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.

Research & Publications

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Color of Wealth Studies

The Color of Wealth is a series of reports that examines the social and economic…
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Umbrellas Don’t Make It Rain: Why Studying and Working Hard Isn’t Enough for Black Americans

Authors: Darrick Hamilton, William A. Darity Jr., Anne E. Price, Vishnu Sridharan, and Rebecca Tippett…
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Financial Resources in Kinship and Social Networks

Authors: Tatjana Meschede, William A. Darity Jr., and Darrick Hamilton Abstract: This study examines the…
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The Color of Wealth in Boston

Authors: Ana Patricia Muñoz, Marlene Kim, Mariko Chang, Regine O. Jackson, Darrick Hamilton, and William…
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Choosing Blackness in Brazil’s Racialized Democracy: The Endogeneity of Race in Salvador and São Paulo

Authors: Gladys Mitchell-Walthour and William A. Darity Jr Abstract: Racial identity is endogenous and should…
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Skin Shade Stratification and the Psychological Cost of Unemployment: Is there a Gradient for Black Females?

Authors: Timothy M. Diette, Arthur H. Goldsmith, Darrick Hamilton, and William A. Darity Jr. Abstract:…
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A Tour de Force in Understanding Intergroup Inequality: An Introduction to Stratification Economics

Authors: William A. Darity, Jr., Darrick Hamilton, and James B. Stewart Abstract: This special edition…

Review: Race, Caste, Class, and Subalternity

Author: William A. Darity Jr. Excerpt of Review: Two books edited by Distinguished Professor of…