Faculty receive seed grants to study persistent poverty in state

The Poverty and the Economy Faculty Research Grant program is a competitive seed grant program funded by the University of Georgia Research Foundation Inc. and administered by the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach.

This research grant program is part of a campus-wide effort to address poverty in Georgia and explore ways that university teaching, research and service can help Georgians become full participants in the economy.

“We are confident that this research grant program will generate a deeper understanding of persistent poverty and the conditions associated with it,” said Art Dunning, UGA vice president for public service and outreach. “In the long term, the research initiated under this program will lead to policy solutions that bring about individual wealth creation and community prosperity.”

• Virginia Dick and Allison E. McWilliams, Carl Vinson Institute of Government, “Disproportionality in Georgia’s Child Welfare System: An Analysis of Socioeconomic Factors and Impacts;”

• Russell Gabriel, School of Law, Criminal Defense Clinic, and Ed Risler and Larry Nackerud, School of Social Work, “Poverty in the Courts: Exploring the Impacts of Financial Burden on Poor and Indigent Defendants;”

• Tera Hurt, Institute for Behavioral Research, and Ted Futris, College of Family and Consumer Sciences Cooperative Extension, “Relationship Smarts Plus in Athens, Ga.: An In-Depth Exploration of Programmatic Impact Among High School Youth;”

• Jung Sun Lee, College of Family and Consumer Sciences, Foods and Nutrition; Vibha Bhargava, College of Family and Consumer Sciences, Housing and Consumer Economics; and Mary Ann Johnson, College of Family and Consumer Sciences, Foods and Nutrition, “Poverty, Food Insecurity and Healthcare Utilization in Older Georgians;” and

• John C. McKissick, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development, “Using the Economic Vitality Index as a Tool