News List

Dean Shapiro Comments on Trump’s Firing of BLS Official

“The Trump administration … has made no secret about its desire to get rid of people who are trained in their jobs if they are not loyal to the current president,” says Stuart Shapiro, dean of the public policy school at Rutgers University and author of “Trump and the Bureaucrats: The Fate of Neutral Competence.”

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.

TECH UPDATES: Technology Policies for Your Community

The key is to stay informed and use technology to better serve your residents. Regular assessment of technology needs and impacts will help you develop policies that truly benefit your community.

RideKC installed leaning benches at bus stops. Kansas City riders call them ‘insulting’

“Leaning benches may technically meet ADA requirements, but they aren’t usable for many people — including disabled people, older adults, pregnant people, children, and those recovering from injury,” DiPetrillo said. “In trying to prevent unhoused people from sleeping or lingering, we’ve created a new barrier for those who may need a place to rest the most.” said DiPetrillo

“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.

Prof. Clint Andrews Receives IEEE PES Robert Noberini Award

“I have spent a career encouraging the transition to a cleaner, more affordable, and more secure energy system. This is a domain where engineering professionalism plays a mixed role. It helps us avoid costly errors, but it also slows down progress.” – Prof. Clinton Andrews

NJSPL: Report of Child Well-Being in New Jersey

New Jersey has ranked 7th in the nation for overall child well-being, according to latest data from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The foundation has released their 36th Kids Count Data Book, which assesses child well-being in all 50 states using key indicators organized into categories which include education, health, economic well-being, and family and community.

Elizabeth (Libby) Vinson (MPAP ’02) Named CEO of NJACP

“This feels like a full-circle moment,” said Vinson. “I have had the privilege of working with NJACP through efforts like the Coalition for a DSP Living Wage and the NJ Legislative Disability Caucus – experiences that deepened my commitment to the field. Now, in this role, I’m grateful for the opportunity to dive deeper into this meaningful work: lifting the voices of individuals with disabilities, their families, and the dedicated community-based providers who support them. I recognize the challenges facing the field and am committed to meeting this moment by listening, learning and leading, all with compassion and collaboration.”

NJSPL: Mapping Corporate Landlords in New Jersey

Using parcel-level property tax data, we tracked changes in ownership from 2012 to 2022 to understand where corporate landlords are active, how they are acquiring properties, and what this might mean for housing access and stability.

Samuel and Colleagues Examine the Rise of AI Phobia

Contemporary public discourse surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) often exhibits a disproportionate level of fear and confusion relative to AI’s factually documented capabilities and implications. This study examines how the systematic use of alarmist and fear-inducing language by news media outlets contributes to negative public perceptions of AI.

Ralph, Johnson-Rodriguez Research ASE Perceptions

We found that many respondents did not believe that speeding was particularly dangerous, and that people with these beliefs were less likely to support automated speed enforcement. However, providing a message about the dangers of speeding was effective in increasing support for automated enforcement, especially among people who did not hold extreme beliefs about the (lack of) danger of speed.

Gov. Murphy Signs New Pedestrian/Cyclist Safety Bill in Maplewood

“This bill marks a crucial step in advancing awareness of New Jersey’s Safe Passing Law and, in particular, ensuring drivers fully understand their responsibility to protect pedestrians, bicyclists, and other vulnerable road users when they’re behind the wheel,” said Leigh Ann Von Hagen, AICP,PP, Executive Director, Voorhees Transportation Center.

Planning Alumni Take Part in Landmark Greenway Project

Julia Wong is the Special Projects Manager for NJ Department of Environmental Protection. Other alumni mentioned in the press release include Ayla Schermer (MCRP ’21), President of Bike Jersey City, and Sofia Barandiaran, New Jersey & New York Greenway Manager, East Coast Greenway Alliance. 

NJSPL: Declining STEM Expertise in U.S. State Legislatures

Unfortunately, this latest update in data reflects a decline in the overall representation of scientific, engineering, and healthcare professionals in U.S. state legislatures. Out of the 7,523 total lawmakers currently serving, 231 were identified as having science-based backgrounds, representing 3.07% of total lawmakers. This marks a full percentage point drop from the 4.09% recorded in September 2024, and represents a 25% proportional decline in less than a year.

