Helping Leaders Make Better Decisions
Center for Policy Research
faculty experts on a range of disciplines
graduate students conducting research to address pressing issues
research areas connect faculty across departments and disciplines
Featured Event
The Uncertainty Principle: Diet, Disease, and the Limits of Scientific Consensus
Gary Taubes is an investigative science and health journalist and co-founder of the nonprofit Nutrition Science Initiative (NuSI.org). He is the author of Rethinking Diabetes (2024), The Case Against Sugar (2016), Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It (2011) and Good Calories, Bad Calories (2007).
September 17, 2026, 3:30 p.m.-5 p.m. EDT | Eggers Hall, 220
Featured Research
How Does SNAP Access Prior to Pregnancy Affect Maternal and Infant Health Outcomes?
Sarah Hamersma, Mitchell McFarlane
This article, co-authored by CPR Senior Research Associate Sarah Hamersma and CPR Graduate Research Associate Mitchell McFarlane finds evidence that work requirements for food benefits may harm infant health, particularly when waivers are terminated.
June 2026
Should We Flee? The Mortality and Economic Impacts of Hurricane Evacuation Orders
Lucas Kaplan
This working paper, by CPR Graduate Research Associate Lucas Kaplan, estimates the mortality and county-level regional economic impacts of hurricane evacuation orders.
July 2026
Yilin Hou, Lin Li, and Qiang Ren
This working paper, led by CPR Senior Research Associate Yilin Hou, offers a comprehensive introduction to the China Land Sales Data Set.
July 2026
CPR Research Areas
Faculty in the Center for Policy Research (CPR) conduct a broad range of interdisciplinary research related to public policy in the following research areas:
- Education and Labor
- Population Health
- Social Policy and Inequality
- Econometrics
- Energy, Environment and Food Systems
- Public Finance
- Urban, Rural and Regional Studies
Center for Policy Design and Governance
Integrating policy, political and computational sciences in research and instruction to help scientists, practitioners and future public service leaders understand and address future governance challenges.
Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and Population Health
Maxwell X Lab
Partnering with the public and nonprofit sectors, the X Lab leverages behavioral science and randomized controlled trials to create cost-effective solutions to complex problems.
CPR/Metro Alumni
The center serves students, graduates and faculty for a lifetime and it's our pleasure to spread the word about the wonderful things going on in CPR and throughout the Maxwell School.
Alums—update us on what you’ve been up to, where you are employed and how your time in CPR impacted your life by filling out our Alumni Update form. We will gladly share your stories in our Connection Newsletter, a publication that shares news about the Center’s students, faculty, staff and alumni. Join us for the events and activities we have throughout the year and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
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Center for Policy Research in Action
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Jul 30, 2026
Research
Jul 22, 2026
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Jul 15, 2026
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Jul 13, 2026