Project Grant 2219400

The National Science Foundation awarded a $399,096 project grant to the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston under the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences program (CFDA 47.075). The grant funds the ENDURE research project examining the impact of restrictive COVID-19 pandemic response policies on economic, political, and social inequalities across 12 countries.

The project employs comparative analyses to study how varying degrees of lockdown and demobilization policies in Europe, North America, and South America differentially affected inequalities. Researchers will analyze how these policies generated populist movements and noncompliance. Qualitative and quantitative social media analysis will assess how the pandemic shaped political narratives. The grant also supports examining how marginalized groups survived and resisted policies, and influencing policy discussions. The University will organize public events to disseminate results with the goal of informing efficient, widely acceptable pandemic policies to establish U.S. leadership in the field. The project is scheduled to be completed by May 2025.