THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
Dissertation Title: Adapting to Climate Change: How Institutions Influence Local Decisions
Committee: Elisabeth Clemens, Marco Garrido, Neil Brenner
Betsy Priem is a PhD Candidate of Sociology at the University of Chicago who specializes in political, environmental, and urban sociology. She uses qualitative methods to analyze how governance processes inform decisions about adapting to climate change, including risk conceptualization and time horizons for action. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Social Sciences.
Recent Research / Recent Publications
Betsy Priem, Geoffrey T. Wodtke, Kerry Ard. (2025). “Racial Disparities in Early Childhood Exposure to Neurotoxic Air Pollution.” Forthcoming - Journal of Health and Social Behavior
Erica Bower, Rachel Harrington-Abrams, Betsy Priem. (2024). “Complicating “Community” Engagement: Reckoning with an Elusive Concept in Climate-related Planned Relocation.” Global Environmental Change, 88, 102913. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2024.102913
Geoffrey T Wodtke, Kerry Ard, Claire Bullock, Kailey White, & Betsy Priem. (2022). Concentrated poverty, ambient air pollution, and child cognitive development. Science Advances, 8(48), eadd0285.