For this special guest episode of No Jargon, we’re diving into how the Scholars Strategy Network helps scholars turn research into impactful policy. SSN executive director Pao Maynard-Moll spoke with Robert Perkinson, an associate professor of American Studies at the University of Hawaii Manoa and co-leader of the Hawaii SSN chapter, for his Better Tomorrow Speaker Series podcast at the university. They explore how SSN connects academics with policymakers and communities, using real examples from Alabama and Maine to show the power of research in driving change. 

For more on this topic:

• Listen to the Better Tomorrow Speaker Series podcast episodes.

• Read SSN’s Annual Report for the 2023-24 academic year.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, students and parents faced a lot of disruptions in their education experience, but student attendance has been a longstanding issue, especially in some urban areas. Factors like poverty, housing instability, and transportation issues contribute to high absenteeism rates. Professor Sarah Winchell Lenhoff discusses some of the reasons why some students miss so much school, the ways in which the pandemic has intensified these challenges, and shares some innovative strategies that are being implemented to address them.

For more on this topic:

• Read Lenhoff’s SSN memo: Attendance Incentives 

• Read her policy report, co-written by Jeremy Singer, Walter Cook, and Ben Pogodzinski: Detroit’s Uniquely Challenging Context for Student Attendance

While news over Britney Spears’s 13-year conservatorship turned what was a largely unfamiliar term into one most Americans now know, involuntary care over adults with certain types of disabilities or severe mental illness is nothing new in the United States. In fact, the contentious battle between civil rights and health care needs goes back decades. Professor Alex V. Barnard explained the history of conservatorships in the state of California, examined the government’s role in overseeing involuntary care, and proposed ways the conservatorship system can be improved for those it seeks to help.

For more on this topic:

Check out Barnard’s recently published book, Conservatorship: Inside California’s System of Coercion and Care for Mental Illness. 

Read his OpEd on this topic: California needs new rules as it forces more mentally ill people into treatment.

The future of affirmative action is unclear. Harvard has been taken to court for its admissions policies and the case is likely to be the first affirmative action case in front of the new Supreme Court judges. In this archive episode, Professor Natasha Warikoo discusses investigations into school admissions and how focusing on diversity ignores the real reasons for affirmative action.

For More on This Topic:

• Read her brief, How the Ways College Authorities Talk about Diversity Can Undercut Efforts to Fight Racial Inequality
• Check out her two OpEds for the PBS Newshour on the Harvard court case
• Find her piece in The New York Times, How Elite Schools Stay So White

In a democracy, government is supposed to represent the people. But Congress doesn’t exactly look like your average American. In fact, lawyers make up a huge number of our federal representatives, but only a small percentage of the American population. Professor Adam Bonica unravels why we have so many lawyers in office, what fundraising has to do with it, and what it all means for how our government functions.

For more on this topic:

• Read this Vox piece on Bonica’s research, There are too many lawyers in politics. Here’s what to do about it.
• Check out his academic articles, Professional Networks, Early Fundraising, and Electoral Success and Why Are There So Many Lawyers in Congress?

Every February students across the country learn about Black History Month, including the civil rights movement. But educating children on the civil rights movement takes on a special role when you’re located in Birmingham, Alabama. Professor Tondra Loder-Jackson dives into the history of civil rights activism in Birmingham’s schools and what teachers today should know as they tackle this important topic in their classrooms.

For more on this topic:

• Read Loder-Jackson’s SSN brief, How Alabama Can Earn a Straight "A" in Civil Rights Education
• Check out her book, Schoolhouse Activists: African American Educators and the Long Birmingham Civil Rights Movement

Americans are more likely to die of an opioid overdose than of a car accident. But even as national attention has shed light on this crisis, opioid addiction remains a difficult problem to solve. Professor Peggy Compton lays out how doctors can help patients suffering from chronic pain without turning to opioids, what treatments actually work for people who do develop an opioid addiction, and how to encourage wider use of these evidence-based practices.

