The purpose of the proposed conference is to bring together a multidisciplinary group of scholars engaged in both qualitative and quantitative approaches to the study of how economic conditions and public policies affect family and child well being. This proposal seeks funding for a one-time, 2-day conference. Specifically, our conference will: 1. Focus on the design, measurement, and application of combined quantitative and qualitative methods in empirical work; 2. Discuss these methods in the context of current research on economic conditions, public policy, and family and child well being; 3. Bring together a group of scholars from a range of disciplines (psychology, sociology, economics, public policy, anthropology, and social work) working with these methods on these topics; 4. Provide formal and informal opportunities for mentorship and networking between junior and senior scholars (including postdoctoral fellows) and facilitate connections and collaborations (particularly for young minority scholars). The 2-day conference will consist of seven paper presentations, discussions, a keynote address, and a wrap-up session. The conference will be held on June 27-28, 2005 at the National Poverty Center at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. This conference has the potential to inform new methods and theory related to the health and well-being of economically disadvantaged children. Results and discussion from this meeting will highlight the most promising new methods for conducting empirical work in this area and a roadmap for how results from such studies can be applied to public policy research.
