Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University

Laws targeting the regulation of abortion providers (TRAP laws) have forced clinics to close and cut off access to abortion services, even in states where abortion is legal.

New research by community health scholar and IPR associate Joe Feinglass, Madeline Perry, and Lynn Yee finds that states with at least one TRAP law had a 36% higher likelihood of infant mortality compared to states without them, even after accounting for individual health and socioeconomic factors.

The researchers suggest that when access to abortion is restricted, people with high-risk pregnancies or fetal health conditions may have no option but to continue them. http://spr.ly/6187B87Z9N

People who lack access to clean drinking water also tend to struggle to get enough safe food to eat, according to a new study in Nature Food by IPR anthropologist Sera Young and her colleagues—a finding that holds across 121 nations and every income level.

The researchers say the study underscores the urgent need for coordinated global action to address these issues together.

"What these data show is that water and food insecurities go hand-in-hand, from the lowest income countries to the highest income countries," Young said. "We aren't doing ourselves any favors by our siloed approach to trying to solve food issues separately from solving water issues."

Read the full study: http://spr.ly/6184B8fnxA

Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs

As temperatures reach 90 degrees across the Chicago area this week, read about how a working group co-led by Daniel Horton is working with city and community partners to map who is most vulnerable and build tools that help save lives as temperatures rise:

Making Chicago Safer in Heat Waves: Institute for Policy Research - Northwestern University Chicago’s deadly 1995 heat wave showed how neighborhood conditions and social ties determine who stays safe in extreme weather. Now, IPR associate Dan Horton is leading a working group to map those risks through a Heat Vulnerability Index. Combining data like temperature, public health records, an...

A lack of clean drinking water is associated with lacking food and experiencing food safety threats in 121 countries across the globe - Nature Food Food preparation typically requires access to clean drinking water. This Analysis of data from the World Risk Poll explores the links between food sufficiency, clean drinking water availability and their impact on food safety threats across low-, middle- and high-income regions.

On April 29, the U.S. Supreme Court narrowed a section of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 meant to protect minorities’ political and voting power. In her dissent, Justice Elena Kagan called the court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais the “latest chapter in the majority's now-completed demolition of the Voting Rights Act.”

The decision struck down Louisiana's current congressional map, in which two of six districts were majority-Black, as an “unconstitutional racial gerrymander.” According to the last census, nearly one-third of Louisiana’s population is Black, but the ruling forces the state to revert to a map with only one majority-Black district.

For IPR economist and legal scholar Chika Okafor, the ruling raises a more fundamental question his research seeks to answer.

“Do colorblind rules actually produce fairness?” Okafor asked the audience during his IPR colloquium on May 11.

No, according to Okafor's research on social network discrimination—a concept he originated and demonstrated mathematically.

Read more: https://www.ipr.northwestern.edu/news/2026/louisiana-v-callais-a-lock-without-a-key.html

IPR economist Charles F. Manski has spent a large portion of his career untangling how best to measure scientific uncertainty—in particular, what he has called “incredible certitude” or conclusions drawn from data that lack firm empirical support. He has applied that understanding to policy analysis, from education and health to labor markets and social programs.

In recognition of this pioneering work, the BBVA Foundation awarded him its Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Economics, Finance, and Management.

Manski was one of nine awardees in the 18th edition across eight scientific and cultural fields, including economics, management, finance, and the humanities.

Read more here: https://www.ipr.northwestern.edu/news/2026/charles-manski-recognized-for-work-in-deep-uncertainty.html

Congratulations to IPR social policy expert Sally Nuamah, who received two major international awards!

Nuamah is setting out on a three-year journey as one of 118 Young Global Leaders selected by the World Economic Forum. The program of collaboration and exchange with the other awardees recognizes her innovative scholarship and global leadership potential.

She also received a prestigious 2026 Bellagio Center residency from the Rockefeller Foundation and will spend nearly a month on the shores of Italy’s Lake Como, examining African cultural production, sovereignty, and partisanship, as well as networking and collaborating with her fellow residents.

Her award‑winning books reveal how inequalities in education and public institutions undermine civic engagement, particularly for Black communities. Through these fellowships, she will collaborate with global leaders across a variety of fields to inform solutions to pressing democratic and social challenges. Read more here: https://www.ipr.northwestern.edu/news/2026/sally-nuamah-leading-for-the-future.html

TODAY: Join us in Chambers Hall at noon for a talk by IPR economist and legal scholar Chika Okafor on “Beyond Malice, It’s Math: Social Network Discrimination and Voting Rights After Louisiana v. Callais.” http://spr.ly/6182BBYVLe

Join us in Chambers Hall on Monday at noon for a talk by IPR economist and legal scholar Chika Okafor on “Beyond Malice, It’s Math: Social Network Discrimination and Voting Rights After Louisiana v. Callais.” http://spr.ly/6182BBYVLe

How does the world we live in get written into our bodies?

Join IPR Visiting Scholar Bridget Goosby, a professor of sociology at The University of Texas at Austin, for an in-person talk on May 18 exploring her research on the social factors driving health disparities. Register here:

Bridget Goosby: Understanding Health Inequities through a Biosocial Lens Join us for a talk by Bridget Goosby on “Pushing the Boundaries: Understanding Health Inequities through a Biosocial Lens.“