Increasing Social and Economic Inclusion

This competition is now closed.

Widespread disparities in access to social and economic opportunities and, in turn, social, economic and biophysiological well-being have been well documented in contemporary society. Disadvantaged and marginalized populations are less likely than advantaged populations to have access to and, thereby, benefit from high quality modern technologies, educational institutions, health care, labor markets, housing markets, neighborhoods, and financial markets. They are also disproportionately likely to experience high levels of stress, trauma, food insecurity, and exposure environmental toxins. Differential access and opportunities in these domains are associated with disparities in social, educational, economic, health, wealth, environmental, and political opportunities and outcomes across population groups. The OVCRGE seeks proposals for innovative research to inform policies and programs aimed at ameliorating such disparities and increasing social and economic inclusion. The proposed research can be fundamental or applied and can create benefits over the short or long term. Projects may have a domestic, international or comparative focus.

This initiative is specifically intended to support research that will significantly expand knowledge on how to reduce social and economic disparities in opportunities and well-being and increase social and economic inclusion. As such, competitive research projects will be designed to identify actionable solutions for reducing disparities on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, disability, economic standing, language, minority status, country of origin and/or immigration status, rather than only to describe the causes and consequences of such disparities. We are particularly interested in research on how disparities in opportunities and well-being and associated social exclusion may be driven and perpetuated by historic and contemporary social structures, policies, systems, and institutions, with implications for promising scalable approaches to ameliorating such disparities and their adverse effects. Policy and program evaluations of such approaches are highly encouraged.