For more on this topic:

• Check out Compton’s SSN brief, How to Win America’s Fight Against the Opioid Epidemic
• Read her research paper, Providing Chronic Pain Management in the “Fifth Vital Sign” Era

America’s democracy is in uncharted waters. From attacks on the media to challenges against free and fair elections and the longest government shutdown in US history, the future of American democracy looks increasingly unclear. Recorded at the SSN National Leadership Convening, Washington Post Columnist EJ Dionne talks through the media’s responsibility in these tense times and one big policy idea to help right the ship.

For More on this Topic:

• Read Dionne’s Washington Post piece mentioned in the episode and his regular column.
• Check out his Brookings report on the case for universal voting
• Find his most recent book, One Nation After Trump

The consequences of climate change are looking increasingly dangerous and imminent, yet little has been done to address this crisis. Professor Garth Heutel lays out a potentially cost-effective way to reduce global temperatures and stave off global warming. But solar geoengineering is not a silver bullet. While the benefits are clear, the costs are much more uncertain.

For More on this Topic:

• Read summaries of his research in his two-page SSN brief and an article in The Conversation.
• See his full article in the Annual Review of Resource Economics.

Real estate agents help us navigate the housing market, get the best prices, and find the perfect house to call a home. But they also help decide who gets to live where, and not everyone gets the same options. Professor Elizabeth Korver-Glenn shares her research on the hidden ways real estate agents keep neighborhoods segregated, and what can be done to change their ways.

For more on this topics:

• Read Korver Glenn’s brief, How America’s Real Estate Brokers Still Use Practices That Reinforce Racial Segregation
• Check out her conversation with the CEO of the real estate company Redfin

In the last few years, the United States has seen one horrific mass shooting after another. But despite public outcry and support for gun control legislation, little has changed. In this second episode with Professor Robert Spitzer, he lays out what policies have been implemented federally and in the states and what policies could actually work to reduce gun violence.

For more on this Topic:

• Read Spitzer’s SSN brief, The Evidence Shows that “Stand Your Ground” Laws Undermine Law Enforcement and Public Safety
• Check out his OpEds in the New York Times, The Gun Safety Issue is Actually Helping Democrats and America Used to be Good at Gun Control. What Happened?
• Find his books, The Politics of Gun Control and Guns across America: Reconciling Gun Rules and Rights

In 2018, the debate about gun rights and gun control was front and center after a tragic school shooting in Florida. But this debate has been raging for a long time in the U.S. In this first part of our interview with Professor Robert Spitzer, he lays out the history of the gun rights and gun control movements and what might change in the coming years.

For more on this Topic:

• Read Spitzer’s SSN brief, The Evidence Shows that “Stand Your Ground” Laws Undermine Law Enforcement and Public Safety
• Check out his OpEds in the New York Times, The Gun Safety Issue is Actually Helping Democrats and America Used to be Good at Gun Control. What Happened?
• Find his books, The Politics of Gun Control and Guns across America: Reconciling Gun Rules and Rights

Chinese restaurants have become a staple in America, and they’re especially popular during the holidays. In this archive episode, Professor Heather Lee tells the story of how a loophole in the Chinese Exclusion Act led to the Chinese restaurant boom in America. Drawing parallels to today, she explains the unintended impacts of the law on the U.S. and China.

For More on this Topic:

• Read articles in The Atlantic and NPR citing Professor Lee on Chinese restaurants in the United States.
• Check out her 2-page brief, The Untold Story of Chinese Restaurants in America

With abortion bans passing in states all over the country since the overturn of Roe v. Wade, women experiencing miscarriages have been turned away from hospitals because doctors deemed that they weren’t in enough clear danger to receive abortion care. Meanwhile, many women experiencing fibromyalgia continue to have their social security disability claims denied because they are not able to provide concrete evidence that their condition severely disrupts their quality of life. According to Professor Dara Purvis, what links these two examples is that many doctors do not believe women who say they are in pain. She explained the role that courts can play on this issue and laid out what needs to happen so women’s pain does not continue to be ignored. 

