The Washington Center for Equitable Growth seeks to deepen our understanding of how inequality affects economic growth and stability. To do so, we support research investigating the various channels through which economic inequality, in all its forms, may or may not impact economic growth and stability.

Equitable Growth promotes efforts to increase diversity in the economics profession and across the social sciences. We recognize the importance of diverse perspectives in broadening and deepening research on the topics in this request for proposals.

Funding priorities

Equitable Growth supports research inquiry using many different types of evidence, relying on a variety of methodological approaches and cutting across academic disciplines, including interdisciplinary studies. We support projects about measurement and data collection insofar as they relate to the research questions outlined below. We are particularly interested in dimensions of inequality—race (see inset), ethnicity, gender, place, and environmental factors—as well as the ways in which public policies affect the relationship between inequality and growth.

Our request for proposals is organized around four channels of growth, detailed below. We are interested in inequality in all of its forms and its impact on growth. We also recognize that various forms of inequality interact with each other in ways that deserve more attention.

How does economic inequality affect the development of human capital, and what are the impacts on the health and stability of the macroeconomy? To what extent can the institutions that support the development of human capital mitigate inequality’s potential effects and enhance well-being and current and future economic productivity? Through what channels do these effects occur? How does structural racism impede the development of human capital?

Areas of interest include but are not limited to:

Human capital development

How does inequality affect the development of human capital across gender, race, ethnicity, and place, as well as across income, earnings, or wealth distributions? What policies may be effective in addressing the impacts of structural racism on the development of human capital? How are climate change and other environmental factors affecting human capital development, and are there differences across groups? What are the barriers and facilitators to high quality child care—including home-based and informal care—in supporting the well-being of children, workers, and families, and are there differences across groups?

Human capital deployment

What role do public policies—such as labor market regulations, social insurance, and safety net policies—play in individual and family well-being, labor force participation, and consumption? What policies may be effective in combating discrimination and other structural impediments to the deployment of human capital? How does the availability of affordable child care affect access to and returns to work for workers with children and the child care workforce?

Intergenerational mobility

What policies or structures, including structural racism, limit intergenerational mobility and through which mechanisms? What changes may be effective in supporting upward mobility, particularly out of poverty? What characteristics of neighborhoods have a causal effect on the development of human capital and on intergenerational mobility? How are climate change and other environmental factors affecting intergenerational mobility? Which place-based programs or interventions are most effective in promoting economic mobility, and for whom? Equitable Growth is interested in both contemporary and historical approaches to these questions.

How does inequality affect the labor market? How does the labor market and workplace organization affect whether growth is broadly shared? What are the labor market impacts on intergenerational mobility, and have changes in employer-employee relationships and new types of work arrangements affected the opportunity for job advancement and mobility? How prevalent is discrimination in the labor market, and what are its effects? What role does technology play in the organization of and returns to work?

Areas of interest include but are not limited to:

Power in labor markets

What is the relative bargaining power of workers versus employers, what influences that balance, and how does it affect pay levels, job quality, and economic growth? Do structural barriers, including structural racism, or social norms affect labor market dynamics? What role do public policies, unions, and other forms of workplace organization play in determining labor market power? What effect do new technologies and new types of work arrangements have on who has power and how that power is exerted?

Workplace organization

How are labor market institutions succeeding or failing in the face of new forms of workplace organization, including those driven by the adoption of new technologies? How prevalent are nontraditional work arrangements, and what are their implications for earnings levels and volatility, economic mobility, tenure and job security, access to benefits, and legal protections under the law? Do those effects differ for different demographic groups? How does enforcement of existing labor laws affect outcomes?

Returns to work

What factors affect how economywide growth is or is not shared between different types of workers? What role does structural racism play, and what policies may be effective in decreasing the racial wage gap? To what degree do aggregate productivity changes pass through to individuals and via which mechanisms? How is inequality shaping the relationship between nonmarket and market work and individuals’ decisions on how to divide their time between the two?

What are the effects of the historic levels of inequality in the economy, and what policies could lead to more equitable, sustainable, and broadly shared growth? How can macroeconomics research more fully take into account the economic, social, and environmental benefits and costs of addressing the consequences and risks of climate change? What are the implications of inequality by income and wealth, across geographies and different demographic groups? What is the relationship between wealth accumulation and the intergenerational transfer of wealth on intra- and intergenerational economic mobility? Equitable Growth is particularly interested in how racial disparities and discrimination in the economy reduce the well-being of historically marginalized groups, as well as the overall economy.

Areas of interest include but are not limited to:

Monetary, fiscal, and tax policy

Does inequality make existing policy tools less effective? Would more automatic stabilizers improve the toolkit of policies to fight recessions? What are the distributional effects of monetary, fiscal, and tax policy, and do they affect large-, medium-, and small-sized firms or different demographic groups differently? Does inequality create financial vulnerability among households that influence the business cycle, and are some racial groups more likely to experience persistent scars from recessions than others? What is the incidence of different taxes, and how would potential reforms affect inequality in incomes, wealth, and other measures of well-being?

