The Abstract

ISR's global impact is large and growing — but how can it be quantified? And what role does ISR play in the ongoing evolution of the social sciences?Kate Cagney, director of ISR, and Laurie McCauley, the provost of the University of Michigan, explored those topics and many other questions during a fireside chat at ISR's 75th anniversary symposium in October 2024. Moderated by Arthur Lupia, U-M's interim vice president for research and innovation, this chat brings crucial insight to the topics of ISR's past and future impact.For more from the Institute for Social Research, visit our website or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or LinkedIn.

The Institute for Social Research is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2024. In October, ISR held a symposium in honor of the occasion, and Mike Traugott and Grace Noppert played key roles in preparing and leading that event.Today, Mike and Grace join The Abstract for a discussion about the symposium, ISR's history, and what's next for ISR as we look to the future.For more from the Institute for Social Research, visit our website or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or LinkedIn.

What can paper wasps teach us about animal communication? A lot more than you might think.Wasps of all varieties are a fixture of summer life across the United States, but the paper wasp stands out for its unique communication skills. Dr. Elizabeth Tibbetts of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Michigan’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts explained more about this interesting insect at the Institute for Social Research in January 2024.Read more from Dr. Tibbetts on her faculty page and on Google Scholar.View the presentation on which this episode of The Abstract was based here. For more from the Institute for Social Research, visit our website or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or LinkedIn.

The United States government relies on the strength of its political institutions to govern effectively. But what if Americans lose faith in those institutions?Many political commentators have argued that the 2020 election gave us the chance to see that question play out, given the actions of Donald Trump and his supporters. But Dr. James Gibson isn't so sure. In the 2024 edition of the Miller-Converse Lecture series, he argues that Americans actually haven't lost much faith in their political institutions, if any.Read more about Dr. Gibson here.Watch Dr. Gibson's full presentation here.Learn more about Dr. Gibson's book here.For more from the Institute for Social Research, visit our website or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or LinkedIn.

Every story has a beginning, and every story that lasts has something that sets it apart from others like it.According to Phil Converse, who joined the Institute for Social Research in its early days and went on to become its director, ISR's differentiating factors were evident very early on.In this archival audio, the fourth director of ISR shares how he came to ISR, what he learned while he was here, and how ISR sets itself apart int he world of social research.For more from the Institute for Social Research, visit our website or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or LinkedIn.

Political studies have a long and storied history at ISR. The correct prediction of the 1948 outcome in which Harry S. Truman defeated Thomas Dewey, despite many popular opinions to the contrary at the time, was a seminal moment in that research. Since then, political studies have been at the core of ISR's identity, and Warren Miller, the former director of the Center for Political Studies, was a crucial part of that identity.In the late 90s, Miller spoke with a historian as a part of an oral history compiled for ISR's 50th anniversary. On this episode of The Abstract, we're thrilled to share a part of that interview as Miller explores his early role at ISR and the growth of the Institute throughout the years.For more from the Institute for Social Research, visit our website or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or LinkedIn.

Interactions with the criminal justice system can mean a lifetime of complications. How can they affect people entering retirement?Dr. Mike Mueller-Smith of the Institute for Social Research's Population Center addressed that topic in a presentation as a part of ISR's Insights Speaker Series in October 2023. Mueller-Smith, who is also the director of the Criminal Justice Administrative Records System (CJARS), researches how interactions with the justice system affect the American population at different stages and says it's crucial to consider how such interactions could affect the quality of life for an aging country.Connect with Mike Mueller-Smith at CJARS or via his page on Google Scholar.View the full presentation on which this episode of the Abstract was based via the ISR YouTube channel.For more from the Institute for Social Research, visit our website or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or LinkedIn.

The population in the United States is aging, and an aging population is statistically likely to have a larger number of people with dementia. How should we care for the aging population generally and the population with dementia specifically, especially when the burden for that care typically falls to families?In today's episode of the Abstract, ISR's Dr. Sarah Patterson takes on those questions in a presentation originally given at ISR in September 2023. View Patterson's Google Scholars page here and connect with her ISR faculty profile here.Her full presentation on aging and dementia care is available through the ISR YouTube channel. For more from the Institute for Social Research, visit our website or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or LinkedIn.

Marriage, motherhood, and mental health are three topics studied intensely on their own but rarely together. However, work by Dr. Sangeetha Madhavan of the University of Maryland could change that.Dr. Madhavan recently presented her research on the combined topic of maternal mental health and marriage as a part of the Population Studies Center's Brown Bag Series, sharing her data and in-depth approach to examining many questions connected to these topics.View the full presentation here.Read more from Sangeetha Manhavan here.For more from the Institute for Social Research, visit our website or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or LinkedIn.