For more on this topic:

Check out Purvis’s OpEd: All the Ways Alito’s Opinion Might Criminalize Pregnancy 

Read her law review journal article: Clinical Evidence as Gendered: Fibromyalgia Social Security Disability Claims

Babies need diapers. But for 1 in 3 mothers, diapers are just too expensive to always have on hand. And that can leave children and families in a precarious situation. Professor Jennifer Randles lays out the diaper dilemma, how it affects America’s families, and what policies can be put in place to help solve the problem.

For More on this Topic:

• Read her memo, Policy Proposal: Reduce Diaper Need Among Families in Poverty
• Check out her article with Barbara Risman in Psychology Today, Diapers, Depression, and Gender Matter for Social Policy
• Want to donate to the National Diaper Bank Network? More information here

Access to good housing is key to better health, both now and in the future. So what happens when the youngest and oldest members of our society don’t get the housing support they need? First, Professor Andrew Fenelon breaks down how affordable housing can change the lives of children. Next, Professor Jennifer Ailshire outlines the problems unique to the homeless elderly and what needs to change to help this growing population.

For More on this Topic:

• Read the Kaiser Health News’ article on Fenelon’s research
• Check out the website for the Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count
  Listen to Episode 142: Nowhere to Live on the challenges of housing assistance programs

Americans of color consistently have worse health outcomes than their white peers. So what’s behind this trend? First, Professor Margaret Hicken lays out how black Americans must often prepare themselves in the face of racism and what effects this has on their bodies. Next, Professor Abigail Sewell lays out how police use of force can impact not only the health of individuals, but of entire communities.

For More on this Topic:

• Read The Michigan Daily’s article on Hicken’s research
• Check out Hicken’s 2-page brief, Measuring the Social Impact of Mass Imprisonment on America's Black and White Families and Communities
• Find Sewell’s website and blog
• Visit the website for Cornell’s Center for the Study of Inequality, which organized the Deep Wounds conference.

After over a year of competition between hundreds of cities and municipalities, Amazon has finally announced the location, or two locations, for its HQ2. But in this archive episode, Professor Nathan Jensen explains how cities and states often lose more than they gain when politicians use tax incentives to bring businesses to town.

• Read Jensen’s SSN brief, Business Location Incentives are Ineffective – So Why Do They Persist in American States and Localities?
• Check out his book with Professor Edmund Malesky, Incentives to Pander: How Politicians Use Corporate Welfare for Political Gain, or the quick video they made to explain some of their main findings.
• Find his opinion pieces in The New York Times and The Conversation

On November 6th a historic number of women and women of color were elected to Congress. And that means important changes could be coming to Capitol Hill. Professor Kelly Dittmar dives into the role of congresswomen in Washington DC, how women in the capitol view themselves, and what the election of more women to office means for our country’s future.

For More on this Topic:

• Read Dittmar’s new book with professors Kira Sanbonmatsu and Susan J. Carroll, A Seat at the Table
• Check out their CNN OpEd, What Hasn’t Changed About Women in Power Since Anita Hill
• Listen to their interview on the New Books Network

On Tuesday, voters across the country went to the polls in one of the most watched midterm elections in decades. And now the results are in. So what does it all mean? Scholars Didi Kuo and Gabriel Sanchez break down some of the biggest trends from the 2018 midterms, like the Latino vote, what they say about our two political parties, and what we can expect for the future.

For more on this topic:

• Read Kuo’s brief, What History Teaches about Reforming U.S. Political Parties and Governance
• Check out her piece in The American Interest, The Paradox of Party Polarization
• Listen to Sanchez’ previous interview on No Jargon, The Latino Vote

Across the country, states are making abortion less and less accessible. And that means there are many people who seek an abortion but are denied one. So what does that mean for a woman’s health and well being? And what impacts does this have on her children? Professor Diana Greene Foster discusses the groundbreaking Turnaway Study she led to answer these questions.

