Social policy can transform lives. We explore the impact of laws, regulations, and data on social outcomes. We hope to improve the lives of citizens by supporting their education, work, health, and well-being. We also identify and address inequalities in access to support and services for individuals and communities.
Academic Overview
Related Programs & Courses
- Public Policy Studies major
- Child Policy Research Certificate (open to all Duke majors)
MPP (Social Policy Concentration available)
PhD in Public Policy
- Center for Child and Family Policy
- Family Connects
- Hart Leadership Program
- North Carolina Education Research Data Center
- Samuel Dubois Cook Center on Social Equity
- Social Science Research Institute
Sample Stories & Research
Research Spotlight
Sanford's Mallory SoRelle has been granted the prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) Career Award for her groundbreaking research. The award is NSF’s most prestigious award for early-career faculty. Recent innovations are dramatically reshaping the financial marketplace, especially with the rise of “fringetech”—digital financial technologies designed to compete with traditional fringe banking alternatives like payday loans. Yet, we know relatively little about who uses fringetech, why, and how relying on fringetech influences people’s financial security, policy preferences, and political behaviors," explains SoRelle.
Student Spotlight
Jordan Wilson MPP'24 headed home to San Francisco after graduation. He has been hired by the office of the Mayor of San Francisco to work on various policy initiatives, including implementing his Master’s Project, which aims to advance career technical education in public schools in San Francisco. During his time at Sanford, Jordan was part of the student team that dreamed up and ran the school's first Black Policy Conference.
What can you do with a focus on social policy?
alumni story
Kiera Vinson has emerged as a visionary in corporate diversity and inclusion, steering transformative initiatives that resonate across organizations. But it wasn’t global tech innovation that first drove her to champion change in her world; it was a middle school classroom and students that showed her the growing inequity in our world. Kiera is Global DEI Program Director at BCG X in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area.
Key Partnerships
Let's Connect!
Interested in pursuing a degree with a focus on social policy? Great! The admissions page for each program has detailed guidelines, including our contact info. Please reach out!
- Read recent stories related to social policy
- Browse faculty opinion pieces
- Sanford podcasts often feature stories about social policy