UTC SW FACU LT Y Expand Research Beyond the
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etsey Bush Endowed Professor in Behavioral Health and Associate Dean for Research Doug Coatsworth came to the college in August 2020 to help strengthen the culture of research within the college. He was notably impressed by what he encountered. “When I came to the college, I was introduced to a faculty with many strengths and to a university working to expand opportunities for faculty to conduct their cutting-edge research,” he explained. “Our CSW faculty and students have diverse research interests focusing on some of society’s most challenging issues and on changing lives. The college supports a broad array of engaged research projects, advancing knowledge about the wellbeing of individuals of all ages, and from a variety of physical, social, and political contexts. The research also reflects core social work values of empowerment and building evidence to improve care and quality of life.” Coatsworth quickly noticed the collaborative, transdisciplinary, and engaged nature of the faculty’s research. “Our faculty have forged interdisciplinary partnerships with researchers from over a dozen departments/ colleges at UTK. They are doing some kind of work focused on all 95 Tennessee counties, while also collaborating with researchers and community organizations in over 30 states,” he stated. “Additionally, we have several growing international collaborations. I am continually impressed with the breadth and quality of research being done by our faculty.” The Center for Guaranteed Income Research, co-led by UTCSW Associate Professor Stacia West, exemplifies the interdisciplinary, engaged research being done on a national level. West and co-director Dr. Amy Castro Baker, Assistant Professor
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at University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2), started their work as the co-Principal Investigators of the first mayor-led guaranteed income pilot in Stockton, California, and guided pilot cities through a learning agenda while overseeing the research design and implementation. The center, established by Mayors for a Guaranteed Income (MGI), together with the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice and UTCSW, paved the way for Los Angeles and Chicago to roll out guaranteed basic income programs to provide direct cash assistance to thousands of families in need. West and Castro Baker are working closely with city leaders to develop programs that are tailored to local needs. As West told one journalist, “The federal child tax credit, as well as the stimulus, showed that there are some holes, and some people get left out of these sort of large government programs. Part of what we’re looking at is what disbursement mechanism works best for specific populations, and my feeling is that a one-size-fits-all approach is not going to work.” Another potential challenge for larger cities is to gain and maintain trust. West notes that many people who are eligible for government programs are accustomed to not being trusted, so a more person-centered approach is needed not only in disbursing the money but also in tracking data. “Guaranteed income has to really separate itself from that paternalistic ‘you’re a number, you don’t matter, there’s something morally wrong with you’ and the internalized welfare stigma the individuals have,” she said. Through her continued research with the center, West will lead the UT College of Social Work in helping to change lives throughout the country.
