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Methodological Approaches to Structural Change: Epidemiology and the Case for Reparations
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Methodological Approaches to Structural Change: Epidemiology and the Case for Reparations

Jourdyn A Lawrence, Joy Shi, Jaquelyn L Jahn, Kathryn E W Himmelstein, Justin M Feldman and Mary T Bassett
American journal of epidemiology, v 194(5), pp 1249-1254
May 2025
url
https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwae336View
Published, Version of Record (VoR) Open

Abstract

Epidemiology
Abstract Scholars, activists, and policymakers have long called for reparations – a process of repair and restitution for harm and injustices done – to descendants of enslaved Africans in the U.S. as a structural intervention to address historic and ongoing injustices. However, there has been very limited epidemiologic work examining reparations. We explore some of the epidemiologic benefits and challenges of using causal inference frameworks to model reparations as an example of a large-scale, structural intervention that pushes the limits of what is considered “well-defined” and may violate key identification assumptions. Finally, we weigh these methodological limitations with the utility of assessing public health implications of reparations policies and conclude by discussing implications for future epidemiologic research.

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