On January 18, 2024, Morgan Williams Jr., assistant professor of economics, was selected to join the Russell Sage Foundation’s 2024-2025 Visiting Scholar Class. The Russell Sage Foundation (RSF), a non-profit organization, conducts social science research seeking to improve economic and living conditions in the United States. The Visiting Scholars Program sponsors academics who pursue research and writing projects that reflect the foundation's commitment to strengthening the social sciences and conducting research "for the improvement of social and living conditions in the United States."
Williams is one of 17 scholars selected for the program’s 2024-2025 class. As a Visiting Scholar, he will examine how municipal residency requirements, which mandate that public sector employees, such as law enforcement officers, live within the agency’s city limits, affect racial disparities in public safety and policing outcomes. Williams will explore the extent to which the potential benefits of these policies, such as improved community relations, may come at the cost of constrained officer recruitment pools and potentially lower-quality policing.