Research

Displays celebrating Durham African American History

Advancing Social Equity Research

Within the Center’s rich interdisciplinary community, our research scholars pursue projects across various fields of inquiry as well as with researchers at Duke and scholars throughout the world.

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Research Themes

The Cook Center organizes its research, programmatic, and scholarship activities into the following domains:

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01

Class, Wealth, & Social Mobility

Documenting the magnitude of racial and ethnic disparities in wealth in the United States.
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02

Health Equity

Investigating the sociocultural, economic, and structural indicators of health to eliminate health-related racial/ethnic and gender disparities.
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03

Education Equity & Policy

Exploring the complex educational challenges facing various subgroups ranging from Pre-Kindergarteners to postsecondary students.
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04

Policing Enforcement & Justice

Advancing research on the mechanisms that produce and maintain inequities within the criminal legal system and its broader consequences on society.
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05

Environmental Justice

Focusing on the behavioral, social, cultural, and technological aspects of the global climate crisis for meaningful incorporation into environmental policy and decision making.
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06

Visual Narratives of Inequality

Amplifying marginalized voices, highlighting inequitable systemic practices, and advancing social justice in North Carolina and beyond. 
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07

Artificial Intelligence & Inequality

Understanding the ethical and sociopolitical stakes of technological developments, automated systems, and artificial intelligence.

Journal Articles

Examining preferences for weight loss interventions among black men and women with overweight or obesity: A qualitative study

Authors: Snehaa Ray, Christie I. Idiong, Rachel Anderson, Kate Killion, Curtis Antrum, Michael Puglisi, Jolaade…

ICE’s Budget Surge Is A Public Health Crisis

Authors: Emily Dauria,  Kathryn Nowotny,  Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein Journal (blog): Health Affairs Forefront Introduction: As health…

Health & justice 10th anniversary: looking ahead after a decade of progress

Authors: Faye S. Taxman, Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein, Lior Gideon & Wendy P. Guastaferro Journal: Health & Justice Excerpts…

Social Preference Parameters Impacting Financial Decisions Among Welfare Recipients

Authors: Jorge N. Zumaeta Journal: Journal of Risk and Financial Management Abstract: This research study focuses…

Root Causes of the Racial Wealth Gap: A Critique of the Fed View

Authors: William A. Darity Jr. and Stephan Lefebvre Journal: AEA Papers and Proceedings Abstract: We address…

A framework and policy case for black reparations to support child well-being in the USA

Authors: Lisa A. Gennetian, Christina Gibson-Davis, & William A. Darity Jr. Journal: Nature Human Behavior…
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Social contexts and black families’ engagement in early childhood programs

Authors: Jane Leer, Imari Z. Smith, Zoelene Hill, and Lisa A. Gennetian Journal: PLOS One…
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Gains from factory electrification: Evidence from North Carolina, 1905–1926

Author: Will Damron Journal: Explorations in Economic History Abstract: Between 1900 and 1930, the share…

Books and Book Chapters

Book Chapter – Black Boys And Their Racial Identity: Learning How They Fit Into Society And In Your Classroom

Chapter Authors: Paul A. Robbins, Leann V. Smith, and Keisha L. Bentley-Edwards Book: The Guide for…
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From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century, 2nd. ed.

Overview Racism and discrimination have choked economic opportunity for African Americans at nearly every turn….

You Mean It or You Don’t: James Baldwin’s Radical Challenge

Overview After a speech at UMass Amherst on February 28, 1984, James Baldwin was asked…
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From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century

Overview Racism and discrimination have choked economic opportunity for African Americans at nearly every turn….
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The Kings of Mississippi: Race, Religious Education, and the Making of a Middle-Class Black Family in the Segregated South

Overview Kings of Mississippi examines how a twentieth-century black middle-class family navigated life in rural…
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Roses for the Soul: Celebrating the Life and Achievements of Dr. Samuel DuBois Cook

About the book “On the evening of his retirement from the presidency of Dillard University…
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Citizen Outsider: Children of North African Immigrants in France

Overview While portrayals of immigrants and their descendants in France and throughout Europe often center…
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The Hidden Rules of Race: Barriers to an Inclusive Economy

Overview Why do black families own less than white families? Why does school segregation persist…

Reports, Briefs, and Essays

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Black Reparations and Child Well-Being: A Framework and Policy Considerations

Authors: Lisa A. Gennetian, Christina Gibson-Davis, & William A. Darity Jr. Journal: National Bureau of…

Gender Differences in Remote Learning amid COVID-19

Authors: Sungmee Kim and Tim Sass Publisher: Andrew Young School of Policy at Georgia State…

Teacher Recruitment and Retention Trends Across North Carolina and the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Authors: Lauren Fox, Sara Howell, Ashley Kazouh, Elizabeth Paul, and Jessica Peacock Research Advisors: Keisha…

What the Durham Police Department Can Do to Enhance Safety and Earn Trust

Authors: Ajenai Clemmons Summary: This report contains the findings of an academic study Ajenai Clemmons…

Income Supplements versus Building Assets and the Racial Wealth Gap: Tax Policies

Authors: William A. Darity Jr, William Gale, Mónica García-Pérez, and Nora Cahill Executive Summary: The…

Understanding the Effects of Windfalls: What People Do with Financial Payouts, and What It Means for Policy

Authors: Katherine Rodgers, Sydney A. Grissom, Lucas Hubbard, and William A. Darity Jr. Abstract: What…
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Prison Hospital Data Is Omitted From Federal Data Sets

Authors: Michael Forrest Behne, Joshua A. Barocas, Josiah D. Rich, and Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein Abstract: Given…
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Setting the Record Straight on the Libertarian South African Economist W. H. Hutt and James M. Buchanan

Authors: William Darity Jr., M’Balou Camara, and Nancy MacLean Abstract: In their stormy response to…

Research News

Loneke Blackman Carr

New report from Loneke Blackman Carr on 2022 NIH Workshop

Faculty Affiliate Loneke Blackman Carr, Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at…

New paper from Loneke Blackman Carr and Kristen Cooksey Stowers on weight loss interventions among black men and women

Faculty Affiliates Loneke Blackman Carr, Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at…

Lauren Brinkley Rubenstein

Two new articles on Health and Justice from Lauren Brinkley-Rubenstein

Faculty Affiliate Lauren Brinkley-Rubenstein, Professor of Population Health Sciences at Duke University, recently contributed…

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Jorge Zumaeta publishes in Journal of Risk and Financial Management

Core Faculty Jorge Zumaeta, Senior Director of Continuing Education and Adjunct in the Department…

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Sarah Gaither publishes paper in Journal of Experimental Child Psychology on children’s socializing preferences

Faculty Affiliate Sarah Gaither, Associate Professor in Duke University’s Department of Psychology and Neuroscience,…

Loneke Blackman Carr

New paper from Loneke Blackman Carr published in Eating Behaviors

Faculty Affiliate Loneke Blackman Carr, Assistant Professor of Nutritional Sciences at the University of…

Professional headshot of Sungmee Kim

Sungmee Kim Authors Working Paper Highlighting Link Between Remote Learning and Increased Risk of Child Maltreatment

A new working paper by Sungmee Kim, Ph.D., Cook Center Postdoctoral Associate, sheds light…

New Book from Core Faculty Adam Hollowell and Keisha Bentley-Edwards Explores Disability Justice Through the Lens of Stratification Economics

The Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity is proud to celebrate the release…