NJSPL summer intern Xiao Liang (MPA-Camden ’24) found that although students’ test scores have increased across all racial/ethnic groups in the last few decades, access to equitable educational opportunities among different socioeconomic backgrounds has not led to improvement in overall educational outcomes.
Prof. Emeritus Bob Lake: From Professional Geography to Public Geography, from Representational Certainty to Not Knowing the Answer

Professor Emeritus Robert Lake explores Rorty’s posthumously published work on Pragmatism as Anti-Authoritarianism and the shift form professional geography to public geography in his latest article published in The Professional Geographer.
Rutgers Fall Career & Internship Mega Fair: Sept. 19-22, 2023

Join us in person at our 4-day Career & Internship Mega Fair! Over 100+ employers (different employers each day) will be available to network with candidates to discuss full-time, part-time, and internship opportunities from various fields.
The New Jersey State Policy Lab Announces Ten New Research Projects
The NJSPL issued a call for proposals in the early summer, and received 28 proposals, including ones from all three Rutgers University campuses and four other universities in New Jersey. Ten projects were chosen that cover a wide array of policy issues, and employ varying research methodologies to evaluate very real problems that innovative policy solutions can address.
Spotlight: Soumitra Bhuyan
This past year, Professor Soumitra Bhuyan was a visiting professor at Princeton University’s Center for Health and Wellbeing at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. In the following interview, he discusses his work on chronic disease management, health information systems, and his overarching goal of improving population health.
NJSPL – Barriers to Accessing Primary Care in New Jersey
NJSPL summer intern Taylor Hughes found that regular, reliable primary care is often considered a valuable resource and a critical gateway into the healthcare system, but not every person has the ability or access to a primary care physician or office.
New Interdisciplinary Minor in Disability Studies Launches

One in four adults in the United States has some type of disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This makes disability a natural and common part of the human experience. The new minor is an interdisciplinary effort designed to support an intrinsically collaborative approach to studying the lived experience of disability and the theoretical frameworks that surround that experience.
NJSPL – Risk Perception of Cannabis Use in Young Adults
NJSPL summer intern Sofia Wernyj found research that suggests the younger a person begins using cannabis, the higher the likelihood of them developing a dependence on the drug. It is important for NJ state leaders and policymakers to be aware of possible public health and safety issues that could arise from increased access to the drug.
New Jersey’s Worker-centered Approach to Improving the Administration of Unemployment Insurance

New paper describes the policy changes, business practices, and technology innovations that NJ is employing to ensure that the right people get UI benefits accurately and on time.
Kurtzman Named to NASEM Committee to Study Public Health Consequences of Cannabis Policy Landscape

Dr. Kurtzman’s research explores the impact of federal, state, and institutional policies on health care delivery, the role of the health care workforce in achieving higher-value care and the impact of states’ cannabis policies on health outcomes.