Dan Kennedy (MCRP ’07): CRE Roadmap for Next Governor

As New Jersey prepares to elect its next governor, NAIOP NJ, the commercial real estate development association, has published a comprehensive roadmap for economic revitalization and sustainable development for the consideration of both candidates for governor.

Zhang et al. Study Street-View Greenspace and Exercise

In this prospective cohort, momentary street-view exposure to trees and grass was inversely associated with PA, while exposure to other greenspace was positively associated. Future research should confirm these results in other populations and explore the mechanisms through which specific greenspace components influence PA.

JPMorgan Chase plans fourth round of NJ layoffs in 2025

James Hughes, an economist at Rutgers University, previously told NorthJersey.com that white-collar jobs in banking and finance have become saturated after a two-year hiring spree that followed the COVID-19 pandemic.

Loh and Noland Explore Public Charging Station Disparities

ontrary to the general notion of unequal access to public charging stations across different income groups, we found that the disparity was minimal. Assuming a full fleet of EVs and the current level of charging infrastructure, the success rate for all income groups is low but similar using 2035 trip-level data.

GOP Candidate Nick Cuozzo (MPP’14) wins Primary for Somerset County Commissioner

“I am looking forward to building on the momentum and great enthusiasm our campaign generated this past year,” Cuozzo said. “I will continue to make the case for a more affordable Somerset County, to fight overdevelopment that harms our communities and our environment, and to prioritize public safety and security for all residents.”

Heldrich Center Releases New Work Trends Brief and Website

A new research brief, Exploring 2024 and 2020 Election-Year Longitudinal Trends in Support for Minimum Wage, College Loan Forgiveness, and Paid Leave Among U.S. Workers: Republicans Appear More Supportive of Policies for Some Americans Over Time, features findings from a December 2024 survey of U.S. workers about policy proposals related to the economy, education, and work.

How much can I deduct for my local taxes? Congress just decided

“What Trump and Congress did at that point was dramatically increase the standard deduction but decrease the amount you could deduct for state and local taxes,” said Marc Pfeiffer, a senior policy fellow at Rutgers University’s Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, who studies local government in New Jersey.

NJSPL Report: Analyzing the Use and Equity of ARPA Funds

The study’s findings have two key implications for future federal aid programs. First, many local governments allocated ARPA funds in alignment with the policy’s primary goals—responding to the economic and health crises. This suggests that maintaining flexibility in future federal aid programs would enable local governments to tailor spending to their unique needs. Second, ARPA funds were allocated to more distressed local governments, demonstrating a potential model for future federal aid programs to ensure resources reach areas with the greatest need.

Why are New Jersey housing costs continuing to rise — and who should pay for affordable housing?

Hughes said if federal immigrant deportations continue, home construction costs could soon rise even higher in the Garden State.

“The builders are heavily dependent on immigrant labor, particularly roofing, so they’re facing significant labor shortages,” he said.

He said tariffs could also cause housing price increases, depending on how they ultimately wind up.

“We import a lot of lumber, we import a lot of drywall, a lot of washing machines, appliances and the like,” Hughes said.

Dr. Grafova Presented Posters from the VSR Research

“It was an honor to represent our amazing research team — Pamela de Cordova, Jennifer Polakowski, and Jessica Anderson. Huge thanks to the New Jersey State Policy Lab for funding this research and making this work possible.”

Restrepo-Mieth Researches Tree Inventories in Galápagos, Ecuador

Through a review of provincial and municipal plans and national policies, as well as interviews with key informants in Galápagos, Ecuador between 2023 and 2024, Dr. Andrea Restrepo-Mieth looks at what motivates urban governments to pursue a tree inventory.

Stamato Commentary: Preparing for a New Age: Artificial Intelligence, the American Workforce and the G.I. Bill

“Modern manufacturing requires high technology, requiring different skills from those needed in the 20th century.  We can innovate in pharmaceuticals, clean-energy technology, robotics and semiconductors, but those innovations will require “infrastructure” to support its development, education and workforce training, and, frankly, cooperative alliances with global partners.”

NJ, NY lawmakers slam Senate tax bill and its strict SALT deduction cap

“What Trump and Congress did at that point was dramatically increase the standard deduction but decreased the amount you could deduct for state and local taxes,” said Marc Pfeiffer, a senior policy fellow at Rutgers University’s Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, who studies local government in New Jersey.

