Carolyn Yvette Barnes

Carolyn Barnes is an assistant professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University. Carolyn completed a PhD in Political Science and Public Policy from the University of Michigan, where she worked as an affiliate of the National Poverty Center conducting research on the effects of nonprofit community-based service provision on parenting practices and the psycho-social well being of families and children. Her research agenda broadly explores the social and political implications of social policy on low-income populations in the areas of childcare policy, family services, and supports for young children.

Her current book project consists of an in-depth organizational ethnography that examines how publicly funded nonprofit social services shape the political behavior of the economically disadvantaged. With special attention to the role of broad neighborhood, policy, and political contexts, Carolyn has initiated a new line of research that takes an interdisciplinary approach to assess the health implications of federal and state supports for women and children.  

Areas of Expertise

• Poverty
• Inequality
• Race
• Political Analysis
• Nonprofit Organizations
• Welfare
• Social Justice

Education

Ph.D., University of Michigan at Ann Arbor (2014)

B.A., Virginia Polytech Institute and State University (2008)