Social Work

Journey to Joy

In a joint class within the School of Social Policy & Practice and the Annenberg School for Communication, PIK professor Desmond Upton Patton invites students to dream big in Journey to Joy: Designing a Happier Life.

Kristina García

Four academic journeys explored

Vijay Balasubramanian and Tukufu Zuberi in the School of Arts & Sciences, Amy Hillier in the School of Social Policy & Practice, and Brittany Watson in the School of Veterinary Medicine share their academic paths toward interdisciplinary work.

Kristina García

Challenging the boundaries of STEM

Female faculty and staff from the School of Social Policy & Practice, the Wharton School, and Penn Carey Law shared how they integrate science, technology, engineering, and math into their work.

Erica Moser

How guaranteed income affected a New Jersey city

Research from Penn’s School of Social Policy & Practice finds a guaranteed income program in Paterson offers both financial relief for many participants and is a blueprint for future policy initiatives.

From the School of Social Policy & Practice



In the News


The New York Times

An epidemic of vicious school brawls, fueled by student cellphones

PIK Professor Desmond Upton Patton says that many schools don’t have a playbook for addressing student violence or helping pupils engage more positively online, in part because few researchers are studying the issue.

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The New York Times

When Kentucky bans homeless camps, where do people go?

Dennis Culhane of the School of Social Policy & Practice says that criminalizing street camping will simply force homeless people to sleep somewhere else, saddling them with bench warrants and unpayable fines.

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CBS MoneyWatch

AI helps organization send poorest households impacted by Helene and Milton $1,000

According to Stacia West of the School of Social Policy & Practice, research on guaranteed income programs shows that recipients spend the money on essential needs.

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Associated Press

AI is being used to send some households impacted by Helene and Milton $1,000 cash relief payments

Stacia West of the School of Social Policy & Practice says that no one budgets better than a person in poverty.

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Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles is at a crossroads on homelessness

Dennis Culhane of the School of Social Policy & Practice says that rental-assistance programs are a less expensive solution for homelessness than building new housing, with lessened administrative costs and burdens.

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Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles’ $22-billion homelessness problem gives leaders a choice: Double down or change strategies

Dennis Culhane of the School of Social Policy & Practice says that Los Angeles should shift its focus from supportive housing construction to helping homeless and at-risk Angelenos pay their rent on the private market.

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