Image
Robert Chaskin wearing glasses and a grey shirt in front of library shelves

Robert Chaskin, PhD

McCormick Foundation Professor; Faculty Director, Kiphart Center
he/him/his
rjc3@uchicago.edu
Address

969 E. 60th Street
Chicago, IL 60637

Office Location: E-10

Areas of Expertise
Children and Adolescents
Community
International
Non-Profit Organizations
Poverty and Income
Urban
Other Affiliations

UNESCO Chair in Inclusive Urbanism; Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago

Professor Chaskin's work focuses on the conceptual foundations and principal strategies of social policy and community intervention in the context of urban poverty. He has written widely on the topics of neighborhood intervention, community capacity building, and the dynamics of participatory planning and neighborhood governance, among other topics. His research focuses on social policy and community practice in two principal ways: through grounded investigations of particular interventions and through synthetic, cross-intervention analyses. To date, Professor Chaskin's work has evolved along three major lines. The first is concerned with theories of community and social policy responses to urban poverty, the second focuses strategies of community change with a particular focus on participatory planning and democratic governance at the neighborhood level, and the third is concerned with the application of knowledge to inform community practice and policy.

Among other projects, he has recently completed work on a multi-year, multi-site study of public housing reform in Chicago, with a particular focus on the emerging mixed-income developments being built in several Chicago neighborhoods on the footprint of former public housing developments. This project culminated in the book Integrating the Inner City: The Promise and Perils of Mixed-Income Public Housing Transformation (with Mark Joseph, The University of Chicago Press, 2015), which received the Honorable Mention for the Best Book in Urban Affairs Award from the Urban Affairs Association. His latest book (edited with Bong Joo Lee and Surinder Jaswal), Social Exclusion in Cross-National Perspective: Actors, Actions, and Impacts from Above and Below, was published by Oxford University Press in 2019. He has recently completed fieldwork for a study on the civic and political engagement of marginalized urban youth in Belfast, Dublin, and London with support from a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship from the European Commission,  is currently conducting research on slum clearance and social housing policy in Mumbai, India, with colleagues from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, and is embarking on work focused on urbanization and migration in China with colleagues at SSA, Peking University, and Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Professor Chaskin was inducted into the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare in 2020. He received his A.M. in Anthropology and Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Chicago. 

Social Intervention: Programs and Policies I

This two-quarter course introduces students to the issues and problems associated with social welfare interventions at the community, agency, and policy levels. Students...

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  • Chaskin, Robert J., Bernadine Brady, and Caroline McGregor 2021. "Liminal Citizenship: Young People's Perspectives on Civic and Political Engagement in Three European Cities." Social Service Review 95(2): 247-277
  • Brady, Bernadine, Robert J. Chaskin, and Caroline McGregor. 2020. “Promoting Civic and Political Engagement among Marginalized Urban Youth in Three Cities: Strategies and Challenges.” Children and Youth Services Review 116: 105184

  • McGregor, Caroline, Bernadine Brady, and Robert J. Chaskin. 2020. “The potential for civic and political engagement practice in social work as a means of achieving greater rights and justice for marginalised youth.” European Journal of Social Work. DOI: 10.1080/13691457.2020.1793109

  • Chaskin, Robert J., Bong Joo Lee and Surinder Jaswal (eds.) 2019. Social Exclusion in Cross-National Perspective: Actors, Actions, and Impacts from Above and Below. New York: Oxford University Press.

  • Chaskin, Robert J. 2019. “Housing Policy is a Necessary but Insufficient Response to Concentrated Poverty.” In Ingrid Gould Ellen and Justin Peter Steil (eds.), The Dream Revisited: Contemporary Debates about Housing, Segregation, and Opportunity. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.

  • Chaskin, Robert J., Joan Yoo, Surinder Jaswal, and Shengli Cheng.2019. “Social exclusion in cross-national perspective: Setting the stage.” In Robert J. Chaskin, Bong Joo Lee, and Surinder Jaswal (eds.), Social Exclusion in Cross National Perspective: Actors, Actions, and Impacts from Above and Below. New York and London: Oxford University Press.

  • Chaskin, Robert J., Mouleshri Vyas, and Jung-Hwa Ha.2019. “Globalization and social exclusion: Concepts and processes.” In Robert J. Chaskin, Bong Joo Lee, and Surinder Jaswal (eds.), Social Exclusion in Cross National Perspective: Actors, Actions, and Impacts from Above and Below. New York and London: Oxford University Press.