• Check out Foster’s SSN brief, New Evidence about Women's Experience with Abortion - Compared to Carrying Unwanted Pregnancies to Term
• Visit the website for the Turnaway Study
• Read the article by Foster and the article by Professor Ushma Upadhyay mentioned in the episode (paywall)

Unemployment is very low and Americans report having strong confidence in the economy. But not everyone is benefitting equally. Professor Harry Holzer digs into why many Americans without a college degree still struggle to find jobs, especially ones that pay well, and what the government can do to help.

For more on this topic:

• Read Holzer’s report for Brookings, Jobs for the working class: Raising earnings among non-college graduates
• Check out his SSN brief, Are Job Training Programs a Good Way to Fight Poverty?

When the US decides whether or not to grant an immigrant a green card, they look at many factors. That includes if they heavily rely on certain government programs to get by. But proposed changes at the federal level means this whole system is about to change. Professor Tiffany Joseph explains these changes and what they mean for immigrants in America.

• Find the full rule online at the Federal Register, where public comments can be submitted
• Check out this explainer of the public charge rule change by Vox
• Read Joseph’s SSN brief, How Health Reform Excludes Unauthorized Immigrants – And Why That Needs to Change

College campuses are full of conversations about politics and policy. But many of these college students don’t turn out when it actually matters, on Election Day. Nancy Thomas explores what gets students to vote and how college administrators, faculty members, and students can improve voting rates on their campuses.

• Check out the report co-authored by Thomas, Election Imperatives
• Read her interview with The Chronicle of Higher Education, Here’s How Colleges Can Get More Involved in Elections -- and Not Just the Midterms
• Visit the website for the Institute for Democracy & Higher Education at Tufts University

According to a recent, federal report, while racial diversity is at an all time high in the K-12 public school system, racial inequality and segregation on school campuses persists, and continues to increase. Professor Erica Frankenberg broke down what racial segregation has looked like for marginalized students over the past few decades, what needs to be done to combat ongoing segregation, and how the recent Supreme Court decision on college admissions directly impacts this pressing issue. 

For more on this topic:

Check out Frankenberg’s recent OpEd, co-written with Genevieve Siegel-Hawley: Social Science Explains Why K-12 Integration Efforts Should Continue.

Read her paper, co-written by Jongyeon Ee, Jennifer B. Ayscue, and Gary Orfield: Harming Our Common Future: America’s Segregated Schools 65 Years After Brown.

Casting a ballot seems as American as apple pie. But in Florida, one in ten people have had their voting rights taken away because of a criminal conviction. Professor Ciara Torres-Spelliscy dives into the history of Florida’s voting system, how ex-felons get their rights back, and what Florida voters can do to help.

Thirty states have laws legalizing marijuana in some form, and come November four more states may join their ranks through ballot initiatives. But these new laws often do little to help people who have past marijuana convictions. Professor Douglas Berman describes this disconnect and what states and the federal government can do to address it.

For more on this topic:

• Read Berman’s SSN Brief, How States Can Ensure That Today’s Marijuana Reforms Also Ameliorate Harms Inflicted on Past Offenders
• Check out his essay on the topic, Leveraging Marijuana Reform to Enhance Expungement Practices

In face of ongoing threats to its environment, California has taken big steps to protect its nature and wildlife. Professor David Vogel lays out California’s history as an environmental leader, how it plans to continue its green streak, and what other states - and the federal government - can learn from California’s policy innovation.

• Read Vogel’s SSN Brief, How Environmental Policies Can Promote Economic Growth
• Check out his book, California Greenin’: How the Golden State Became an Environmental Leader
• Find his LA Times op-ed, The Trump administration wants to end California’s role as an environmental innovator and his interview with Bloomberg, Why California Goes Its Own Way on the Environment

The government fights forest fires, protects us from foreign invasion, helps people go to college, and so much more. But Americans’ opinions of the government are increasingly negative. Professor Suzanne Mettler dives into why people don’t believe the government benefits them, even when it does, and how to bridge this disconnect between the government and the American people.

