News List
NJSPL – Digital Inequity: New Jersey State Digital Literacy Initiative
The state of New Jersey has passed a first-of-its-kind legislation for the development of a digital literacy program in K-12 schools across the state. The goal is to allow for collaborative development between teachers and school media specialists, as well as consider public feedback after the initial stages.
How the East Palestine derailment and Silicon Valley Bank failure are connected
2023: 3/22 Land and Power: A History of Commodification
NJSPL – Developing, Validating, and Deploying the ARez Resilience Framework in New Jersey
“Area resilience” or ARez, is intended to combine community and infrastructure approaches to examine areas across the state of New Jersey and better determine their resilience to ongoing and future effects of climate change. This work will be a collaborative effort with NJIT, Princeton, and Rutgers.
Deep cuts to NJ school funding could be partially reduced
Election Watchdog Accuses Gov. Murphy of Trying to Force Him From Job
New Report: An Economist’s Case for Restrictive Supply-Side Policies
A new report authored by Prof. Mark Paul and PhD candidate Lina Moe looks at why green-lighting fossil fuel development like the Willow Project hurts the United States’ economy and climate, with ten policies to actively manage the transition off fossil fuels.
Raising Kids Would Be So Much Better Without Cars
How Big of a Climate Betrayal Is the Willow Oil Project?
NJ Residents Wondering if Their Money Could be at Risk in the Bank
Get Financial Advice Before Your Divorce
NJSPL – Can Telemedicine Bridge the Health Equity Gap in the Latinx Population?
The Latinx population saw a 295% increase in telehealth visits since pre-pandemic rates. Research indicates numerous potential benefits of telehealth, but several challenges must be addressed to facilitate the adoption and expand the utilization of this tool for underserved communities.
When it’s time to stop driving, how can seniors get around car-centric New Jersey?
Jared Aisenberg’s (MCRP ’23) @Transittalks on TikTok Offers In-Depth NY Transit Education
MCRP student Jared Aisenberg has amassed 33K followers on TikTok by educating viewers about the many New Jersey and NYC transit histories, mysteries, and the best ways to get around using public transportation.
New Jersey Health Data Project Approves Research to Address Population Health Needs
Killing Of Paterson Man Spurs Demand For More Mental Health Aid During Police Calls
NJSPL – Why Does the High School Science Course Sequence Matter?
One primary concern of this research project will be exploring different outcomes associated with students starting high school in low-level science courses versus those who start in standard and high-level science courses, and understanding the implications of how this may or may not influence later success in post-high school education.
Collaborative Advantage: Creating Global Commons for Science, Technology, and Innovation
In a new article published in Issues in Science and Technology, Leonard Lynn & Hal Salzman argue that it’s time to abandon a techno-nationalist approach to science, technology, and innovation.
Viewpoint: In the Post Pandemic World, Global Health Security Hinges on Digital Public Health Advancements
The global community must think and act before the next pandemic or other major global health threats. However, healthcare systems worldwide have yet to invest systematically in building the required digital infrastructure.
Kermina Hannah (MPP ’22), Policy Analyst in the Office of Equity, Announces Executive Order 319
Governor Phil Murphy signed Executive Order No. 319, which establishes an Equity and Sustainability Advisory Council and requires each of the principal Cabinet departments to designate a senior-level employee to perform the functions of Chief Diversity Officer and serve as a liaison to the Council.
As healthcare cyberattacks soar, the cost of cyberinsurance is also rising
Lina Maria Alfonso, MHA ’20 Wins 2023 ACHENJ Early Careerist Award
Each year, the American College of Healthcare Executives-NJ (ACHENJ) Chapter and Regent presents awards to candidates who are affiliated with the College or who support its purpose, goals and functions, among other necessary qualifying criteria.
NJSPL – Cannabis Use in New Jersey: Residents Share Their Opinions
During the summer of 2022, the New Jersey State Policy Lab commissioned a survey with the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling to assess the opinions of New Jersey residents on a variety of pivotal issues, including cannabis use. Read the new survey brief.
Murphy’s New Jersey budget plan would beef up reserves, pay down debt
Seton Hall Law Symposium Examines New Jersey’s ‘County Line’ Ballots
Register now for the 15th annual Krueckeberg Doctoral Conference: March 10, 2023
The conference is for doctoral students engaged in urban planning and policy-related research across disciplines and universities in the tri-state NJ/NY/PA metropolitan region.
Victoria Gregorio PhD ’18 and colleagues earn Partnership Award for Social Determinants of Health project
The award highlights inspiring and innovative partnerships among patients, families, and healthcare professionals whose work addresses relevant healthcare issues.
