Center for Policy Research News

Len Burman, Paul Volcker Chair in Behavioral Economics, suggests eliminating a provision of current law in which assets that increase in value can go essentially untaxed across generations as a way to reduce inequality.

Shannon Monnat, Lerner Chair for Public Health Promotion, argues that in both rural and urban communities, two key factors—economic distress and supply of opioids—predict the rate of opioid deaths. "I really do want to push back against this cliché that addiction does not discriminate," Monnat says. "The physiological processes that underlie addiction themselves may not discriminate, but the factors that put people in communities at higher risk are are not spatially random."

"Opioids are a symptom and a symbol of far deeper issues in the U.S.," says Shannon Monnat, associate professor of sociology and Lerner Chair for Public Health Promotion. She points to deteriorating economic conditions, a lack of investment in schools, a quick-fix culture and a toxic mix of "pain, despair, disconnection and lack of opportunity" as upstream problems that have fed into the nation's current drug crisis.

Perry Singleton, associate professor of economics, was cited in Psychology Today, about his study which found that the association between disability and divorce is greatest among young and educated males who experience a work-preventing, rather than a work-limiting, disability.

 The team, which includes Doug Wolf, professor of public administration and international affairs, Shannon Monnat, associate professor of sociology, and Jennifer Karas Montez, professor of sociology, will explore pre-emption’s effect on geographic inequities in health, focusing on labor and environmental policies.

“Codifying Data Analytics for Public Policy as an area of study will allow us to deepen and expand our relationships with top employers in this area and ensure that Maxwell remains at the leading edge of this rapidly evolving field,” said Chair and Professor of Public Administration and International Affairs Robert Bifulco about Maxwell's new area of study in Data Analytics for Public Policy.

“All you have to do is map a route wherever you’re at, gather your group and have fun walking!” says Shannon Monnat, associate professor of sociology and Lerner Chair for Public Health Promotion. "Many organizations, universities and cities have adopted the Monday Mile activity and have seen great results," she adds.

A study by Katherine Michelmore, assistant professor of public administration and international affairs, suggests that low-income students are more likely to apply to selective colleges if they’re aware that they can receive financial aid.

Robert Bifulco, professor of public administration and international affairs, found gains in Buffalo after Say Yes when studying the scores of individual students, not just the district as a whole.