For More on this Topic:

• Read Mettler’s new book, The Government-Citizen Disconnect
• Check out her OpEd in the New York Times and her interview on Vox
• Listen to her previous No Jargon episode, Hidden Tax Benefits

It’s back to school season and for many children, teachers, and parents across the country school looks very similar. That’s because in 2009, the Common Core was introduced, standardizing what K-12 students should know, and be tested on. Professor Nicholas Tampio describes what that means for public education and imagines a different way forward for America’s schools.

For More on this Topic:

• Read Tampio’s opinion pieces in Aeon and HuffPost
• Check out his book, Common Core: National Education Standards and the Threat to Democracy
• Find Jesse H. Rhodes’ article on education politics in Perspectives on Politics (paywall)

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people in America. And black youth in particular face increasing suicide rates and challenges in accessing mental health services. Scholar and advocate Kimya Dennis dives into the background behind these suicide statistics, what prevents black youth from getting help, and how mental health providers can address this disconnect.

If you or a loved one are experiencing a mental health crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255) any time of day.

For More on this Topic:

• Read Dennis’s SSN briefs, Debunking Myths about Mental Illness Among Blacks and The Complexities of Black Youth Suicide
• Check out her piece for The Conversation, Suicide Isn’t Just a White People Thing

An unexpected surgery can cost a worker thousands in medical bills. And in states without paid family and medical leave, they also have to go without a paycheck while recovering. Professors Randy Albelda and Alan Clayton-Matthews explain why paid family and medical leave is important to small businesses, workers, and their families, and how Massachusetts tackled this policy problem with help from their research.

• Read Clayton-Matthews and Albelda’s SSN brief, Why Massachusetts Can Afford to Require Paid Family and Medical Leave for All Workers
• Check out this Boston Globe article about the Massachusetts policy

Knowledge is power. Or at least that’s how the saying goes — but when it comes to climate change and its causes, that knowledge hasn’t translated into action. Postdoctoral Fellow Matthew Motta discusses why climate research is often disregarded, where Americans’ suspicion of scientists comes from, and how our interest in science affects our trust in scientists.

For More on this Topic:

• Read Motta’s SSN brief, How Interest in Science Boosts Trust in Climate Scientists
• Check out his radio interview on the rise of anti-intellectualism

Having a warm and comfortable home is important for health and well-being. But with rising rent prices and growing inequality, it can be tough – if not impossible – to find a place to live. Professors Rosie Tighe and Megan Hatch explain why the U.S. has such a shortage of affordable housing, how government programs help, and why they often fall short.

• Read Tighe and Hatch’s SSN brief, How Fair Housing Programs Can be Bolstered by Laws Prohibiting Source of Income Discrimination
• Check out their piece with Joseph Mead in Shelterforce, Section 8 Allowed
• Find Joseph Mead’s New York Times opinion piece on their nuisance ordinance research

Since 9/11, fears about extremism have shaped the public’s view of Islam. And American policies often reflect these fears, zeroing in on Muslims and Muslim-Americans in the name of national security. Professor Rachel Gillum explores whether these policies work, why we use them, and how they impact Muslims in America.

• Read Gillum’s SSN brief, Assessing– and Reducing– Public Fear of Muslims
• Find her book, Muslims in a Post-9/11 America
• Check out her piece in Talking Points Memo on racism as a national security issue

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) was signed into law almost one year ago, but Americans are still learning how this giant legislative package impacts them. With provisions targeting different sectors of the economy, the IRA has focused most prominently on clean energy investments, prescription drug pricing, and funding for the IRS. And to learn what research can tell us about these major provisions, we spoke to experts who study each of these issue areas. Professor Matto Mildenberger took on the climate provisions, Professor Soumitra Bhuyan discussed health care, and Vanessa Williamson analyzed the increase in IRS funding. Enjoy this jam-packed special edition of No Jargon to celebrate 250 episodes!

