All Research Topics

The USC Price Center for Social Innovation brings an interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral approach to social innovation research. Through relevant, rigorous research, Price Center faculty explore a variety of topics that seek to inform and advance new models of equity and opportunity for low-income children and families.

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The Social Innovation Trap: Critical Insights into an Emerging Field
Emergency Aid Programs at USC and LACCD
Education
An Evaluation of the Emergency Aid Programs at the University of Southern California and Los Angeles Community College District

In its third year of implementation, the Leonetti/ O’Connell Family Foundation’s emergency aid programs at the University of Southern California (USC) and the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) have continued to provide direct cash assistance to students experiencing financial hardships.

Research
Criminal Justice
Building Safety In Los Angeles: A Policy Agenda For Local Health and Safer Communitie

This report aims to assist jurisdictions trying to reimagine public safety through focusing on key policy areas, and applies policy frameworks to present day Los Angeles.

Research
Housing Instability
Accelerating Employment Retention Strategies for the Precariously Housed

This report outlines the findings from the project’s activities including an employer survey, Innovation Lab sessions, and case studies

Research
Education
The Segregation Index

The Segregation Index will be a comprehensive resource for tracking neighborhood and school segregation in the U.S., across every neighborhood and every school.

Research
Inequality
Resilience and Rebuilding: Recommendations for an Equitable Recovery in South L.A.

This report examines ways to improve pandemic recovery and to remove pre-pandemic barriers in South Los Angeles.

Research
Inequality
Examining the Complex Social Safety Net For Low-Income Working Families

This report examines the resources and benefits available to families and identifies the points at which the social safety net may become a barrier to economic independence.

Research SIB
Social Innovation
Social Impact Bonds 2.0

The complexity of social problems, paired with constrained public resources, requires social innovators to identify new approaches for financing the delivery of social services.

The Social Innovation Trap: Critical Insights into an Emerging Field

Christine M. Beckman, Jovanna Rosen, Jeimee Estrada-Miller and Gary Painter

Academy of Management Annals

Year: 2023

We present an integrative approach to social innovation research to build a unified understanding of this emerging field. Based on a systematic literature review of articles about social innovation published in top-tier journals from2003 to 2021, we argue that a … Continue reading →

Building Safety In Los Angeles: A Policy Agenda For Local Health and Safer Communities

Nicole Brown

USC Sol Price Center for Social Innovation

Year: 2022

Three policy areas — Alternatives to Incarceration, Youth Justice Reimagined, and Violence Intervention — offer a new path forward for jurisdictions across the country aiming to “reimagine” public safety. These policies increase access to services, prevent unnecessary contact with law … Continue reading →

Toxic Neighborhoods: The Effects of Concentrated Poverty and Environmental Lead Contamination on Early Childhood Development

Geoffrey T. Wodtke, Sagi Ramaj, Jared N. Schachner

Demography, Duke University Press

Year: 2022

Although socioeconomic disparities in cognitive ability emerge early in the life course, most research on the consequences of living in a disadvantaged neighborhood has focused on school-age children or adolescents. In this study, we outline and test a theoretical model … Continue reading →

Accelerating Employment Retention Strategies for the Precariously Housed

Victoria Ciudad-Real, Meghan Nazareno, John Roberson III, Caroline Bhalla, Dr. Gary Painter

Year: 2022

The USC Sol Price Center for Social Innovation partnered with LeadersUp, a national nonprofit organization committed to bridging the divide to create an inclusive, antiracist economy, to launch the Accelerating Employment Strategies for the Precariously Housed project. This project aimed to address … Continue reading →

Can a focus on co-created, strengths-based services facilitate early-stage innovation within social impact bonds?

Chris Fox, Hilary Olson,Harry Armitage, Susan Baines and Gary Painter

International Public Management Journal

Year: 2022

While many commentators recognize the potential for Social Impact Bonds (SIBs) to encourage innovation, empirical evidence is less clear cut. We argue that for SIBs to realize their full potential as incubators of innovation they needed to incorporate a stronger … Continue reading →

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