Skip to content

Center for Policy Research News

Monnat Featured in Newsweek Article on Rural America’s Optimism About the Country’s Future

Rural communities have “leaned increasingly conservative” for several decades, and support for Trump is “especially strong” among these communities, which could mean they feel the country's leadership reflects their priorities, particularly on cultural and social issues, says Shannon Monnat, Lerner Chair in Public Health Promotion and Population Health.

November 26, 2025

Yingyi Ma Speaks with South China Morning Post on Drop in Number of Chinese Students in the US

Yingyi Ma, professor of sociology, said several factors could be behind the trend showing a drop in the number of Chinese students studying in the U.S., beyond the anxiety over changes in U.S. policies, including the rise of “intra-Asia migration” with more students studying in Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore.

November 20, 2025

Student Alienation in Schools Goes Beyond Low Achievement

Sean J. Drake and Jeffrey Guhin
This brief summarizes findings from a study drawing on over two years of ethnographic fieldwork in two different high schools in Los Angeles, California. The authors identify four types of alienation students experience: feeling like they don't belong, being in schools that can't support their goals, pursuing futures schools don't recognize, and succeeding in someone else's story.
November 19, 2025

See related: United States

Public School Districts Should Close Their ‘Alternative’ and ‘Continuation’ High Schools

Sean J. Drake

“Alternative” high schools are meant to help struggling students catch up on credits, but they often function as dumping grounds that perpetuate inequality. 

November 5, 2025

See related: United States

Heflin Discusses SNAP Funding With ABC News, Newsweek, PolitiFact and USA Today

“The stress that families are facing throughout the country is tremendous, not knowing how they’re going to feed their families,” says Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs.

November 4, 2025

Suicide Deaths Among Informal Caregivers in an Aging Society

Michiko Ueda-Ballmer

The study, authored by Michiko Ueda-Ballmer, associate professor of public administration and international affairs, was published in Public Health.

November 3, 2025

The Achievement Narrative and Alienation in School: A Typology of Academic Disconnection

Sean J. Drake, Jeffrey Guhi

The study, co-authored by Assistant Professor of Sociology Sean Drake, was published in Sociology of Education.

October 30, 2025

Why Aren’t More People Calling 988 for Mental Health Crises?

Michiko Ueda, Colleen M. Heflin, Yanhong Liu, Qingyi Yu, and Seethalakshmi Ramanathan
The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline launched in 2022 is a free, confidential alternative, yet awareness remains low and misconceptions persist. This brief summarizes findings from a study that surveyed nearly 1,900 U.S. adults and found that only 22% knew about 988. Even more striking: nearly 9 in 10 people had concerns about using it, and many of those concerns are based on misconceptions.
October 29, 2025

See related: United States

Heflin Speaks With Newsweek About the Impact of Delayed SNAP Benefits

“22.4 million households across America will be disrupted if the benefits are not disbursed on time. And the total impact of the delay in SNAP benefits will ripple throughout the local economy,” says Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs.

October 23, 2025

Heflin Discusses Data on Food Insecurity Status, Cuts to SNAP With The Hill, Grist and Marketplace

“Monitoring the nation’s food security status is important in its own right and also because food insecurity is associated with a variety of negative health outcomes,” says Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs. 

October 15, 2025

Maxwell X Lab Receives Journal’s Best Paper Award for Chicago Study

The Journal of Behavioral Public Administration honored the researchers for their paper detailing findings in a study of at-home lead testing kit return rates.

September 30, 2025

Minkoff-Zern Discusses Her Book, ‘Will Work For Food,’ on Human Restoration Project Podcast

The book, co-authored by Laura-Anne Minkoff-Zern, associate professor of geography and the environment, captures the grim realities faced by food workers alongside the opportunities for solidarity at every point in the system while amplifying the successes and challenges faced by movements to make food work, good work.

September 27, 2025

Heflin Weighs In on Trump Admin’s Cancellation of Annual Hunger Survey in Wall Street Journal Piece

“Not having this measure for 2025 is particularly troubling given the current rise in inflation and deterioration of labor market conditions, two conditions known to increase food insecurity,” ” says Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs.

September 20, 2025

Harrington Meyer Talks to HuffPost About Grandparenting Styles

“It almost doesn’t matter what kind of grandparent you are, as long as you and the parents agree. The trick is for the parents and the grandparents to agree on the roles and the rules,” says University Professor Madonna Harrington Meyer. Once that happens, “then there could be a really harmonious relationship.”

September 19, 2025

Policy Recommendations to Reduce Old Age Food Insecurity in the United States

Colleen M. Heflin and Madonna Harrington Meyer

The current policy responses to old age food insecurity are complex, costly, and not nearly effective enough. Based on the book, Food for Thought: Understanding Older Adults Food Insecurity, this brief summarizes five policy recommendations to improve food insecurity among U.S. older adults. 

September 10, 2025

See related: United States

Transitioning from planning to implementation

Graham Ambrose and Mark T. Imperial

"Transitioning from planning to implementation: comparing collaborative governance and developmental dynamics in 4 watersheds," co-authored by CPDG Faculty Research Affiliate Graham Ambrose and Mark T. Imperial, was published in Policy Sciences on August 26, 2025.

September 8, 2025

Food for Thought: Understanding Older Adult Food Insecurity

Colleen Heflin, Madonna Harrington Meyer

Written by Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs, and University Professor Madonna Harrington Meyer, the book examines the issue of food insecurity among older adults in the United States. 

September 4, 2025

Maxwell Partners With VA Medical Center, Instacart to Bring Healthy Food to Local Veterans

With a grant-funded study, Colleen Heflin and the Maxwell X Lab are hoping to determine whether greater access to nutritious food leads to health improvements over time.

September 4, 2025

Self-Reported ADHD Diagnosis and Illicit Drug Use and Prescription Medication Misuse Among US Adults

Andrew S. London, Kevin M. Antshel, Joshua Grove, Iliya Gutin, Shannon M. Monnat

The study, co-authored by Maxwell sociologists Andrew London and Shannon Monnat along with Ph.D. student Joshua Grove and Research Assistant Professor Iliya Gutin, was published in the Journal of Attention Disorders.

September 2, 2025

How Health Departments Use Wastewater Surveillance Data for Public Health Planning, Intervention

Shailla Raymond, Mila Neyra, Dustin T. Hill, Ainsley Maclachlan, Jordan McGuire, Matthew Mahaney, Nicole Pulido, Bhavneet Walia, Nan Yang, Yifan Zhu, Yiquan Zhou, David A. Larsen

The article, co-authored by public health professors David Larsen and Bhavneet Walia along with Nicole Pulido, a research associate in the Public Health Department, was published in BMC Public Health.

August 25, 2025

Explore by:


Center for Policy Research Events

Center for Policy Research
426 Eggers Hall