mental health outcomes or health behaviors as the dependent variable except where the research focuses on how pandemic-induced changes in health outcomes or health behaviors as independent variables had differential effects on social, political, economic and psychological outcomes. RSF seldom supports studies focused on outcomes such as educational processes or curricular issues, but does prioritize analyses of inequities in educational attainment or student performance.
RSF will accept research proposals related to the effects of the pandemic in all programs and special initiatives: Behavioral Economics; Decision Making and Human Behavior in Context; Future of Work; Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration; Social, Political, and Economic Inequality. The following topics include research issues of interest to our core programs but do not comprise an exhaustive list.
Effects on the Economy, Workers and Inequalities
Job losses quickly reached levels not seen since the Great Depression, with economic output likely to fall more in the first two quarters of 2020 than it did during the 2008-09 Great Recession. Congress passed large stimulus bills, but they were insufficient, given that our frayed social safety net left millions of families struggling to make ends meet without access to paid sick/family leave or health insurance. “Social distancing,” remote working and the distinction between “essential” and “non-essential” workers have had differential effects by gender, race/ethnicity, education, occupation. The most vulnerable have faced greater risks, including low-wage workers, the elderly, those with chronic health conditions, and those living in close quarters, like jails and prisons or migrant detention facilities. And, many low-wage workers in the service industries are more likely to permanently lose their jobs or be called back to work more slowly than higher-wage workers in other industries.
Answers & Comments
Answer:
The COVID-19 pandemic is a public health crisis that generated an economic crisis, with job losses within several months that exceeded the job gains of the previous decade and negative effects on all facets of American life. The varying response of institutions, such as government, education, business, contributed to the differential spread of the virus and its effects by geography, race, ethnicity, gender, and social class.
In response, the Russell Sage Foundation will give high priority over the next several years to rigorous social science research that investigates the immediate and long-term social, political, economic, and psychological consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. We are particularly interested in research on the effects of the crisis on vulnerable populations and how they were shaped by both the increased inequalities of the last several decades and the differential effects of federal, state, and local policies implemented in response to the pandemic. We are also interested in how the resulting circumstances and outcomes might influence governments to better anticipate and respond to future crises.
Our priorities do not include analyses of health or mental health outcomes or health behaviors as the dependent variable except where the research focuses on how pandemic-induced changes in health outcomes or health behaviors as independent variables had differential effects on social, political, economic and psychological outcomes. RSF seldom supports studies focused on outcomes such as educational processes or curricular issues, but does prioritize analyses of inequities in educational attainment or student performance.
RSF will accept research proposals related to the effects of the pandemic in all programs and special initiatives: Behavioral Economics; Decision Making and Human Behavior in Context; Future of Work; Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration; Social, Political, and Economic Inequality. The following topics include research issues of interest to our core programs but do not comprise an exhaustive list.
Effects on the Economy, Workers and Inequalities
Job losses quickly reached levels not seen since the Great Depression, with economic output likely to fall more in the first two quarters of 2020 than it did during the 2008-09 Great Recession. Congress passed large stimulus bills, but they were insufficient, given that our frayed social safety net left millions of families struggling to make ends meet without access to paid sick/family leave or health insurance. “Social distancing,” remote working and the distinction between “essential” and “non-essential” workers have had differential effects by gender, race/ethnicity, education, occupation. The most vulnerable have faced greater risks, including low-wage workers, the elderly, those with chronic health conditions, and those living in close quarters, like jails and prisons or migrant detention facilities. And, many low-wage workers in the service industries are more likely to permanently lose their jobs or be called back to work more slowly than higher-wage workers in other industries.
Explanation: