January 2025
The Weidenbaum Center is a research institute at Washington University in St. Louis that supports social scientific research in the fields of public policy, economics, political science, and sociology. Led by Weidenbaum Center Director Andrew Reeves (pictured), the Center funds faculty research, provides administrative support for research activities, and sponsors a wide range of public affairs programs. In doing so, the Center serves as a bridge between scholars, policymakers, and the general public. Through unbiased empirical research and events, the Center addresses many of the pressing public policy issues facing America and the world today.
The Weidenbaum Center provides significant research support for faculty in the departments of Economics, Political Science, and Sociology. This support allows a wide array of faculty members to participate in a variety of impactful research, and is of particular importance to our younger faculty who are just starting their research careers. Research efforts contribute to work that addresses key social issues locally, nationally, and globally, and enhances the prominence of Washington University in the academic and policy world. Donations fund our grant programs which support this research. We could not support nearly as much research without this generosity.
Attendees were treated to a fascinating and in-depth discussion by author and Professor Liz Chiarello, on her new book "Policing Patients: Treatment and Surveillance on the Frontlines of the Opioid Crisis." In her book, Professor Chiarello draws on hundreds of in-depth interviews with physicians, pharmacists, and law enforcement agents across the US to bring readers to the frontlines of the opioid crisis. Chiarello provided insight on the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, a database capable of tracking all controlled substances via user within and state and across state lines. She described the unique and challenging relationships between law enforcement, physicians, pharmacists, and patients, and the difficult choices all these different groups face connected with the opioid crisis. Elizabeth Larson, Weidenbaum Center Associate Director of Research & Administration, moderated the event. See below to watch the discussion.
Do constituents care how judges are chosen? In a new paper, Professors Andrew Stone and Michael Olson conducted two experiments, embedded in high-quality surveys organized and paid for by the Weidenbaum Center, focusing on state trial courts. The first experiment indicates that respondents prefer judges who are elected to those who are appointed, though this does not affect their perceptions of how legitimate the judiciary is more generally. The second experiment explores three potential pathways through which these effects might emerge: political efficacy, experience with democracy, and perceived ideological proximity to judges. This study additionally offers important new considerations for evaluating proposed reforms on how judges are selected. This research would not have been possible without the Weidenbaum Center’s “The American Social Survey” (TASS), which provided the authors with ready access to a high-quality, credible sample of U.S. adults.
Weidenbaum Center collaborator Mark Rank writes on how the loss of the American dream fueled Trump's return
Weidenbaum Center Speaker Peter Kastor discusses the history of senate nominees
Policing Patients Book for sale at the event
Seethu Seetharaman asking question during Q&A session
Liz Chiarello addressing attendees
Liz Chiarello with Craig Schmid post discussion
Weidenbaum Center staff work with faculty to identify sources of external funding and to prepare research proposals. Awarded grants are administered by the Center.
More information on External Grant AdministrationThe Supply-Side of the United States Supreme Court Docket The National Science Foundation awarded this grant to Professor Dino Christenson and collaborators Professors Janet Box-Steffensmeier (Ohio State) and Sahar Abi-Hassan (Northeastern University). This project analyses a host of important features in the "writ of certiorari" process to undersatnd the density and diversity of issues and interests competing for the Supreme Court's consideration.
Legal Aspects of American Federalism: State Supreme Courts and Abortion Rights in American Politics. The Center for the Study of Federalism awarded this grant to Professor James Gibson and collaborator Professor Michael Nelson (Penn State). The project examines the causes and consequences of state high court legitimacy within the context of state-based abortion politics.
Anticipating the Political Impacts of Artificial Intelligence: Experimental Evidence from Latin America Carnegie Corporation of New York awarded this grant to Professor Guillermo Rosas and collaborator Professor Yimin Cao (University of Hong Kong). This project anticipates the political impacts of artificial intelligence in Latin America by conducting randomized experiments and building AI datasets.
On February 6, hear authors and professors Sam Rosenfeld and Daniel Schlozman discuss their new book: The "Hollow Parties: The Many Pasts and Disordered Present of American Party Politics." On February 24, we are thrilled to host a forum on labor and regulatory policy, featuring panelists Rick Barrett, journalist and Pulitzer Center grantee, Jonathan Wolfson of the Cicero Institute, and our own Jake Rosenfeld, expert on unions and Weidenbaum Center Resident Fellow. Pauline Kim, a WashU law professor, will moderate this expert panel.
Spring events