  • Chaskin, Robert J., Shengli Cheng, Bong Joo Lee, and Mouleshri Vyas.2019. “Urban restructuring, housing policy, and social exclusion.” In Robert J. Chaskin, Bong Joo Lee, and Surinder Jaswal (eds.), Social Exclusion in Cross National Perspective: Actors, Actions, and Impacts from Above and Below. New York and London: Oxford University Press.

  • Vyas, Mouleshri, Jennifer Mosley, Colleen Grogan, Yan Long, Hyoung Young Kim, and Robert J. Chaskin. 2019. “Social Exclusion in Cross-National Perspective: Setting the Stage.” In Robert J. Chaskin, Bong Joo Lee, and Surinder Jaswal (eds.), Social Exclusion in Cross National Perspective: Actors, Actions, and Impacts from Above and Below. New York and London: Oxford University Press.

  • Chaskin, Robert J., Surinder Jaswal, and Bong Joo Lee.2019. “Social Exclusion in a globalized world: Implications for research, policy, and practice.” In Robert J. Chaskin, Bong Joo Lee, and Surinder Jaswal (eds.), Social Exclusion in Cross National Perspective: Actors, Actions, and Impacts from Above and Below. New York and London: Oxford University Press.

  • Chaskin, Robert J., McGregor, Caroline, and Brady, Bernadine. 2018. Engaging Urban Youth: Community, Citizenship, and Democracy. Galway: UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre, National University of Ireland Galway.
  • Chaskin, Robert J., McGregor, Caroline and Brady, Bernadine. 2018. Supporting Youth Civic and Political Engagement: Supranational and National Policy Frameworks in Comparative Perspective. Galway: UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre, National University of Ireland Galway.
  • Joseph, Mark L., Robert J. Chaskin, Amy T. Khare and Jung-Eun Kim. 2017. “The organizational challenges of mixed-income development: Privatizing public housing through cross-sector collaboration.” Urban Research and Practice DOI: 10.1080/17535069.2017.1387812
  • Visser, Kirsten, Florian Sichling, and Robert J. Chaskin. 2017. “Hot times, hot places. Youth’s risk perceptions and risk management in Chicago and Rotterdam.” Journal of Youth Studies 20(6): 763-779.
  • Chaskin, Robert J. 2016. “Between the Idea and the Reality: Public Housing Reform and the Further Marginalization of the Poor.” City and Community 15(4): 372-375.
  • Chaskin, Robert J., and Mark L. Joseph. 2015. "Contested space: Design principles and regulatory regimes in mixed-income communities in Chicago." Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 660(1): 136-154
  • Chaskin, Robert J., and Mark L. Joseph. 2015. Integrating the Inner City: The Promise and Perils of Mixed-Income Public Housing Transformation. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
  • Chaskin, Robert J., and David M. Greenberg. 2015. "Between public and private action: Neighborhood organizations and local governance." Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly 44(2): 248-267.
  • Khare, Amy T., Mark L. Joseph, and Robert J. Chaskin. 2015. "The enduring significance of race in mixed-income developments." Urban Affairs Review 51(4): 474-503.
  • Chaskin, Robert J. 2014. "Neighborhood data and locally driven community change." In Strengthening Communities with Neighborhood Data, Claudia Coulton, and Tom Kingsley, eds. Washington, DC: Urban Institute Press.
  • Chaskin, Robert J. 2013. "Integration and exclusion: Urban poverty, public housing reform, and the dynamics of neighborhood restructuring." Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 647(1): 237-67.
  • Chaskin, Robert J., and Mark L. Joseph. 2013. " 'Positive' gentrification, social control, and the 'right to the city' in mixed-income communities: Uses and expectations of space and place." International Journal of Urban and Regional Research 37(2): 480-502.
  • Chaskin, Robert J., Florian Sichling, and Mark L. Joseph. 2013. "Youth in mixed-income communities replacing public housing complexes: Context, dynamics and response." Cities.
  • Fraser, James C., Robert J. Chaskin, and Joshua Theodore Bazuin. 2013. Making mixed-income neighborhoods work for low-income households. Cityscape 15(2): 83-100.
  • Chaskin, Robert J. 2012. "Theories of community." In The Handbook of Community Practice, 2nd ed., Marie Weil, Michael S. Reisch, and Mary L. Ohmer, eds. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
  • Chaskin, Robert J., Mark L. Joseph, Sara Voelker, and Amy Dworsky. 2012. "Public housing transformation and resident relocation: Comparing destinations and household characteristics in Chicago." Cityscape 14(1): 183-214.
