Advancing the Study of Social Network Theory for the Prevention of Gun Violence in Chicago

The Northwestern Neighborhood & Network Initiative (N3) promotes new ways for faculty, experts, and students at Northwestern University’s Institute for Policy Research to engage communities, civic partners, and policy makers to address core problems facing the residents of Chicago and surrounding communities. Specific projects and types of engagement are linked by a focus on how the social relationships among networks, geographic communities, and the constellation of groups, organizations, and civic partners affect what we feel, think, and do—and how understanding, building, and leveraging this sort of network-thinking can improve neighborhoods, the city, and our region. Objectives N3 will develop new and innovative ways for Northwestern to engage the city, metro-region, and state in which it thrives. In the short term, this requires: • Expanding basic research infrastructure and capacity; and • Identifying and executing research projects for which the neighborhood and network framework can have a meaningful impact on reducing gun violence and improving public safety. Our long-term vision includes: • Identifying new ways to engage undergraduate, graduate, postdoctoral, and professional students – especially scholars and scientists of color, women, first-generation college students, and other individuals from underrepresented groups – into action-oriented research and policy efforts, including active learning activities, internships, and community-based participatory research; • Serving as a focal point for networked-collaborations of otherwise unrelated research groups across Northwestern, especially efforts around data science and policy initiatives; and • Amplify existing programs and efforts across the University and region aimed and providing datainformed solutions to pressing social problems. In pursuing such long-term goals, N3 will transcend traditional boundaries by engaging in interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral partnerships with community organizations, policy-makers, civic groups, and other universities.