Macro-finance

What is the long-run impact of high inequality on financial markets and asset prices? How should fiscal and monetary policies take into account the macro-finance linkages that result from inequality? Can certain macro policies worsen wealth inequality through their impact on financial markets?

Climate

How do the macroeconomic impacts of climate change affect economic growth over both the short and long run, and how do the effects of macroeconomic changes brought about by climate change differ by race, location, income, and age? We are particularly interested in the creation of new public datasets and economic modeling that take into account benefits and costs of climate change mitigation and adaptation, along with evaluation of the tail risks. How does increased risk of economic instability from climate change and economic inequality affect the power of macroeconomic tools?

Political economy

Is inequality challenging the effectiveness of political institutions? What is the relationship between U.S. domestic economic inequality and global economic integration? What are the implications of increased income and wealth inequality for public policy, and how do public policies affect these relationships?

What is the role of market structure in determining economic growth and its distribution? What is the relationship between inequality, market power, and economic growth? How competitive are markets in the U.S. economy, and is that changing? What conduct is likely or unlikely to harm competition and how? Equitable Growth is interested in research from an aggregate perspective, which has been common in the macroeconomic and labor literatures, as well as industry- or market-specific analysis that has been the focus of industrial organization literatures.

Areas of interest include but are not limited to:

Existence and causes of market power

Is there increased market power in the economy, and if so, what are its causes? Areas of interest include studies of mergers, potential competition, and specific conduct. Is anticompetitive activity more common in some industries than others?

Consequences of market power

What are the effects of market power on product markets, labor markets, and small business, including new business formation, firm growth, business investment, productivity, and inequality? How have technological developments affected competition? How does market concentration affect the development or deployment of new technologies to mitigate climate change and support sustainable economic growth? Does market power disproportionately affect historically marginalized groups? How do racial and other inequalities affect competition?

Effectiveness of policy tools

Equitable Growth is particularly interested in empirical work that examines the effectiveness of policies to promote competition, including, but not limited to, the state of antitrust enforcement, regulatory approaches, new foundations for antitrust actions that do not necessarily rely on prices, and comparisons of the U.S. antitrust enforcement regime with other models. Equitable Growth also is interested in the differential effect of policies on different sized firms, particularly small business and minority-owned business, and the ways in which policies are shaping markets.

This Request for Proposals is supported in part by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, a funder of academic research on science, technology, and economics. Topics of particular interest to Sloan include: the structure, conduct, and performance of the tech industry, especially platforms; the regulation of two-sided markets; the measurement, welfare effects, and remediation of excessive market power concentration; privacy protection regimes; the role of behavioral economics in the design and evaluation of regulations; new foundations for antitrust actions that do not necessarily rely on prices; the relationship between competition and economic dynamism; as well as competition and diversity in labor markets. Sloan prioritizes work on fundamental analysis over the formulation of policy recommendations, and values the development of novel datasets, rigorous methodologies, and interdisciplinary approaches. The Sloan Foundation may also be able to provide supplementary funding beyond that envisioned in this Request for Proposals for projects that align with its strategic priorities.

Equitable Growth is similarly grateful for the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in helping to advance innovative research on economic mobility and access to opportunity in the United States. Please note that the areas of interest listed here are intended to illustrate the interdisciplinary nature of economic mobility research. The findings and conclusions contained within are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect positions or policies of the foundation.

Academic grants

Academic grants are open to researchers affiliated with a U.S. university. The affiliated university must administer the grant.

Academic grants are typically in the $25,000 to $100,000 range over 1 to 3 years. We frequently partner with other foundations to support projects jointly or to share proposals that are not a fit for our grant program, but which may be of interest to other funders.

Equitable Growth is willing to fund a wide range of activities, including researcher salary and benefits, research assistance, data purchase, and costs associated with conducting experiments or participating in professional conferences. Our grants cannot cover indirect overhead.

Doctoral/postdoctoral grants

Doctoral/postdoctoral grants are open to graduate students currently enrolled in a doctoral program at a U.S. university and to recent Ph.D. graduates currently in a postdoctoral position at a U.S. university. If you are currently a graduate student or in a postdoctoral position, you may choose to apply for either an academic or doctoral/postdoctoral grant, depending on the pool in which you’d like to compete.

International students are eligible to apply, though if awarded, the grant would likely need to be administered through the university. International students are advised to communicate their intention to apply with their institution to ensure adherence to institutional protocol if funded.

Doctoral/postdoctoral grants are funded at $15,000 over 1 year.

Funding can be used to cover the costs associated with conducting research, such as participating in professional conferences, research assistance, or data purchase. Funding can also be used as stipend support. Our grants cannot cover indirect overhead.

Dissertation Scholars program

Equitable Growth is building a pipeline of scholars doing cutting-edge research on inequality and growth. Our Dissertation Scholars program is typically in-resident, though is currently operating virtually. The program provides Ph.D. candidates with financial and professional support to pursue their own research and to gain familiarity with current policy discussions and the policy process.

