Center for Policy Research News
Behavioural Patterns of Leaders versus Followers in Setting Local Sales Tax Policy
Using a 40-year panel dataset from Texas, Yilin Hou and co-author identify leader municipalities in changing sales tax rates and examine how municipalities asymmetrically respond to multi-tiered rate changes. Published in Fiscal Studies: The Journal of Applied Public Economics.
See related: State & Local, Taxation, United States
How Does the Reauthorization of the Farm Bill Impact SNAP?
Heflin Quoted in Newsweek Article on the Farm Bill Reauthorization and Its Impact on SNAP Benefits
“If the appropriations bills are not passed by the end of December, January benefits will still go out because SNAP benefits are obligated in the prior month (December),” says Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs.
See related: Agriculture, Food Security, Nutrition, U.S. Health Policy, United States
Kids in Limbo: War, Uncertainty, and the School Experiences of Ukrainian Refugee Students in Poland
Findings by Amy Lutz, associate professor of sociology, and Ph.D. student Iwona B. Franczak, suggest changes to family and school routines caused by the war hindered academic performance and social–emotional well-being of some Ukrainian school-age refugees regardless of mothers' advantageous socio-economic backgrounds. Published in Sociological Forum.
Evidence-based Practices and US State Government Civil Servants
This university-government-nonprofit collaborative research project aims to better understand how civil servants access and use evidence in their decision-making process. Published in Public Administration Review.
See related: Government, State & Local, United States
Public Health Measures Related to the Transmissibility of Suicide
In this paper, the fourth in a series on a public health approach to suicide prevention, Michiko Ueda-Ballmer and co-authors contend that the transmissibility of suicide must be considered when determining optimal ways to address it. Published in The Lancet Public Health.
See related: Longevity, Media & Journalism, United States
Jales Weighs In on South Korea’s Plan to Address Low Fertility Rate in Think Global Health Article
“Most people are not on the fence about having a (or another) child. Thus, to get someone who would otherwise choose not to have children to change their behavior will take large incentives,” says Hugo Jales, associate professor of economics.
See related: East Asia, Government, Income, Labor, Parenting & Family
Stability and Volatility in the Contextual Predictors of Working-Age Mortality in the United States
“Stability and Volatility in the Contextual Predictors of Working-Age Mortality in the United States,” co-authored by Maxwell faculty members Jennifer Karas Montez, Shannon Monnat, Emily Wiemers and Douglas Wolf, was published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.
See related: COVID-19, Longevity, United States
On Uniform Confidence Intervals for the Tail Index and the Extreme Quantile
“On Uniform Confidence Intervals for the Tail Index and the Extreme Quantile,” co-authored by Associate Professor of Economics Yulong Wang, was published in the Journal of Econometrics.
See related: Research Methods
Ueda-Ballmer Speaks with USA Today About CDC Report on Suicide Risk
“Everybody has a risk of suicide,” says Michiko Ueda-Ballmer, associate professor of public administration and international affairs. “That also means that everybody basically should think about suicide prevention as their...business.”
See related: Health Insurance, Income, Longevity, United States
The Effects of Waiving WIC Physical Presence Requirements on Program Caseloads
“The Effects of Waiving WIC Physical Presence Requirements on Program Caseloads,” co-authored by Maxwell professors Colleen Heflin and Leonard Lopoo, and Ph.D. student W. Clay Fannin, was published in Social Service Review.
See related: Food Security, Nutrition, U.S. Health Policy, United States
NIA Awards $3.8 Million for Maxwell Sociologists’ Health and Longevity Research Networks
Research networks led by Jennifer Karas Montez and Shannon Monnat will use two five-year grant renewals to study adult health and aging trends in the United States.
See related: Aging, Child & Elder Care, Grant Awards, Longevity, Rural Issues, U.S. Health Policy, United States
New Evidence on the Underrepresentation of Asian Americans in Leadership Positions
“New Evidence on the Underrepresentation of Asian Americans in Leadership Positions,” authored by Assistant Professor of Economics Maria Zhu, was published in the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization.
See related: Asian-American, Education, Labor, United States
Maxwell Welcomes New Faculty for 2024-25
The Maxwell School welcomes several new faculty members for the start of the 2024-25 academic year.
See related: Promotions & Appointments
Fiscal Implications of Disasters and the Managed Retreat Thereafter: Evidence from Hurricane Sandy
“Fiscal Implications of Disasters and the Managed Retreat Thereafter: Evidence from Hurricane Sandy,” co-authored by Yilin Hou, professor of public administration and international affairs, was published in Natural Hazards Review.
See related: Economic Policy, Natural Disasters, New York State, State & Local
ML Platforms Can Contradict Dairy Scientists, Feed Firm Websites Regarding Dairy Cattle Performance
“Machine Learning (ML) Platforms Can Contradict Dairy Scientists and Feed Firm Websites Regarding Dairy Cattle Performance from Feeding Seaweed Supplements,” co-authored by Professor of Sociology Rick Welsh, was published in Choices.
See related: Agriculture, Autonomous Systems, Rural Issues, United States
Research Insights on Population Health Inspire Policy Change
Maxwell's Policy, Place, and Population Health (P3H) Lab investigates the connection between state policies, local conditions, and health and mortality in the United States.
See related: Longevity, State & Local, U.S. Health Policy, United States
NSF Awards Saba Siddiki, Fellow Researchers, $1.5 Million to Study Bus Fleet Electrification
The team hopes to develop tools for effective and data-driven decision making and to assess collaborative governance in public bus fleet electrification.
See related: Government, Grant Awards, Sustainability, United States
Institutional fit and policy design in water governance: Nebraska's Natural Resources Districts
See related: Environment, Natural Resources, Water
Maxwell School Announces Two New Chairs and Trio of Directors for 2024-25
Several Maxwell School faculty have been promoted to leadership roles, including Junko Takeda, who has been named chair of the Citizenship and Civic Engagement (CCE) Undergraduate Program after serving in an interim role since July 2023, and Leonard M. Lopoo, who began as chair of the Public Administration and International Affairs Department in July 2024.
See related: Promotions & Appointments
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August 5, 2025
Diving Deep Into Legal Layers: Institutional Grammar's Insight Into Iran's Groundwater Laws
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September 2, 2025
Expanding the Comprehension of Governance in Entrepreneurial Ecosystems Using Institutional Grammar
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September 16, 2025
AI Will Change Everything Except What Matters Most
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