For more of Matto Mildenberger’s work:

Check out his book Carbon Captured: How Business and Labor Control Climate Politics.

For more of Soumitra Bhuyan’s work:

Read his paper, co-written by Shiyanbola O, Deka P, Isehunwa OO, Chandak A, Huang S, Wang Y, Bhatt J, Ning L, Lin WJ, and Wyant D: The role of gender in cost-related medication nonadherence among patients with diabetes. 

For more of Vanessa Williamson’s work:

Read her book, Read My Lips: Why Americans are Proud to Pay Their Taxes

In April 2018, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand introduced legislation to make basic banking services, like loans and check cashing, available at every branch of the United States Postal Service. Professor Mehrsa Baradaran explains the history of that idea, why postal banking is needed now, and how it can help reduce America’s growing inequality.

• Read Baradaran’s books, How the Other Half Banks: Exclusion, Exploitation, and the Threat to Democracy and The Color of Money: Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap
• Check out her OpEd in the Washington Post

A college degree can make a huge difference for parents and their kids. But if you’ve got an eight-year-old to support and a low-paying job, it’s next to impossible to pay for both tuition and childcare. For residents of Maine, a new law will help. Working with Joby Thoyalil of Maine Equal Justice Partners, Professors Luisa DePrez and Lisa Dodson used their research on the benefits of a college education for low-income women to help advance a bill called LIFT 2.0.

• Read Luisa and Lisa’s brief, “Why Higher Education is a Must for Low-Income Mothers”
• Check out the op-ed they wrote in the Portland Press Herald
• Learn more about Maine Equal Justice Partners on their website

Lawyers, doctors, engineers, and bankers are among America’s most respected professionals, and most are middle-aged white men. So what are the experiences of black men who join their ranks? Adia Harvey Wingfield describes how black men in high-powered professions navigate race and gender in the workplace, and what their experiences say about our changing economy.

For More on this Topic:

• Read Wingfield’s brief, Constructive Steps to Further Workplace Diversity
• Find her book, No More Invisible Man: Race and Gender in Men’s Work
• Check out her Slate article on black men in the field of nursing

Since the Cambridge Analytica scandal broke, Americans have been talking about data: what online information is saved, what we should do with it, and who gets to decide. But these conversations often miss an important piece — government data. Professor Matthew Weber lays out what is currently happening with data collection and why we should actually save more information than we currently do.

For More on this Topic:

• Read about the impossibility of comprehensive digital archives in the Atlantic
• Check out efforts to preserve federal agency data, featured in Forbes

Everyone needs healthcare. But Americans can’t agree on how to fix our troubled healthcare system. Now, the Trump Administration and a number of states are pushing one idea — require people on Medicaid to work. Professor Philip Rocco explains what’s behind these new requirements, what they would mean for people on Medicaid, and why they should really be called paperwork requirements.

For More on this Topic:

• Read Rocco’s two-page brief, Why Work Requirements Will Not Improve Medicaid

The Trump Administration’s zero tolerance policy for migrants produced widespread outrage. Specific policies are in flux, so we asked researchers for the important context to understand what’s happening. For this special episode, professors Heide Castañeda and Nara Milanich describe who these migrants are, how zero tolerance policies impact them and their health, and what – if any – historical precedents exist for these policies.

For More on this Topic:

• Check out Nara’s 2017 piece in The Washington Post, “Nations have separated children from parents before. It never ends well.”
• Read Heide’s brief, “The Downsides of Excluding Millions of Immigrants from Health Reform”

Democracy is under threat. From Venezuela to Turkey, from Hungary to the Philippines, powerful leaders are rewriting their countries norms and laws to secure power at the expense of their citizens. Professor Steven Levitsky tells us how democracies die – and what the outlook is for America.