The position is open to predissertation scholars who are currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program at a U.S. university and whose research aligns with Equitable Growth’s funding priorities. Dissertation scholars are given an annualized $50,000 stipend and professional support and are expected to support Equitable Growth’s grant program. Dissertation scholars are given office space, although Equitable Growth is currently operating remotely due to the pandemic.

Scheduling is flexible to permit for travel to home institutions, as well as academic conferences. Tenure is for one academic year.

Academic grants

To apply for an academic grant, submit a letter of inquiry and abbreviated curriculum vitae (max five pages) using the online submission form.

Letters of inquiry are short descriptions of a research project. They should be approximately two pages (about 1,500 words) in length. Letters of inquiry that are more than 1,500 words will not be considered. While we do not want to be overly prescriptive, the word limit is designed to encourage concision and clarity.

Letters of inquiry must include:

• Problem addressed by the research
• Expected contribution to the literature
• Methodological approach, including data sources and research design
• Timeline for completion

We encourage applicants to consider policy implications. Development of new data sources is also of interest.

If tables, graphs, or other images are helpful in explaining your project, they can be included. While they will not count against the word limit, we encourage you to limit the use of images to one or two.

A preliminary budget is also required and should be submitted as a brief narrative (approximately 150 words). At this stage, we are interested in the total expected cost of the project and a general breakdown of those costs (such as salary, research assistance, costs associated with data collection, travel, or conference fees). If applicable, please include a brief description of other secured or anticipated funding sources for the proposed work. A detailed project budget will be required for applicants who are invited to submit a full proposal.

The deadline to apply is 11:59 p.m. EST on February 7, 2021.

Doctoral/postdoctoral grants

To apply for a doctoral/postdoctoral grant, submit a proposal and curriculum vitae using the online submission form.

Doctoral/postdoctoral proposals should be approximately six single-spaced pages with standard font and margins. Proposals more than seven pages long will not be considered. While we do not want to be overly prescriptive, the page limit is designed to encourage concision and clarity.

Proposals should address the following:

• Problem or question your research seeks to address
• How it relates to Equitable Growth’s mission
• Anticipated contribution to the literature
• Detailed methodological approach, including data sources and research design
• Potential policy implications
• Timeline for completion
• Budget narrative

The budget narrative should briefly describe direct costs such as data purchase or research assistance. If funding will be used for support only, simply state that.

If tables, graphs, or other images are helpful in explaining your project, they can be included either in the body of the proposal or as an appendix. While they will not count against the page limit, we encourage you to limit the use of images to one or two.

A bibliography is not required but can be included as an appendix. It will not count against the page limit.

Doctoral/postdoctoral applicants do not need to submit a letter of inquiry. Professional references are also not required.

Doctoral/postdoctoral proposals are due by 11:59 p.m. EDT on March 28, 2021.

Dissertation Scholars program

To apply to the Dissertation Scholars program, submit a proposal, statement of purpose, and curriculum vitae using the online submission form.

In addition, application to the program requires two academic letters of recommendation, preferably from your chair and an advisor.

Letters of recommendation should be submitted via email to grants@equitablegrowth.org. All other application materials will be uploaded through the online application form.

The proposal should follow the requirements and guidelines for doctoral/postdoctoral proposals.

Applicants not selected for the Dissertation Scholars program will automatically be considered for a doctoral/postdoctoral grant.

The statement of purpose should be approximately two pages and should describe your motivating research questions, the direction you anticipate your research agenda taking, and how that relates to Equitable Growth’s mission. It should also describe how you hope to spend your time with Equitable Growth and how that will help further your career/research.

Applicants selected to move forward in the Dissertation Scholars program process will be asked to interview with Equitable Growth in April 2021. Selection decisions will be announced in late April/early May 2021.

The deadline to apply is 11:59 p.m. EST on February 7, 2021.

Academic letters of inquiry are due by 11:59 p.m. EST on February 7, 2021.

If invited, full proposals will be due by 11:59 p.m. EDT on May 9, 2021.

Dissertation Scholars program applications are due by 11:59 p.m. EST on February 7, 2021.

Doctoral/postdoctoral proposals are due by 11:59 p.m. EDT on March 28, 2021.

Funding decisions will be announced by July 2021. We anticipate that funds will be distributed in early fall 2021, though the timing of disbursement depends in part on the particulars of the project and the researcher’s home institution.

Letters of inquiry and full proposals for academic grants are reviewed by our research and policy staff, external peer reviewers, and members of our Steering Committee.

Proposals for doctoral/postdoctoral grants and the Dissertation Scholars program are reviewed by our research and policy staff and members of our Steering Committee.

All funding must be approved by our Steering Committee.

Submit your proposal by completing the online application form.

If you have questions or are having trouble with the online form, please email grants@equitablegrowth.org or call 202-276-3368.

If you are having trouble with the online form and it is within hours of the deadline, you may email your application materials as an attachment to grants@equitablegrowth.org.