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.

Learn More

Research Themes

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

cartoon icon outlines of four people in a circle
01

Class, Wealth, & Social Mobility

Documenting the magnitude of racial and ethnic disparities in wealth in the United States.
cartoon icon of plus/health sign
02

Health Equity

Investigating the sociocultural, economic, and structural indicators of health to eliminate health-related racial/ethnic and gender disparities.
cartoon icon of book with brain overlapped
03

Education Equity & Policy

Exploring the complex educational challenges facing various subgroups ranging from Pre-Kindergarteners to postsecondary students.
cartoon icon of police badge
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.
cartoon icon of outdoor landscape
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.
cartoon icon of scale
06

Visual Narratives of Inequality

Amplifying marginalized voices, highlighting inequitable systemic practices, and advancing social justice in North Carolina and beyond. 
cartoon graphic icon of brain with wires
07

Artificial Intelligence & Inequality

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

Journal Articles

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…
Photo of doctor and mom with child

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…
1917, Old Steel Mill

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…

How epigenetic inheritance fails to explain the Black-White health gap

Authors: Evan Charney, William Darity Jr., and Lucas Hubbard Journal: Social Science & Medicine Abstract:…

Intentionality and Congruence Cues Shape Young Children’s Perceptions of Identity-Based Group Membership

Authors: Brenda C. Straka, Adam Stanaland, and Sarah E. Gaither Journal: Developmental Science Abstract: As…

Testing the generalizability of minimal group attitudes in minority and majority race children

Authors: Brenda Straka, Ashley E. Jordan, Alisha Osornio, May Ling Halim, Kristin Pauker, Kristina R….

Editorial – Caste, class, race, and inequality: insights for economic policy

Authors: William A. Darity and Isabel Ruiz Journal: Oxford Review of Economic Policy Abstract: Disparities…

I am not (your) superwoman, Black girl magic, or beautiful struggle: Rethinking the resilience of Black women and girls

Authors: Keisha L. Bentley-Edwards and Valerie N. Adams Journal: American Psychologist Abstract: The concept and…

Books and Book Chapters

With Faith in God and Heart and Mind: A History of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity

Authors: Maurice J. Hobson, Eddie R. Cole, Jim C. Harper, and Derrick P. Alridge Book…
W. E. B. Du Bois

Book chapter – Redress or Socialism? W. E. B. Du Bois’s Silence on Black American Reparations

Chapter Authors: James B. Stewart and William A. Darity, Jr. Book: The Oxford Handbook of…

Book Chapter – Considering Multiracial Youth: Identity Challenges and Health Outcomes

Authors: Brenda Straka and Sarah Gaither Abstract: Health professionals who care for children will find…
The Black Reparations Project

The Black Reparations Project: A Handbook for Racial Justice

Overview This groundbreaking resource moves us from theory to action with a practical plan for…
vital and valuable

Vital and Valuable: The Relevance of HBCUs to American Life and Education

Overview Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are a crucial element of higher education in…

Book Chapter – Stratification Economics: A Primer and an Explanation on Opposition to Affirmative Action

Chapter Authors: Lucas Hubbard and William A. Darity Jr. Book: Handbook on Economics of Discrimination…
Pandemic Divide book cover

The Pandemic Divide: How COVID Increased Inequality in America

Overview As COVID-19 made inroads in the United States in spring 2020, a common refrain…
A dream defaulted book cover

A Dream Defaulted: The Student Loan Crisis Among Black Borrowers

About the book A Dream Defaulted explores how the student loan crisis disproportionately affects Black borrowers…

Reports, Briefs, and Essays

Stack of 100 dollar bills with key on top

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…
shadow of prison bars

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…
two headshots of W. H. Hutt and James Buchanan

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

Keisha Bentley-Edwards leads research to address kidney health disparities

Core Faculty Affiliate Keisha Bentley-Edwards led a research team in examining the way CKD…

William A. Darity Jr. and Lisa Gennetian: A Child-Centered Framework for Black Reparations

New research published in Nature Human Behaviour advances a case for child-centric Black reparations…

Fenaba Addo co-authors paper on Black and White Wealth Differentials

Cook Center Faculty Affiliate Fenaba R. Addo, Ph.D., recently coauthored a review article in…

Lauren Brinkley Rubenstein

New paper from Lauren Brinkley-Rubenstein

A research team led by Dr. Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein, Associate Professor of Population Health Sciences…

professional headshot of John Purakal

John Purakal publishes new paper on PTSD among emergency medicine doctors during COVID-19 pandemic

A research team, including Cook Center Faculty Affiliate John Purakal, MD, MS, examines posttraumatic…

New Roundtable in Journal of American Studies featuring Dr. William A. Darity Jr. and Lucas Hubbard

Founding Director Dr. William A. Darity Jr., and Research Associate Lucas Hubbard were featured…

Cook Center Commissioned Article on HBCUs published in Du Bois Review

What Effect Does Being a Historically Black College/University Have on Endowments? In research funded…

Study Reveals Black Families’ Hesitancy Toward Home Visiting Programs Due to Surveillance Concerns

A research team, including Cook Center affiliates Imari Z. Smith and Lisa A. Gennetian,…