  • Chaskin, Robert, and Mikael Karlstrom. 2012. Beyond the neighborhood: Policy engagement and systems change in the New Communities Program. New York: MDRC.
  • Chaskin, Robert, Amy Khare, and Mark Joseph. 2012. "Participation, deliberation, and decision-making: The dynamics of inclusion and exclusion in mixed-income developments." Urban Affairs Review 48(6): 866-908.
  • Joseph, Mark L., and Robert J. Chaskin. 2012. "Mixed-income developments and low rates of return: Insights from relocated public housing residents in Chicago." Housing Policy Debate 22(3): 377-405.
  • McCormick, Naomi J., Mark L. Joseph, and Robert J. Chaskin. 2012. "The new stigma of relocated public housing residents: Challenges to social identity in mixed-income developments." City and Community 11(3): 285-308.
  • Sites, William, Robert J. Chaskin, and Virginia Parks. 2012. "Reframing community practice for the 21st century: Multiple traditions, multiple challenges." In The Community Development Reader, 2nd ed., James deFillipis and Susan Saegert, eds. New York: Routledge.
  • Chaskin, Robert J., and Mark L. Joseph. 2011. "Social interaction in mixed-income developments: Relational expectations and emerging reality." Journal of Urban Affairs 33(2): 209-37.
  • Chaskin, Robert J. 2010. "The Chicago School: A context for youth intervention, research and development." In Youth Gangs and Community Intervention: Research, Practice, and Evidence, Robert J. Chaskin, ed. 3-23. New York: Columbia University Press.
  • Chaskin, Robert J., ed. 2010. Youth Gangs and Community Intervention: Research, Practice, and Evidence. New York: Columbia University Press.
  • Chaskin, Robert J., and Mark L. Joseph. 2010. "Building 'community' in mixed-income developments: Assumptions, approaches, and early experiences." Urban Affairs Review 45(3): 299-335.
  • Greenberg, David, Nandita Verma, Keri-Nicole Dillman, and Robert Chaskin. 2010. Creating a platform for sustained neighborhood improvement: Interim findings from Chicago’s New Communities Program. New York: MDRC.
  • Joseph, Mark, and Robert Chaskin. 2010. "Living in a mixed-income development: Resident perceptions of the benefits and disadvantages of two developments in Chicago." Urban Studies 47(11): 2347-66.
  • Chaskin, Robert J. 2009. "Building community capacity for children, youth, and families." Children Australia 34(1): 31-39.
  • Chaskin, Robert J. 2009. "Toward a theory of change in community-based practice with youth: A case-study exploration." Children and Youth Services Review 31(10): 1127-34.
  • Brown, Prudence, Robert Chaskin, Ralph Hamilton, and Harold Richman. 2008. "Toward greater effectiveness in community change: Challenges and responses for philanthropy." In The Community Development Reader, James DeFilippis and Susan Saegert, eds. 140-7. New York: Routledge.
  • Chaskin, Robert J. 2008. "Dissemination and impact: Issues, lessons and future directions." In Research for Action: Cross-national Perspectives on Connecting Knowledge, Policy, and Practice for Children, Robert J. Chaskin and Jona M. Rosenfeld, eds. 131-57. New York: Oxford University Press.
  • Chaskin, Robert J. 2008. "Resilience, community, and resilient communities: Conditioning contexts and collective action." Child Care in Practice 14(1): 65-74.
  • Chaskin, Robert J., and Jona M. Rosenfeld. 2008. Introduction: Mapping the terrain. In Research for Action: Cross-national Perspectives on Connecting Knowledge, Policy, and Practice for Children, Robert J. Chaskin and Jona M. Rosenfeld, eds. 3-16. New York: Oxford University Press.
  • Chaskin, Robert J., and Jona M. Rosenfeld, eds. 2008. Research for Action: Cross-national Perspectives on Connecting Knowledge, Policy, and Practice for Children. New York: Oxford University Press.
  • Kubisch, Anne C., Patricia Auspos, Prudence Brown, Robert Chaskin, Karen Fulbright-Anderson, and Ralph Hamilton. 2008. "Strengthening the connections between communities and external resources." In The Community Development Reader, James DeFilippis and Susan Saegert, eds. 319-26. New York: Routledge.
  • Rosenfeld, Jona M., and Robert J. Chaskin. 2008. "Charting a course for fuller engagement: Toward a framework for action." In Research for Action: Cross-National Perspectives on Connecting Knowledge, Policy, and Practice for Children, Robert J. Chaskin and Jona M. Rosenfeld, eds. 158-70. New York: Oxford University Press.
