Sociologist Jeffrey Morenoff, associate dean for research and policy engagement
Focus: neighborhood environments, crime and criminal justice, the social determinants of health, racial/ethnic/immigrant inequality, and methods for analyzing multilevel and spatial data.
Ongoing Projects:
- Morenoff co-founded the Detroit Metro Area Communities Study (DMACS) in 2016. The longitudinal survey (17 waves of 5,000 residents) has provided valuable insights into the perceptions and attitudes of people who live and work in Detroit. Topics include policing, trust in government, access to health care, transportation, race relations, and who benefits most from recent investments in the city. The survey recently expanded to Flint, Grand Rapids, and Ypsilanti under the name Michigan Metro Area Communities Study (MIMACS).
- Mayor Duggan sought Morenoff’s expertise to investigate if and how the 2020 Census undercounted Detroit’s population— with significant political and economic consequences. Morenoff’s research revealed the 2020 Census indeed undercounted nearly 70% of the city’s 4,350 census blocks, providing critical evidence for multiple census challenges and a subsequent lawsuit. Morenoff continues researching the issue and is consulting with city officials to improve census data reporting.
- Morenoff’s 2019 book, On the Outside, details how family ties, administrative costs, and housing and economic instability help or hinder prisoner reintegration. He was recently elected to the Board of Directors of Safe & Just Michigan, a nonprofit organization in Lansing with a mission of advancing policies that end Michigan’s overuse of incarceration and promote community safety and healing.
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