The MacArthur Foundation has issued a request for housing research proposals as part of its How Housing Matters to Families and Communities program, a five-year, $25 million research initiative to deepen the literature on the effect that investments in housing have on social and economic outcomes.
Among the research topics that the foundation would consider are the following:
- The role of housing in promoting economic mobility;
- The neighborhood-level economic effects of programs enacted to address the foreclosure crisis;
- An evaluation of pilot programs that integrate housing supports (e.g., rent subsidies, housing counseling) with a workforce support structure;
- The effect of the housing downturn on the fiscal challenges faced by state and local governments; and
- The effect of energy efficient or environmentally friendly designs on household finances.
‘The abstract should also explain how the research will be timely and relevant to ongoing policy conversations and questions – at any level of government – that may or may not be housing specific,’ says the foundation. ‘While the most direct way to accomplish this is through a formal partnership between the researchers and a public agency, the foundation recognizes that other approaches exist.’
Research abstracts are due by Jan. 11, 2013. More information is available on the foundation's website.