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Explore all the reports in ERI’s publications directory or browse by issue area:
Immigrant Inclusion and Racial Justice
Economic Inclusion and Climate Equity
Social Movements and Governing Power
2024 reports
Asian American Immigrant Inclusion in California: Citizenship, Community, and Policy
As the fastest-growing racial/ethnic group in the United States, largely contributed by increasing migration from Asia, Asian Americans are estimated to be the largest immigrant group in the country by 2055. The growing and increasingly diverse population contributes to an expanding interest and need to understand the nuanced experiences of Asian American immigrants, including their pathways to citizenship. Given the existing citizenship regime in the United States, naturalization is an essential process for immigrants and their social, economic, and political inclusion. The benefits of naturalization include the right to vote, improved potential to sponsor family members, expanded eligibility for social services, and access to jobs that require citizenship. Though the benefits of naturalizing are multifold for immigrants and their inclusion, improving access to naturalization also facilitates a more representative and democratic society. In this report, we take a mixed-methods approach to explore the drivers and barriers to naturalization. Our report dives into the nuanced pathways to citizenship for Asian American immigrants, using statistical modeling, surveys, and interviews to tease out the differences in experience due to ethnicity, migration history, socioeconomic status, gender, age, and more.
Indigenous Migrants in Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County is home to many diverse Indigenous Migrant communities from what is now known as Mexico and Central America however data and reports on Latinx immigrant communities as a whole often obscures and effectively erases these communities in their analysis. A newly released brief, “Indigenous Migrants in Los Angeles County” provides an opportunity to learn more about these diverse communities through the work of Comunidades Indigenas en Liderazgo (CIELO), an Indigenous women-led community-based organization, and preliminary research conducted by CIELO and the USC Equity Research Center. Community data gathering efforts such as survey data from CIELO’s outreach events offer a unique opportunity to better understand the diversity of Indigenous Migrant communities throughout Los Angeles County.
State of Immigrants in Los Angeles 2024
Release date: July 11, 2024
Amidst a pivotal election year, the 5th Annual State of Immigrants in Los Angeles (SOILA) County report uplifts remarkable strides made across Los Angeles County to advance immigrant inclusion by highlighting the realities that immigrants experience in our county—through rigorously produced data analysis—and by providing local leadership with enough direction to make tangible and meaningful change.
Different from previous years’ SOILA reports, through a publicly available online survey, we turned to immigrant communities themselves to share with us how they are feeling and faring in the county. We used that data to understand the perspectives of immigrants and their descendants, as well as to build our recommendations for this momentous year.
Naturalize Now: Economic Equity and the Path to Naturalization
The National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA) and USC Dornsife Equity Research Institute (ERI) released a policy brief in April 2024 titled, Naturalize Now: Economic Equity and the Path to Naturalization.
The brief highlights ERI data analysis on the impact of the recently announced changes to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) naturalization fee structure. Our findings show there are an additional 1.8 million eligible-to-naturalize people who newly qualify for the reduced N-400 naturalization fee.
A Call to Invest in Community Power: Lessons from 10 Years of California Climate Investments for the State and the Nation
The California Climate Investments (CCI) are turning 10. After a decade of investments and nearly $10 billion implemented throughout the state, is CCI delivering on its promise? Does it drive benefits to environmental justice communities that are the most vulnerable to pollution, have the fewest resources to adapt to climate change, and the least political power to attract these dollars? Do these communities feel the impact of these dollars? In this report done in partnership with The Greenlining Institute, ERI’s research team strives to answer these questions, particularly in light of unprecedented federal funding for climate investments.
Catalyzing Community-Centered Redistricting for Racial Equity: Lessons from Fair Representation in Redistricting
Catalyzing Community-Centered Redistricting for Racial Equity: Lessons from Fair Representation in Redistricting is an important read for those who care about the future of our democracy—and want to find ways to get involved in redistricting. For the 2021-2022 redistricting cycle, a set of philanthropic leaders formed Fair Representation in Redistricting (FRR), a strategy to support historically excluded and under-represented communities to be active and influential players in advancing fair redistricting in states across the country.
This report describes FRR strategies and core investments, highlights the successes and challenges of catalyzing a community-centered approach to redistricting, and offers recommendations. The punchline: While a strong foundation was laid in this recent cycle, much more is needed to achieve fairer processes and outcomes. We recommend that FRR become a sustained collaborative to build upon the emerging field of community-centered redistricting it has seeded and to pair its support for the one- or two-years of line drawing with ongoing efforts to bring governing power back to the people.
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Data and Analysis to Power Social Change
At ERI, we ask the hard questions about equity and deliver accurate and credible numbers with narratives. We lead with optimism and provide data and analysis to support social, racial, economic, and environmental equity. Our work is grounded in research to create new narratives, systems change, and a more equitable approach to power and justice.
Rigorous and relevant research
#ERI15Years videos
In August 2023, ERI celebrated our 15th anniversary! Our new video series highlights 15 community partners, staff, and scholars reflecting on ERI’s impact over the years, and looking ahead to the future. Check out the full YouTube playlist for all their stories!
Danielle Deane Ryan
Meet Danielle Deane Ryan, Climate and Energy Justice Fellow at The New School and a climate equity, clean energy, and philanthropy leader. She emphasizes the vital role of ERI’s mentorship in empowering individuals and partners in fostering strong collaborators to build power and drive change: “Prof. Pastor and his team have generously mentored so many people, including me, that are working to be better allies in the fight towards environmental and economic justice.”
Dr. Hajar Yazdiha
Meet Dr. Hajar Yazdiha, Assistant Professor of Sociology and affiliate faculty at USC ERI. Dr. Yazdiha sheds light on how ERI has been a leader in community-engaged research. This model has in Dr. Yazdiha’s words,“… help[ed] us rethink what it means to be scholars who are public-facing and who are scholar activists.”
Victor Narro
Meet Victor Narro, Project Director and Professor of Labor Studies at the UCLA Labor Center. As an ERI Advisory Committee member, renowned activist & educator, Victor shares his first hand experience of how ERI’s data has been an indispensable tool, empowering his daily policy work and fostering collaborations with passionate organizers.
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