For More on this Topic:

• Check out Levitsky’s book with Daniel Ziblatt, How Democracies Die
• Read their OpEd on threats to democracy

America is getting more diverse, and that means more children of color are students in our schools. But teachers are still overwhelmingly white, so many of these students rarely see teachers who look like them. Professor Michèle Foster tells the little-known story of why America lost many of its black teachers, what that means for students, and what can be done to change things.

For More on this Topic:

• Read Foster’s brief, “Why America Needs More African-American Teachers and How to Recruit and Retain Them”
• Check out her feature in an episode of Revisionist History on black teachers after Brown v. Board of Education.

There are thousands of civic organizations in America, from big-time lobbying groups to local grassroots organizations, and they all want your time and support. But some organizations are more effective at creating change than others. Professor Ziad Munson explains what kinds of organizations have been most successful in shaping American public life – and why.

For More on this Topic:

• Read Munson’s brief, How People Become Pro-life Advocates
• Check out the original “A Nation of Organizers” article
• Find Robert Putnam’s book, Bowling Alone

Unions used to be a major political force in America. But over the last few decades they have steadily declined, and now a Supreme Court case might deal another severe blow to their strength. Professor Jake Rosenfeld explains what the Supreme Court is deciding on and what it means for the future of organized labor in America.

For More on this Topic:

• Read Rosenfeld’s SSN brief “Union Decline and Rising U.S. Wage Inequality”
• Check out his book, What Unions No Longer Do
• Find this New York Times opinion piece on the impacts of right-to-work laws

In an annual report, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development found that over half a million Americans were experiencing homelessness on a single night in 2022. According to Professor Megan Welsh Carroll, racial discrimination, criminalization, and of course, the high cost of housing all contribute to this growing crisis. And while progress is being made, many critical public services remain out of reach for this group, including one that has led to serious public health issues: a lack of public restrooms. As the director of San Diego State University’s Project for Sanitation Justice, Welsh Carroll explained what her team is doing to combat this specific problem in San Diego and how their work can serve as a model in other parts of the country. 

For more on this topic:

Read Welsh Carroll’s OpEd in the Los Angeles Times: California cities don’t have enough public bathrooms. Here’s one solution

Read her SSN policy brief, co-authored by Jennifer Kate Felner and Jerel Pasion Calzo: Increasing Access to Public Bathrooms is Critical for San Diegans’ Health 

Read her policy brief on the criminalization of the unhoused: Why Cities Must End Their Reliance on Police to Manage Homelessness – and How They Can Do it

In 1973, the Supreme Court made access to abortions a legal right. Since then, crisis pregnancy centers have popped up across the country to dissuade women from getting abortions. Professor Kimberly Kelly explains the history and organization behind these centers and how their current case before the Supreme Court could shape reproductive rights in America.

For More on this Topic:

• Read Kelly’s SSN brief “Why False Claims About A Nonexistent "Post Abortion Syndrome" Influence Access To Abortion In America”
• Check out her comments about the history of crisis pregnancy centers in The Atlantic

The opioid epidemic is ravaging communities across America and there’s no silver bullet to fix it. But communicating to people about risks and steps to prevent addiction is a start. Professor Itzhak Yanovitzky describes how New Jersey uses information to help fight the opioid epidemic and how his research partnership with the state helps to improve these efforts.

For More on this Topic:

• Read this My Central Jersey article about Yanovitzky’s latest research
• Check out the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey website

Following the 2016 election, suburban well-educated women got together in PTA groups, libraries, and coffee shops to organize—some for the first time. Professor Lara Putnam shares insights on how these groups work, what their goals are, and why they have been so effective at mobilizing voters.

For More on this Topic:

• Read Putnam's pieces in the Democracy Journal, Middle America Reboots Democracy with Theda Skocpol and Who Really Won PA18?
• Check out her article in The American Prospect, Digital Fixes Won’t Solve the Democrats’ Problems