Bloustein School 2023 Healthcare Symposium
This symposium is designed to provide insight into the respective roles of health systems and the life sciences that foster the development of lifesaving and life-enhancing research and solutions.
Board of Governors Approves New Doctor of Health Administration Degree Program
The doctoral-level program will expand opportunities for mid-level and senior executives with the training and skills required to advance as leaders in health care administration
These North Jersey taxpayers may not get their full SALT deduction this year
NJSPL – Did the COVID-19 Pandemic Spark a Bicycling Boom?
During the early stages of the pandemic, there were reports of a surge in bicycling activity across the country, as well as in New Jersey, leading to a marked increase in bicycle purchases. But was this surge temporary or an indication of a longer term shift in travel behavior?
Rubin Opinion: New Jersey’s state legislature is broken. Monday’s vote is Exhibit A
Top Democrat looks to sharply raise no-bid contract limits
How the ultra-rich, from Trump to Bruce, dodge their taxes and increase yours
Some N.J. municipal council meetings are still virtual. Residents are asking why.
NJSPL – Ensuring Access to Nature and Outdoor Recreation: Advancing Health Equity for People with Disabilities
Department of Human Services Division of Disability Services (DDS) launched the Inclusive Health Communities (IHC) grant program, which was designed to advance policies, systems, and environmental conditions (PSE) related to the social determinants of health with the goal of ensuring that people with disabilities equally benefit from healthy communities, programs, and spaces.
Heldrich Center: Meet Renee Williams
In this video interview, Heldrich Center Senior Program Coordinator Renee Williams discusses her educational and professional backgrounds, her work at the Heldrich Center to assist home health care aides in New Jersey, and her most memorable project.
Women’s Leadership Coalition Spring Conference, March 3: Building Coalitions
Participants will learn how to use their leadership skills and resources to bring together people from other marginalized communities or identities to work towards a common goal.
NJSPL – 2018 Revision of New Jersey’s School Aid Formula Impacts
The School Reform Act of 2008 (SRFA) was designed to create a new school funding formula with the intention of ending a long cycle of failed legislative attempts to reduce school spending inequalities in New Jersey. But how has eliminating this adjustment aid affected school districts?
NJSPL – Report Release: Garden State Open Data Index
This report, authored by Jim Samuel, Margaret Brennan-Tonetta, Marc Pfeiffer, Clinton Andrews, and Matthew Hale, identifies concepts, strategies, principles, and policies aimed to enhance the “availability, accessibility, usability, and governance of open data,” and is intended to support research, decision making, planning, and reporting efforts for anyone seeking information regarding New Jersey.
Arena near American Dream could get $2B replacement under new proposal
Trump and the future of the Civil Service
NJSPL – Addressing Energy Inequity in New Jersey: Recommendations for Effective Policy Implementation
This is a continuation of an earlier blog which discussed how low-income and minority populations are disproportionately affected by energy inequity, and examines what can be done in New Jersey to bridge this gap.
Combating the Climate Crisis and Investing in a Better Future
Chelsie Riche, MPP ’23
This year for Black History Month, Rutgers invited professionals and practitioners from around the university to share their experiences as Black professionals.
NJSPL – Perkins Act: A Key Component to Bringing Everyone into the Digital Age
The Perkins Act is facing the end of its run in 2024, unless Congress decides to reauthorize it. This law is essential to continue supporting as it promotes digital equity by making education more accessible for students of different backgrounds.
NJSPL – Removing Technology Barriers to Address Health Equity Among Older Adults
With funding and support from the NJSPL and community partners, the Rutgers-Newark Office of University-Community Partnerships (OUCP) and the Advocates for Healthy Living Initiative (AHLI) surveyed older adults about their experiences and needs related to digital communications as part of the Senior Health Connect Digital Divide initiative.
Murphy Administration Pilots Lifelong Learning Program
TRB AMS50 Webinar 2/10/23: Telecommuting in the Pandemic Era
Join VTC’s Hannah Younes, PhD and University of Minnesota’s Xinyi Qian, PhD for this TRB AMS50 Webinar on Friday, February 10th from 10-11am.
Sharing COVID Stories Boosts Vaccine Take-Up
O’Brien-Richardson presents “Rooting Out Hair Discrimination” at the Haddonfield Public Library
Black Faces in High Places: A Roadmap for Success
NJSPL – The Future of Educator Performance Assessments in New Jersey
In December 2022, Governor Murphy signed legislation that removes the Educative Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA). In an upcoming project key stakeholders involved in this policy change, including representatives of the educator preparation programs, the state Department of Education, pre-service teachers, and students will be interviewed.
