Publications

In 1992, political strategist James Carville famously said, “It’s the economy, stupid!” in reference to the messaging needed to get Bill Clinton elected. Carville’s admonition applied just as much to this year’s state and local elections. There is broad consensus that Mikie Sherrill and other Democrats swept the polls because they centered their campaigns on […]

Health insurance literacy is a complex issue that requires a multifaceted approach to address. Our goal throughout this project was to better understand health insurance literacy, its impact on people across the country, identify available resources, and propose steps to improve understanding of health insurance. This report will be valuable to policymakers aiming to grasp […]

As New Jersey prepares to elect our next governor tomorrow, November 4th, the months ahead offer a pivotal opportunity to chart a path toward a more innovative and resilient state. To help inform this transition, the New Jersey State Policy Lab invited affiliated faculty and staff to identify the most pressing priorities for the next […]

The United States, with its growing elderly population, is experiencing a significant demographic shift. This trend is evident in New Jersey, which faces rapid population aging and increasing healthcare expenditures. This in turn highlights the critical need to ensure high-quality long-term care, with nursing homes playing a central role. New Jersey relies on nursing homes […]

Paid family leave is an essential social policy that provides families with economic security while bonding with a new child. The United States has no federal policy on paid leave, providing only certain eligible employees up to 12 weeks unpaid, job-protected leave for family and medical reasons. For many workers, unpaid leave is a financially untenable […]

Breast cancer is widely known as a disease that affects thousands of women within the United States and is the second leading cause of death due to cancer in New Jersey (Department of Health, 2020). Current research discovered that it disproportionately affects Black women, making them 40% more likely to die to due to breast […]

For many immigrants in New Jersey, the challenge of accessing medical care is twofold: for some, health insurance is out of reach entirely; for others, having coverage does not guarantee they can afford care, find a provider, or get to an appointment. In the U.S., about 47 million immigrants (14% of the total population) live […]

Decades of research show a clear pattern that waste services are not always distributed equally amongst states, municipalities, townships, and even residents. Robert Bullard’s Dumping in Dixie first exposed the history of how landfills and waste facilities were often placed near Black communities in the U.S., not by accident, but through discriminatory zoning and political […]

New Jersey has an innovative Assisted Living Program (ALP) designed exclusively for seniors living in subsidized public housing. ALPs help older adults remain in their communities when they experience cognitive and physical decline over time, by providing hands-on assistance with personal care, medications, nursing, and social services, with the objective of preventing or delaying placement […]

The Annie E. Casey Foundation has released its 36th Kids Count Data Book, providing updated insights into the well-being of children in New Jersey and across the nation[1]. The report assesses child well-being in all 50 states using 16 key indicators organized into four categories: Economic Well-being, Education, Health, and Family and Community. New Jersey […]

The Scientists in State Politics Database is a detailed, publicly accessible inventory of state legislators across the United States with educational or professional backgrounds in science, engineering, or healthcare, hosted by the Eagleton Institute of Politics with support from the New Jersey State Policy Lab. The database helps users identify these legislators, explore their areas […]

Emergency departments (EDs) may be the primary, and sometimes only, connection to the healthcare system for people with opioid use disorder (OUD) or opioid overdose,[1] making them important sites in the continuum of care for OUD. Emergency departments can connect people with OUD to community-based care, particularly through the provision of medications for OUD, such […]