About

The Poverty Alleviation Research Center (PARC) advances research, education, and community partnerships that strengthen economic security and well-being for all people.
Three principles guide PARC’s work:

1. We take a holistic approach to understanding poverty and its alleviation. PARC engages anti-poverty
   interventions through an interdisciplinary lens, applying diverse theoretical and methodological approaches to
   understand the causes and consequences of economic hardship and effective strategies of intervention. PARC
   work addresses key leverage points across the policy continuum – from policy design, administration and
   implementation, to the consequences of policy for individuals, communities, and the larger society.
2. We are concerned with generating knowledge for social good. PARC prioritizes projects that generate
   scientifically rigorous knowledge to support effective and equitable policies and programs aimed at supporting
   economic security and social justice for all people.
3. We strive to foster economic security through partnership. PARC conducts its work in collaboration with
   academic researchers and governmental and nongovernmental stakeholders, including non-profit
   organizations, philanthropic foundations, employers, and community groups. Building and strengthening these
   partnerships, PARC strives to generate and share knowledge that reflects the perspectives of people
   experiencing poverty and of organizations and initiatives working to alleviate poverty

To advance its mission to generate and share policy-relevant knowledge to alleviate poverty, strengthen economic security, and promote the well-being of all people, PARC undertakes research and education projects that address the full arc of policy—from design and implementation to impact. Its work centers on four broad priority areas:
 

• Meeting People’s Basic Needs. The design, implementation, and effects of safety net income support programs such as the EITC, SSI, and Child Tax Credit, as well as alternative policies and private efforts that support material well-being in fields such as housing, job readiness, and food security, and that address populations who fall through the gaps in our safety net.
• Systems and System-Involved Populations. The structure, policies, and practices of systems that disproportionately affect economically disadvantaged populations, including child welfare, immigration, and criminal legal systems. How demographic and status characteristics shape interactions with these systems and promising avenues toward more equitable and effective systems to serve all people.
• Work and Family. The changing job conditions and caregiving demands that impact family life, especially in low-income communities. Employment policies and work-family policies aimed at improving job quality and stability, reducing work-family conflicts, and supporting parents, caregivers, and children.
• Poverty Governance. The political, legal, and social processes that shape policy and its implementation in low-income communities. How institutions and governance processes influence socioeconomic inclusion and well-being, including participatory policymaking, private-sector responses to public policy, and the role of nonprofit organizations as advocates and implementers of policy change