This study aims to identify the researchers in Kansas and Missouri who study some facet of economic mobility, catalog their research and describe the opportunities they see for future research. 

Four methods of data collection were employed, each resulting in distinctive insights:  a) an annotated bibliography of the economic mobility research by area researchers, b) a survey of those researchers, c) key informant interviews, and d) focus groups of practitioner organizations who might use the research to inform program design and evaluation. Three different types of analyses were conducted—1) a bibliographic analysis of the economic mobility research and creation of a companion on-line database, 2) a social network analysis of the researchers, 3) and a thematic analysis of the interviews and focus groups. Woven together, the research strands and analytical methods describe a rich landscape of the research being conducted on some facet of economic mobility by approximately 200 researchers in Kansas and Missouri. The UERC is responsible for the researcher survey component and social network analyses.