Topic: Public Policy

A sunny afternoon traffic jam in Chengdu, China. Research Brief / Government

Chinese Citizens, Given Voice in Local Budgeting, Are More Satisfied With Country’s Regime — and Want More From It

Taste of democracy engenders the opposite of cynicism

Illustration of businessman plugging ears with fingers and megaphone to the right of him, Research Brief / Politics

Closely Held Political Beliefs Often Immune to Conflicting Information – Even From Trusted Sources

People say they’d change their minds, but they mostly don’t

A close up image of flowers, candles, and photos to remember those who have died from COVID-19 Forecast / COVID-19

COVID-19 Death Rates Vary Widely by County, But Why?

As the pandemic wears on, a search for the factors that cost lives

Research Brief / Gender

COVID-19 Tactics Varied by Gender Among Brazilian Mayors Running for Reelection

Notable differences in death rates; it appears candidates factored in voter gender bias

Saudi Arabian women working in an office. Research Brief / Behavioral Decision Making

Cultural Norms, From Long Ago, Persist Even as They Clash With a Modern World

The fix is not to dismiss them, but to work with them

Police body cam point of view Feature / Public Policy

Do Body Cams Give Police an Unintended Break?

Video from officer-worn cameras is judged less negatively than footage captured on dashboard cameras

Male prisoners in a prison yard Research Brief / Politics

Do Private Prisons Lead to Higher Incarceration Rates?

Researchers take on the difficult job of isolating for-profit prisons from a host of other factors

Thousands of exuberant backers of the Equal Rights Amendment, marched on Congress to plea for extension of the ratification deadline. Research Brief / Public Policy

Do Social Laws Always Cause a Backlash?

Laws that threaten ideological preferences prompt some opponents to adopt more extreme beliefs

Texas state line sign next to historic Route 66 near the town of Texola, Oklahoma. Research Brief / Minimum Wage

Do Workers Cross State Lines for Higher Minimum Wages?

States that raise rates curtail out-migration but do not attract more outsiders

Aerial view of marathon city runners. One person leading marathon. Research Brief / Forecasting

Experts Struggle to Accurately Forecast Societal Change

On COVID-19’s impacts, social scientists’ predictions weren’t much better than those of laypeople

Aerial view of a neighborhood Research Brief / Housing

Fed Policy Helped Distressed Homeowners But Wasn’t a Cure-All

Modifications curtailed foreclosures during 2008-09 crisis, but borrowers remained at high risk of delinquency

Three modern apartment buildings and one building under construction Research Brief / Economics

France, Forcing Municipal Mergers, Achieves Growth in Housing Units

Construction permitting power taken from cities that resisted development

Two hands push medication out of a green plastic container Research Brief / Health

Free Birth Control, Fewer Births

Unintended pregnancies decline when copays and patient fees are eliminated

A gray map of France. Research Brief / Cultural History

Historical Case for Immigrants Sending Home More Than Money

France’s lower fertility rates spread to regions that sent the most emigrants to live there

Close-up of energy meters Research Brief / Energy

Household Energy Efficiency: Not All Upgrades Are Created Equal

Behavior, other factors influence which improvements are effective

Photo on the left is a faucet with water coming out of it. Photo on the right is an agriculture field being watered with irrigation system Research Question / Nudges

Household Waste Reduction Gets a Lot of Study — But Institutional Settings Are the Bigger Opportunities

Growing tension between behavioral research focused on the individual and the study of societal systems