Middle Atlantic States

commentary

'Circular' Economic Development Projects Could Build Common Ground
A robust and future-proof regional economy is a goal that virtually everyone in southwest Pennsylvania can agree upon. Which sustainable industries would most benefit the region in economic, social, and environmental terms?
May 24, 2024

commentary

Rising Waters, Hidden Threats: Exploring the Unseen Risks of Basement Flooding in Pittsburgh
Recurrent basement flooding is much more than a nuisance. It's costly to clean up, and it poses significant threats to public health and safety. It's time to stop thinking about wet basements as simply a nuisance, and understand their role in some of the critical health issues facing communities.
May 2, 2024
commentary

Pushing People into Poverty and Public Health Crisis: Maryland's Recent Energy Cost Increases Could Add Up to an Equity Disaster
In March, utility prices began increasing throughout Baltimore City and in nearby counties. Prices will continue to increase over the next two years. The Department of Energy is working directly with communities affected by undue energy burdens to better understand how to improve the equity of the energy system. Maryland could follow that example.
Mar 26, 2024
essay

How New York City Can Make Housing More Affordable
With few vacancies, rents in New York City have become some of the most unaffordable in the world. People with subsidized housing vouchers often have nowhere to go to use them. Housing production is a critical part of any solution to housing affordability—in New York and elsewhere.
Nov 10, 2023
commentary

The City of Pittsburgh's a Movie Star
Pennsylvania lawmakers and other stakeholders should consider updates to the film tax credit law and economic development strategy to improve the state's competitiveness, enhance the stability of the industry, and fill gaps in the current workforce.
Oct 5, 2023
essay

Mental Health First Aid: Training People to Help Others
An innovative program trains and empowers people to not look away from those experiencing mental illness, but to listen to them, reassure them, and encourage them to get help. Most trainees of the program in New York City were still using what they had learned five years later.
May 3, 2023
commentary

Segregation and Racism—Buffalo's Ignored History
To move policy forward, public policy research will need to take a joint, nonpartisan look at diverse perspectives while, at the same time, giving space to voices that have been historically underrepresented. Changing or challenging fundamental assumptions in racial equity discourse requires a better understanding of the importance of cultural data, the longstanding impacts of systemic -isms on lived experiences, and a push for real-time policy solutions.
Jul 25, 2022
essay

Reducing Disparities in Infant Mortality: Using Big Data to Help Babies at Risk
Black babies in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania—and across America—face much higher mortality rates than white babies. Researchers pulled together thousands of data points on more than 150,000 births to better predict who is at risk and how to help.
Jul 1, 2021
commentary

Other Voices: Striking Rates of Food Insecurity in the Hill District and Homewood
The number of Americans experiencing food insecurity has increased since the pandemic began. And rates are higher among African Americans, Hispanics, American Indians, and Alaska Natives. Proactive and aggressive policy actions could help reduce the inequities in places like Pittsburgh's Hill District and Homewood neighborhoods.
Feb 9, 2021
commentary

Getting COVID-19 Vaccines to Pennsylvania Residents
Pennsylvania state and county health departments have a number of options that could speed the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to make sure Pennsylvania residents at high risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes are vaccinated as soon as possible.
Jan 19, 2021
commentary

Don't Entangle COVID-19 Relief with Cannabis Legalization
Cannabis legalization is a multifaceted decision that has implications for health, safety, and social equity. Whether legalization could fund COVID-19 relief should not be a major focus of debates.
Aug 28, 2020
commentary

In Pittsburgh: Feeding the Needy, and Protecting Workers on the Front Lines of the Pandemic
Access to food could be critical to getting through the COVID-19 pandemic. Local leaders and policymakers may find themselves having to devote new resources to make sure all citizens have access to food and to protect those on the front lines.
Apr 30, 2020
commentary

At the Interface of the Health Care System and the Community: Insights from an Academic-Community Partnership in Camden, New Jersey
Asthma is a common and expensive childhood condition that erodes quality of life for kids and families. Researchers sought to identify patient-centered interventions to reduce avoidable asthma-related acute care use and improve outcomes. They found that the solutions lie at the nexus of the health care system and the community.
Dec 3, 2019
commentary

One Year After Tree of Life, We Still Aren't Talking Enough About Violent White Supremacy
In the year since a gunman killed 11 worshippers in a Pittsburgh synagogue, the conversation about white supremacy has grown louder. But the United States still has a long way to go in dealing with this threat.
Oct 27, 2019
essay

How Pittsburgh Is Addressing Social and Economic Disparities
Pittsburgh has been taking a hard look at race, wealth, and opportunity. In partnership with RAND, the city has run and published its numbers on subjects ranging from police contacts to business ownership to graduation rates as part of a commitment to do better.
Jul 2, 2019
commentary

Pittsburgh's Hill District Is Losing More Than a Supermarket
When the Shop 'n Save in Pittsburgh's Hill District closed its doors for good, residents lost the ability to go to a supermarket near their homes. But they also lost something less tangible: a symbol of hope, opportunity, and change for their neighborhood.
Apr 1, 2019

Page 1 of 9

Quoted

Mandatory evacuation orders are issued when disasters have potentially life-threatening impacts. Disaster after disaster, orders resulted in evacuations that have saved untold lives. Milton is rapidly intensifying and expected to be one of the largest hurricanes on record when it hits the United States. Staying in place could have severe, life-threatening consequences.

Aaron Clark-Ginsberg

Behavioral/Social Scientist

Source: rand.org

The mechanisms behind the apparent adverse effects of climate change on human health are not entirely understood. However, the need for pre-planning for these events to prevent poor health outcomes is clear. Especially among the most vulnerable populations, it is critical to develop and implement mitigating strategies.

Mahshid Abir

Senior Physician Policy Researcher, Professor of Policy Analysis, Pardee RAND Graduate School

Source: rand.org

How to Support Victims of Elder Mistreatment

Climate Change Affects Health and Will Increase Drug Demand

Iran's Terrible, Horrible, Very Bad Year

A Russia–North Korea Alliance in the Works? Don't Be So Sure

The Math Equity Equation

The Policy Currents Podcast

Getting to Know Military Caregivers and Their Needs

Managing Escalation in Crisis and War

Assessing and Articulating the Wider Benefits of Research

Improving Access to Early Childhood Education

Middle Atlantic States

'Circular' Economic Development Projects Could Build Common Ground

Rising Waters, Hidden Threats: Exploring the Unseen Risks of Basement Flooding in Pittsburgh

Pushing People into Poverty and Public Health Crisis: Maryland's Recent Energy Cost Increases Could Add Up to an Equity Disaster

How New York City Can Make Housing More Affordable

The City of Pittsburgh's a Movie Star

Mental Health First Aid: Training People to Help Others

Segregation and Racism—Buffalo's Ignored History

Reducing Disparities in Infant Mortality: Using Big Data to Help Babies at Risk

Other Voices: Striking Rates of Food Insecurity in the Hill District and Homewood

Getting COVID-19 Vaccines to Pennsylvania Residents

Don't Entangle COVID-19 Relief with Cannabis Legalization

In Pittsburgh: Feeding the Needy, and Protecting Workers on the Front Lines of the Pandemic

At the Interface of the Health Care System and the Community: Insights from an Academic-Community Partnership in Camden, New Jersey

One Year After Tree of Life, We Still Aren't Talking Enough About Violent White Supremacy

How Pittsburgh Is Addressing Social and Economic Disparities

Pittsburgh's Hill District Is Losing More Than a Supermarket

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