Research Analysis
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What is the Net Benefit of Net Neutrality?
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An individual with internet service can access more information than she could ever consume. “Net neutrality” seeks to maintain information access by preventing pricing schemes that discriminate based on source and content. In recent years, internet service providers (ISPs) have begun monetizing traditionally free internet services, placing the principals of…
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Does Homeownership Make Workers More Resilient After Economic Shocks?
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During the Great Recession, workers around the globe unexpectedly lost their jobs due to large-scale layoffs and firm bankruptcies. The factors that led to their loss of employment were often unrelated to the individual. However, what happened afterward — whether they found new employment, what wage they accepted if they…
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What the U.S. Can Learn from the Success of China’s Special Economic Zones
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Developed countries are struggling to tackle growing geographic inequality, a phenomenon fueling populism and discontent at the polls in Europe and the United States. In the face of economic change, large, globally connected cities have thrived, while many former industrial hubs have shrunk. Governments are now looking for ways to…
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SNAP Purchasing Power and Child Health Care Utilization: Estimating a Causal Relationship
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The Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, is the largest and most impactful anti-hunger program in the United States. The program targets low-income households, as eligibility is based only on household income. In 2018, it provided assistance to an average of 40 million people…
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Does Internet Censorship Stifle or Spark Protest?
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The invention and expansion of the internet has revolutionized how citizens engage in political expression and protest. Citizens subject to authoritarian regimes have taken advantage of the instantaneous nature of internet communication to mobilize political demonstrations, as seen in the Arab Spring, the Taiwan Sunflower Movement, and the ongoing Hong…
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Enterprise Zones and the Fight to Stop Economic Decline
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The issue of regional inequality is endemic to modern developed economies. While some regions experience growing populations and economic innovation, others are subject to decline. Even within specific high-growth metropolitan areas, there are neighborhoods that do not share the growth. Enterprise zone (EZ) programs are policy interventions that aim to…
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Do Electric School Buses Have an Impact in the Classroom?
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Policy experts have studied the many social determinants of health for years. Most researchers agree that a person’s health is dependent on his or her social and physical environment. Many studies have examined how repeated exposure to air pollution increases the risk of developing asthma and pneumonia. School buses, which…
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UberPool vs. Public Transit: The Race Is On
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In the last decade, transportation network companies (TNCs) such as Uber and Lyft have significantly disrupted urban mobility. Commonly known as “ride-sharing,” TNCs’ app-based services provide millions of customers an alternative to traditional transportation modes such as public transit. A subset of these services is “ride-splitting,” such as UberPool, which…
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Keeping Students Safe: Positive Results from Chicago’s Safe Passage Program
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In the effort to reduce violence in Chicago, one important focus area is keeping students safe on their way to school. In 2009, the city launched the Safe Passage program as a novel method of addressing this issue. Safe Passage hires civilian guards and places them around schools during the…
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Crime Prevention for Economic Development: Lessons from Chicago and Los Angeles
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Crime imposes an immense burden on cities, taking its toll in higher policing costs, lower property values, fewer job opportunities, and reduced overall quality of life. High and rising rates of crime are often cited as reasons for businesses not to locate to areas of concentrated poverty. Meanwhile, municipal leaders…
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Drug Prices Do Not Always Decrease After Decriminalization
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The challenges of illegal drug use in the United States and around the world have been addressed in many ways over the past decades, from harsh sentencing guidelines to anti-trafficking activities. Decriminalization, or the legalization of drugs, is an approach that has gained popularity, despite the argument that removing the…