Katherine J. Curtis

About

Dr. Katherine J. Curtis is Professor of Community & Environmental Sociology and Associate Director of the Center for Demography and Ecology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Her work is centered in demography and extends to spatial, environmental, rural, and applied demography, and focuses on two central themes: population-environment interactions, most centrally the relationship between demographic, economic, and environmental forces; and spatial and temporal dimensions of social and economic inequality, most centrally historical and local forces perpetuating racial disparities. In her work, Curtis adopts place-based theoretical frameworks and employs advanced spatial and spatio-temporal statistical approaches to analyze questions about inequality, which has profound and far-reaching impacts on population wellbeing. Current projects focus on spatial differentiation in migration and fertility responses to environmental events (NICHD and NSF), age- and race-specific net migration (NICHD), and rural livelihoods and spatial connectedness (USDA).

CDE research theme area affiliations

Demography of Inequality; Spatial and Environmental Demography

Selected Publications

Jack DeWaard, Elizabeth Fussell, Katherine J Curtis, Stephan D Whitaker, Kathryn McConnell, Kobie Price, Catalina Castro, and Michael Soto. 2023. “Migration as a Vector of Economic Losses from Disaster-Affected Areas in the United States.” Demography 60(1):173-199.

Elizabeth Fussell, Jack DeWaard, and Katherine J Curtis. 2022. “Environmental Migration as Short- or Long-term Differences from a Trend: A Case Study of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Effects on Out- Migration in the Gulf of Mexico.” International Migration.

Katherine J Curtis, Malia Jones, and Marcia J Carlson. 2021. “Putting People into Dynamic Places: The Importance of Specific Contexts in Understanding Demographic Responses to Changes in the Natural Environment.” Population and Environment 42:425-430.

Katherine J. Curtis, Jack DeWaard, Elizabeth Fussell, and Rachel A. Rosenfeld. 2020. “Differential Recovery Migration: Minimal and Short-Lasting Population Gains for Rural Disaster-Affected Gulf Coast Counties.” Rural Sociology 85(4):856-898.

Heather O’Connell, Katherine J. Curtis, and Jack DeWaard†. 2020. “Population Change and the Legacy of Slavery.” Social Science Research 87(2020):102413.