  • Joseph, Mark L., Robert J. Chaskin, and Henry S. Webber. 2007. "The theoretical basis for addressing poverty through mixed-income development." Urban Affairs Review 42(3): 369-409.
  • Sites, William, Robert J. Chaskin, and Virginia Parks. 2007. "Reframing community practice for the 21st century: Multiple traditions, multiple challenges." Journal of Urban Affairs 29(5): 519-41.
  • Chaskin, Robert J. 2006. "Defining neighborhood." In Planning and Urban Design Stan­dards, Megan S. Lewis and William R. Klein, eds. 409. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons.
  • Chaskin, Robert J. 2006. "Family support as community-based practice: Considering a community capacity framework for family support provision." In Family Support as Reflective Practice, Pat Dolan, John Canavan, and John Pinkerton, eds. 42-60. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
  • Chaskin, Robert J., Robert M. Goerge, Ada Skyles, and Shannon Guiltinan. 2006. "Mea­suring social capital: An exploration in researcher-community partnership." Journal of Community Psychology 34(4): 489-514.
  • Chaskin, Robert J. and Shannon Guiltinan. 2006. Creating Out-of-School Opportunities for Young People: After School Matters, Systems Change, and Neighborhood Networks. Chicago: Chapin Hall Center for Children.
  • Chaskin, Robert J. 2005. "Democracy and bureaucracy in a community planning pro­cess." Journal of Planning Education and Research 24(4): 408-419.
  • Chaskin, Robert J. 2003. "The challenge of two-tiered evaluation in community initia­tives." Journal of Community Practice 11(1): 61-83.
  • Chaskin, Robert J. 2003. "Fostering neighborhood democracy: Legitimacy and ac­countability within loosely coupled systems." Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly 32(2): 161-189.
  • Chaskin, Robert J. 2002. "The evaluation of 'community building': Measuring the social effects of community-based practice." In Assessing outcomes in child and family services: Comparative design and policy issues, ed. Anthony Maluccio, Tiziano Vechiato, and Cinzia Canali. New York: Aldine de Gruyter.
  • Chaskin, Robert J. 2001. "Building community capacity: A definitional framework and case studies from a comprehensive community initiative." Urban Affairs Review 36(3): 292-323.
  • Chaskin, Robert J. 2001. "Organizational infrastructure and community 'capacity': The role of broker organizations." In The organizational response to social problems, ed. Stephanie Hartwell and Russell K. Schutt. Oxford: Elsevier Science, Ltd.
  • Chaskin, Robert J., Prudence Brown, Sudhir Venkatesh, and Avis Vidal. 2001. Building Community Capacity. New York: Aldine de Gruyter.
  • Chaskin, Robert J. and Ali Abunimah. 1999. "A view from the city: Local government perspectives on neighborhood-based governance in community-building initiatives." Journal of Urban Affairs 21(1): 57-78.
  • Chaskin, Robert J. 1998. "Neighborhood as a unit of planning and action: A heuristic approach." The Journal of Planning Literature 13(1): 11-30.
  • Chaskin, Robert J. 1997. "Perspectives on neighborhood and community: A review of the literature." Social Service Review 71(4): 521-547.
  • Chaskin, Robert J. and Sunil Garg. 1997. "The issue of governance in neighborhood-based initiatives." Urban Affairs Review 32(5): 631-661.
  • Chaskin, Robert J., Mark L. Joseph, and Selma Chipenda-Dansokho. 1997. "Implementing comprehensive community development: Possibilities and limitations." Social Work 42(5): 435-444.
  • Chaskin, Robert J. and Harold A. Richman. 1993. "Concerns about school-linked services: Institution-based versus community-based models." Education and Urban Society 25(2):201-211 

Robert J. Chaskin is the McCormick Foundation Professor at the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice, where he holds the UNESCO Chair in Inclusive Urbanism. He is also the Faculty Director of the Susan and Richard Kiphart Center for Global Health and Social Development and Faculty for GPHAP. His research interests include community organizing and development, community social organization, comprehensive community initiatives, youth development, associations and nonprofits, philanthropy and social change, social housing policy, knowledge utilization and evaluation, and cross-national research. Professor Chaskin teaches courses on social policy, community development, and program implementation and on theories and strategies of community change.