New Visiting Research Scholar at Princeton
More Millennials Are Leaving the Nest to Form Their Own Households
Another Interest Rate Hike – What it Means for NJ Residents
Trump and the Bureaucrats: The Fate of Neutral Competence. New Book by Interim Dean Stuart Shapiro
Disputes over the role of bureaucrats as experts and as politically neutral are more than a century old. But the Trump Administration’s position in these debates was very different. In his latest book, Stuart Shapiro uses 50 interviews to analyze neutral competence in the federal government.
NJSPL – Aspects of Energy Inequity in New Jersey
New Jersey has reduced its energy consumption and cost in the past two years. But behind these achievements and strides in energy efficiency lies a grim reality—the distribution of costs and benefits within the U.S. energy system is disproportionate, thus creating inequities between people of various income levels and geographical residences.
Many More Single Women Than Men Are Homeowners. Here’s Why
NJSPL – Youth Mental Health in NJ: Current Status and Opportunities for Support Service Improvement
The state is currently in the process of implementing a new initiative, the NJ Statewide Student Support Services Network (NJ4S), which is intended to overhaul the existing School Linked Services (SLS) program and aims to provide a wider reach to students and offer more access to social services.
Many NJ customers can’t get help with overdue bills because of reluctant utilities
A Push for More Oversight of New Jersey’s Colleges
NJ Downtowns Are Breathing New Life Into Empty Old Banks
Studio – Development Prospectus for the Heights, Jersey City
The studio team, led by Professor Barbara Faga, was asked by the Central Avenue Special Improvement District (SID) to help advance the redevelopment of the project site on Block 2901 in Jersey City, NJ.
Call for Submissions: 15th annual Krueckeberg Doctoral Conference to be held March 10, 2023
The conference is for doctoral students engaged in urban planning and policy-related research across disciplines and universities in the tri-state NJ/NY/PA metropolitan region.
Research – Rubin, Cantor, Bhuyan et al. Publish Article on COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake Determinants
A national sample of 1,193 vaccine eligible respondents were surveyed to examine the relationship between knowing that a friend or family member became ill with, or died from, COVID-19 and receiving a vaccine dose within four months of the FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization.
NJSPL – 15-Minute Neighborhoods: Lessons from Outside New Jersey
The purpose of 15-minute neighborhoods is to provide residents with access to frequent and reliable public transit, parks, schools, and other amenities and social services within a comfortable walk or bike ride. This spring, a graduate planning studio will explore how this model can be applied in Bridgeton, Cherry Hill, and Newark, New Jersey
Studio – Planning for Global Population Ageing
Examining the longevity patterns in an economy can offset the effects of aging. Yet, if the increased lifespan isn’t healthy and productive, longevity gains will not be beneficial. Without focusing on healthy living, aging will lead to an increase in ailments and disabilities in the older population. This studio report identifies crucial links to planning for longevity and healthy aging.
No Way To Run a $6 Billion Enterprise
Social media needs rules
Research – Miller on “Beyond Statistical Significance: A Holistic View of What Makes a Research Finding”
Students often believe that statistical significance is the only determinant of whether a quantitative result is “important.” In this paper, Professor Miller reviews traditional null hypothesis statistical testing to identify what questions inferential statistics can and cannot answer.
Referendum on Major Westfield Redevelopment Project? Experts, Advocates Weigh In
Lily Chang (PH ’22) Hired as Press Assistant for Congressman John Sarbanes (MD-03)
Lily Chang graduated from the Bloustein School in 2022 with a bachelor’s in Public Health and a minor in Urban Planning and Design. As an alumna, she has gone on to complete a Bloustein trifecta by gaining experience and excelling in the Public Policy arena as well.
NJSPL – How Can the Government Improve New Jersey Families’ Access to Childcare?
Childcare is a substantial financial burden for many families in the U.S., and particularly so for low-income families, leading to disparities in who uses childcare and early childhood education. Policy options such as subsidies, tax credits, tax deductions, and publicly-provided childcare all have the potential to increase the affordability of and access to childcare in New Jersey.
Studio – Delaware-Raritan Transit Corridor: Blue Sky Comprehensive Planning for Rail Reactivation
Over a three-month studio course, 17 graduate-level planning students were tasked with applying transit-friendly design principles to develop a collective vision and recommendations for several municipalities along the historic Reading West Trenton Line – which last saw passenger rail service in 1982.
Research – New Environmental Study from alumnus Tsoulou, Profs. Senick, Andrews, et al.
This study investigates exposures to summertime indoor overheating and airborne particulate matter (PM2.5) experienced by low-income seniors and explores the potential of natural ventilation on maintaining good indoor thermal conditions and air quality (IAQ).
