NJ’s official ideas factory for new policies

May 9, 2022

This article by Katie Crist features the work of the New Jersey Policy Lab

“Chosen through an application process of the state’s higher education institutions, the Rutgers-based research center was launched with a $1 million grant from the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education and began its work in August 2021. The lab operates out of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University, New Brunswick.

Elizabeth Cooner, its executive director, said that all its output is derived from rigorous, evidence-based research, with topics suggested by Rutgers professors and researchers.

‘We touch upon a wide range of public policy issues,” Cooner said. “We want our research to be a guide for lawmakers moving forward.’ ”

NJ Spotlight News May 9, 2022

Recent Posts

Mi Shih Recognized with GPEIG Best Journal Article Award

Mi Shih, Ph.D., Associate Professor and director of the Urban Planning and Policy Development Program, was recognized with the Global Planning Educators’ Interest Group’s (GPEIG) 2025 award for the best journal article. The award honors outstanding, peer-reviewed...

Building Capacity to Support New Jersey Autism Professionals

Building Capacity to Support New Jersey Autism Professionals: A Workforce Study and Multi-state Comparative Landscape of Policies and Practices Daniel Rosario, Josephine O’Grady, Lily McFarland, Peter Walter, Ryne Kremer, Sean Nguyen, and Wun-cian Lin for Autism New...

Dr. Rushing Talks About AI for Sickle Cell and Beyond

Dr. Melinda Rushing recently appeared on the podcast Zora Talks. In this podcast, Dr. Rushing breaks down what sickle cell really is, why it disproportionately affects people of color, and how her team is developing a new approach called Clinically Guided AI to...

NJSPL: Increasing Enrollment of Paid Family Leave

The Increasing Enrollment of Paid Family Leave for Parents in the U.S. Over the past 10 years, many U.S. states have implemented mandatory paid family leave policies to help address the lack of such policy on the national level. In this post, we examine how paid...