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World-class researchers, from a variety of disciplines, work here at the ILR School. Through the Center for Applied Research on Work (CAROW), we support research that solves practical problems, improves the lives of workers and informs policy-making.

We serve as an incubator for applied research. We provide funding and coordination for innovative projects and initiatives. Our network of affiliated faculty, researchers, and practitioners help guide and facilitate novel approaches to advancing how we work.

Our membership includes institutes, programs and initiatives that study work and endeavor to improve the world for workers and their families, employers, and communities.

Employment and Work In New York State

Empire State Poll

Every year researchers at the Cornell School of Industrial Labor Relations conduct the Empire State Poll to survey New York state residents about how work impacts their lives. 

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Empire State Poll

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer the "future of work." It has arrived and having very real implications for work, labor and employment throughout the U.S. and globally. Yet, much is still unknown about how it is being deployed and where it can provide unique opportunities for businesses and workers.

CAROW is collaborating with ILR faculty, member institutes, and grantees to highlight research utilizing and evaluating the impact of artificial intelligence on work.

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Learn more

CAROW Stories

News, events and articles

A Short History of Criminal Background Searches in Employment

Members of Cornell ILR School's Criminal Justice and Employment Initiative explain how the use of criminal background checks became a commonplace hiring practice in the US over time, bringing with it issues for job candidates as well as for employers and society at large.
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A Short History of Criminal Background Searches in Employment

Avgar, CAROW Awarded Grant to Document Home Care Worker Power

The ILR School and Weill Cornell Medicine have received a $300,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to administer a worker-focused survey of home health aides across the North and the South of the United States.
Ariel Avgar
Avgar, CAROW Awarded Grant to Document Home Care Worker Power

eCornell Keynote: AI and the Future of Work

ILR School Dean Alex Colvin, Ph.D. ’99, and IBM Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Nickle LaMoreaux ’01 discuss how the AI revolution is affecting workers and employers.
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eCornell Keynote: AI and the Future of Work
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Yang-Tan WorkABILITY Incubator

K. Lisa Yang and Hock E. Tan

The K. Lisa Yang and Hock E. Tan CAROW WorkABILITY Incubator funds and supports innovative research that drives positive change for people who work.

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Yang-Tan WorkABILITY Incubator

In the News

Media Mentions

Who will care for Long Island's aging population? Home health aide shortages grow

Newsday
This article cites research affiliated with the CAROW Initiative on Home Care Work, including ILR Professor Ariel Avgar, which found that home health aides experience significant stress, loneliness and mood challenges due to their work conditions.
Who will care for Long Island's aging population? Home health aide shortages grow

Computer science can help abuse and trafficking survivors regain safety

Science News
This article profiles Nicki Dell, director of Technological Innovation for the Initiative on Home Care Work at ILR’s CAROW. Also a Cornell Tech associate professor, Dell founded the Clinic to End Tech Abuse and is a leader in research on technology-facilitated abuse of trafficking and domestic violence survivors.
Computer science can help abuse and trafficking survivors regain safety

Solving the Home Care Quandary

The New York Times
“It’s a crisis,” said Madeline Sterling, a primary care doctor at Weill Cornell Medicine and director of the Initiative on Home Care Work, housed in ILR’s Center for Applied Research on Work, about home care for the elderly. She also discusses recent clinical trials aimed at improving care.
Solving the Home Care Quandary

Contact CAROW

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Contact CAROW

Get in touch

Center for Applied Research on Work

Cornell University, ILR School
Ithaca, NY 14853

Tel: (607) 255-4380
Email: carow@cornell.edu

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