NJSPL – Property Tax Rates and Quality of K-12 Education in New Jersey Communities
There are 31 districts in the state that receive large amounts of Equalization Aid, and also often happen to be the ones that bear the burden of the highest municipal property tax rates in the state—especially when juxtaposed with higher-income districts that fund their schools mainly through local taxes.
Research – Cantor et al. Examine Race and Ethnicity Trends for Cardiovascular Hospitalizations
Inpatient hospitalizations for cardiovascular disease (CVD) decreased nationally, however, data are lacking on trends within and across race and ethnicity populations.
Bloustein School welcomes Bernadette Baird-Zars to faculty
The Bloustein School is pleased to welcome Bernadette Baird-Zars to the teaching ranks in January 2023.
Economic Doubts and Downturn?
NJSPL – Report: Enhancing the Resilience of New Jersey Communities Using ARez
In collaboration with researchers from NJIT and Princeton, New Jersey State Policy Lab researchers analyzed current trends in disaster resilience quantification due to climate change. The report introduces ARez, a novel resilience quantification framework which combines community and infrastructure capitals to measure the true resilience of areas effected by a disaster.
Research – Barchi examines improving adult women’s emotional health in rural Kenya through community soccer and social support
Recent research from associate professor Francis Barchi and co-authors examines the contribution of a recreational adult women’s soccer league in rural Kenya to the development goals of enhancing social support, building community cohesion, and improving women’s emotional health.
College student loan forgiveness debate: Why not cut interest rates to 0% instead?
NJSPL: Introducing the New Jersey MOD IV Historical Database
The NJ MOD IV Historical Database is an online, searchable database of New Jersey MOD IV parcel information data sets from 1989 to 2022. Providing land parcel and property ownership data, the MOD IV database consists of more than 93 million records spanning 33 years.
Cybercriminals Step Up Attacks on Health Care Payment Processors
Can millennials afford a house without family help?
Research – Cantor co-authors study examining Medicaid-Serving Primary Care Teams
By exploring critical cases of primary care teams (within MTSs), this study provides foundational insights on how team processes and context may affect care quality disparities.
NTI Executive Director Billy Terry to Receive the 2022 Wilbur E. Smith Friend of Eno Award
Eno will give the Wilbur E. Smith Friend of Eno Award to Billy Terry, Executive Director of the National Transit Institute (NTI). This award is given to honor an individual or organization who has demonstrated outstanding support to Eno.
NJSPL – Report: Disparities in High-Leverage Mathematics Course-Taking in New Jersey, 2016-2020
The New Jersey State Policy Lab, in collaboration with the Joseph C. Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies, released a report that examines patterns in high school math course-taking across New Jersey.
Research – Noland, Iacobucci, and Zhang “Public Views on the Reallocation of Street Space Due to COVID-19”
New research from Professors Bob Noland, Wenwen Zhang, and PhD alum Evan Iacobucci found many NJ residents support making COVID-related street closures permanent, though transportation agencies remain an impediment.
Research – Rubin “Boiling the Frog Slowly: Reducing Resistance to Neoliberal Education Reform Through Window Dressing Strategies”
New research from Prof. Julia Sass Rubin uses a Camden, NJ case study to examine the playbook of neoliberal education reform policies.
NJ Money Worries: What You Should Expect to Happen in 2023
Road-weary N.J. drivers have the 3rd longest commutes in the U.S.
NJSPL – Utilizing Technology to Facilitate Citizen-Government Interactions
This NJSPL post reviews the results from an Eagleton poll looking at how New Jersey residents perceive the state government and its use of technology.
Bloustein School recognizes completion of studies for KDI Scholars program
The Bloustein School offers KDI students the opportunity to broaden their knowledge and practical skills through a combination of coursework and professional internships.
Dr. Kelcie Ralph’s Car Crash Studies featured on Rutgers Today
This Research and Innovation spotlight features how Dr. Ralph has been working with police to change the narrative on how crashes are reported and understood
Register for From Protest to President: A Conversation with George A. Pruitt, Jan. 19
From barbershop encounters with Malcolm X to death threats at Illinois State University and gunfire at Towson State, George A. Pruitt provides a powerful narrative poised at the intersection of social justice, higher education, and politics.
Education advocates to Gov. Murphy: Update N.J. Board of Education
Bloustein doctoral students awarded 2022 Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowships
Ellen O. White and Wei San Loh received the award for their work on transportation planning and policy.
Spring 2022 Micromobility Graduate Studio is Recipient of APA-NJ Outstanding Student Project Award
The project explored micromobility and active transportation options and infrastructure in Asbury Park, NJ and contributed to the broader impacts of a $1.5 million National Science Foundation (NSF) research grant awarded to the Bloustein School.