Sheldon Danziger’s research focuses on social welfare policies and on the effects of economic, demographic, and public policy changes on trends in poverty and inequality. His work includes an examination of how the 1996 welfare reform affected the work effort, family income, and material well-being of single mothers and of the impact of poverty on children and youth. In examining the roots of poverty in America, he has written, “Poverty remains high not because of a shortage of effective antipoverty options but because the public and policymakers have not made reducing poverty a priority.”
Prior to joining Russell Sage, Danziger taught at the University of Michigan, where he was founding director of the Research and Training Program on Poverty and Public Policy, a mentorship and career-development initiative dedicated to supporting scholars from underrepresented groups.
Professional positions
- 2013–present: President, Russell Sage Foundation
- 1988–2014: Professor (1988–1998), Henry J. Meyer Collegiate Professor of Social Work and Public Policy (1998–2005), and Henry J. Meyer Distinguished University Professor of Public Policy (2005–2014, now emeritus), Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan
- 1976–1988: Assistant (1976–1979), associate (1979–1983), and full (1983–1988) professor of social work, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Notable publications
- Danziger, Sheldon, and Cecilia Elena Rouse, eds. 2007. The Price of Independence: The Economics of Early Adulthood. Russell Sage Foundation.
- Blank, Rebecca M., Sheldon H. Danziger, and Robert F. Schoeni, eds. 2006. Working and Poor: How Economic and Policy Changes Are Affecting Low-Wage Workers. Russell Sage Foundation.
- Farley, Reynolds, Sheldon Danziger, and Harry J. Holzer. 2000. Detroit Divided. Russell Sage Foundation.
- Danziger, Sheldon, and Peter Gottschalk. 1995. America Unequal. Russell Sage Foundation.
Degrees
- PhD, economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- BA, economics, Columbia University
Induction Remarks
In The ANNALS
- Volume 650, November 2013: The Effects of the Great Recession
- Volume 453, January 1981: “Income Maintenance Programs and the Pursuit of Income Security” (coauthored with Robert Plotnick)
- Volume 435, January 1978: “Getting and Spending” (coauthored with Robert J. Lampman)
