Last week, the New Jersey State Policy Lab’s most recent cohort of summer interns presented on their respective areas of public policy research on August 6th, and the recordings of these presentations are now available.
Topic
News
Prof. Cantor Discusses Housing as a Public Health Issue
Homelessness nearly doubled in 2025 with the lifting of the COVID-era eviction moratorium. Cantor noted that New Jersey has focused additional resources to support residents, but needs federal help. He’s also concerned that President Donald Trump’s recent executive order punishing homelessness as a crime will make things worse.
Cultural Factors Driving Severe Repetitive Flood Losses
A central debate was whether public resources should support staying or leaving the island. Key concerns included the economic impacts of strategies on household and public finances, the effectiveness of strategies to mitigate future flood damages, and fairness in the distribution of costs and responsibilities.
NJSPL Report: Supporting Aging in Place in New Jersey
Our key findings indicate that the model faces significant regulatory, labor market, and financial challenges. These challenges prevented the ALPs from growing in the past decade, resulting in many older low-income New Jerseyans remaining underserved.
Edwards: Disability, Job Satisfaction, and Accommodations
A new paper co-authored by Renée Edwards, Ph.D., Assistant Director at the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development and Managing Director of the Employer Disability Practices Center, examines the extent to which job satisfaction, requests for accommodations, and the likelihood of a request being granted vary by disability status. We further analyze whether being granted workplace accommodations moderates the relationship between work satisfaction and disability.
New Report – State of the Climate: New Jersey 2024
New Jersey 2024 Summary of Climate Trends The year 2024 was the warmest on record globally and the second warmest year on record in New Jersey. This year represented a continuation of the long-term climate change trend in global temperatures that drives regional effects and hazards in New Jersey. As such, this report focuses on changes in temperature, sea-level rise, precipitation, and extreme events in New Jersey.
NJSPL: How E-Bikes Could Bridge the Healthcare Gap
E-bikes offer a promising alternative solution for individuals to access healthcare more easily, including reaching preferred providers. Researchers’ analysis found that, with an e-bike, nearly every census tract can reach at least one primary care physician within 30 minutes.
“Work Trends RU” Podcast with Rachel Korberg
This week’s guest on the Heldrich Center’s Work Trends RU podcast is Rachel Korberg, Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Families and Workers Fund. Rachel is also a member of the Heldrich Center’s National Advisory Board.
Report Release: R/ECON Forecast Summer 2025
R/ECON’s economic forecast for New Jersey as of mid-2025 continues to show a slowing trajectory. Annual GDP growth is projected at just 0.5% for 2025, significantly lower than prior forecasts and markedly below the national rate of 1.5%. The Garden State’s real estate market shows tentative signs of stabilization, though persistently elevated mortgage rates and high home prices continue to limit the strength of the rebound. Nationally, tariff increases are expected to put upward pressure on prices, with inflation projected to reach 3.7% in the second quarter of 2026.
New Publication from Payne: Digital Twin or Digital Kin?
The authors argue that questions around interoperability and profit and tensions with democratic deliberation and socially beneficial outcomes necessitate best-practice “digital kin” models. These models are inclusive of different urban realities and diverse communities, as well as more closely integrated across platforms locations for use in participatory planning to advance social equity outcomes.