Publications

Santa Cruz County, well known for its beaches, university, and laid-back culture, has recently become renowned for another feature: It is one of the least affordable areas to live. This report is the culmination of a three-year research project, conducted by faculty and students at UC Santa Cruz, with the goal of understanding the affordable housing crisis and its lessons for the region and beyond. Co-authored by Miriam Greenberg, Steven McKay, James Sirigotis, and Thao Le from UC Santa Cruz.

No Place Like Home: Affordable Housing in Crisis, Santa Cruz County, CARead More

Youth organizations have long played a central role in promoting young people’s engagement in democratic processes. Yet the civic infrastructure to support youths’ engagement in policy change and voter engagement efforts remains uneven across the state of California. This report takes stock of emerging youth power in the Inland Empire by describing and contextualizing key youth-serving organizations. Co-authored by Veronica Terriquez, Associate Professor of Sociology at UC Santa Cruz.

Emerging Youth Power in the Inland EmpireRead More

The UC Santa Cruz Blum Center on Poverty, Social Enterprise, and Participatory Governance and the Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County partnered to calculate a food insecurity index, a tool to better understand food insecurity in our community. June 2021 report by David Amaral and Heather Bullock of the UC Santa Cruz Blum Center.

Food Insecurity in Santa Cruz CountyRead More

Funded in part by the institute’s Building Belonging program research fellowships, this series by Lora Bartlett, shows how teachers went from making school happen to having little say in planning for an unprecedented year. View the full series and the researcher’s methodology here.

What We Learned About Teachers During the Pandemic: A SeriesRead More

This report is the first product of Campus + Community, a developing community-engaged scholarship center at UCSC. It details results from a campus-wide survey of UC Santa Cruz faculty and staff about their community-engaged research and teaching. Report authored by Rebecca London, Associate Professor of Sociology at UC Santa Cruz and Faculty Director of Campus + Community.

Community-Engaged Research, Teaching, and Service at UC Santa CruzRead More

This report details how grassroots youth organizing groups can create inclusive spaces for young Queer and Trans Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (QTBIPOC) to lead and be heard, even when their campaign work may not necessarily focus on addressing gender and sexuality issues. Co-authored by Veronica Terriquez, Associate Professor of Sociology at UC Santa Cruz.

Creating Inclusive Spaces for Queer and Trans Youth of Color: Lessons from Grassroots Youth OrganizationsRead More

Funded in part by the institute’s Building Belonging program research fellowships, this report chronicles teachers’ journeys from summer projections and concerns about the fall to the lived realities of the 2020-21 school year.

Suddenly Distant: Teachers’ Work During COVID-19Read More

Technology has facilitated the accelerated growth of e-commerce and food delivery jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic. But these jobs often suffer from low wages and limited access to legal rights and benefits, and the passage of Proposition 22 in California this fall exacerbates the problem, according to a new report by the UC Berkeley Labor Center and Working Partnerships USA. Co-authored by Chris Benner, Director of the Institute for Social Transformation.

Delivering Insecurity: E-commerce and the Future of Work in Food RetailRead More

Human Rights Investigations Labs at UC Santa Cruz and UC Berkeley collaborated on open source research focused on the human rights crisis in Chile, which began with massive anti-government demonstrations a year ago that prompted a swift and sometimes brutal government crackdown on protestors. The Human Rights Lab at UC Santa Cruz is directed by Sylvanna Falcón, an associate professor of Latin American and Latino studies.

Human Rights Crisis in Chile: A Digital InquiryRead More

In Los Angeles County, 80% of eligible voters aged 18-24 are young people of color. The LA Youth Vote targeted this diverse population with the goal of fostering a more representative young electorate. This report offers a description and analysis of a collaborative effort to enhance racially diverse young citizens’ engagement in the democratic process. Co-authored by Veronica Terriquez, Associate Professor of Sociology at UC Santa Cruz.

The LA Youth Vote and the Activation of a Young and Diverse ElectorateRead More

Examining nationally representative data, this study finds that the number of active business owners in the United States is down in May by 2.2 million or 15 percent from February 2020, but up 7 percent since the low in April. Disproportionate impacts are found for minority and immigrant business owners. By Robert Fairlie, Professor of Economics, UC Santa Cruz.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Small Business Owners: Continued Losses and the Partial Rebound in May 2020Read More

Grassroots youth organizing groups, growing in number and influence over the last decade, have raised civic awareness and engagement among youth in California’s agricultural Central Valley. By Veronica Terriquez, Associate Professor of Sociology at UC Santa Cruz.

Youth Organizing Groups Empower Diverse Young Leaders in California’s Central ValleyRead More