NJSPL: Georeferencing Historical Maps for Geospatial Analysis

As part of ongoing research to create a dataset of historical water bodies in New Jersey, researchers have begun locating and charting these historical water bodies with the use of atlases from the David Rumsey Map Collection. The digitized maps in these atlases were then georeferenced, a process of determining the precise location of these maps on the Earth’s surface. The ultimate goal is to trace water bodies in order to evaluate flood vulnerability across the state.

Job Opportunity: Asst. Professor in Urban Planning

The Bloustein School seeks to hire a full-time, tenure-track Assistant Professor for appointment beginning July 2026. Candidates should have a specialty in housing and quantitative methods.

NJ primary 2025: Results highlight weaker party machines

Julia Sass Rubin noted that for decades, the county line had been the key tool enabling political machines to dominate elections, but this year’s results—where party-endorsed candidates lost in multiple counties and Assembly races—demonstrated that voter choice was no longer being structurally constrained.

Pfeiffer participates in Rowan’s “Future of Journalism” Conference

Marc Pfeiffer, Senior Policy Fellow and Assistant Director of the Bloustein Local Government Research Center, recently participated in Rowan University’s conference on “The Future of Journalism: New Models, Digital Transformations and the Public Interest” on Wednesday, May 21.

Will Payne Maps NYC’s “Gourmet Gentrification” Trends

Using a novel dataset assembled from print Zagat Survey guidebooks, the first crowdsourced restaurant guide and the direct antecedent of contemporary local review platforms like Yelp and Google Maps, this article traces the contours of ‘gourmet gentrification’ in New York City using quantitative and spatial analysis from 1990 to 2015.

NJSPL: Examining Property Transitions in New Jersey

Approximately 19% of Trenton’s one- to four-unit housing properties transitioned to corporate ownership between 2012 and 2022, totaling just over 4,000 properties in the Garden State capital. Researchers have been in the process of examining corporate home ownership in New Jersey, in particular how much exists today and which communities have the highest or fastest-growing rates of corporate and other investor ownership in the past decade.

Williams, Cantor, et al. Examine Black-White Death Inequities

This longitudinal study analyzed 2010-2020 US Census of Governments-tracked state and local government expenditures and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-tracked years of potential life lost (YPLL) to suicide and police-perpetrated killing.

The Political Machine Won’t Decide NJ’s Next Governor

“The political machines adapt. They’re about surviving. If this is all very effective for them, they will do the same thing again,” Rubin said. “If it doesn’t work, if their preferred candidates don’t win, I fully expect them to change the rules again to make it even easier for them to control the outcome.”

Tariff Uncertainty and its Impact on Economic Forecasting

R/ECON’s next economic forecast is slated for release in mid-summer, followed by another forecast in the fall. As we track the latest state data and national outlook, we have been closely following the news on tariffs, the Fed’s potential actions, and associated fluctuations in the financial markets.

NJSPL: Chatbot for NJ SNAP Services

Built on OpenAI’s API and leveraging the Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) model, the chatbot bridges the gap between users and SNAP resources by delivering answers in English and Spanish (among other languages).

MPI Grad Students Present MOMCare with AI

This paper presents MOMCare, a chatbot designed to support mothers navigating the challenges of PPD. MOMCare has a retrieval-augmented architecture with an end-to-end pipeline from data preprocessing to response generation. It employs hybrid classification, a dual embedding system, a dual verification guardrail, and a medical domain-specific reranking mechanism to generate empathetic and relevant PPD responses.

Samuel Researches Gambling Harm Reduction in Online Spaces

Our exploratory analyses suggest that this reddit forum provides important information on how users communicate motivations to gamble, interpretations of gambling experiences, and define potential harms related to gambling online as well as how to avoid or remedy those harms.

Studio: Newark’s EWR Transit-Oriented Community

The Graduate Planning Studio of Spring 2025 is essential because it marks a significant shift in how Dayton and the South Ward of Newark are recognized within the broader regional transit network. Historically, these areas were invisible regarding transit access and public investment.

Could absence of party line lead to primary election surprises?

“I would say the two most notable impacts so far are that so many Democrats and Republican candidates, including pretty legitimate candidates with a shot at winning, [are] choosing not to go for an endorsement. That would have been unheard of before,” said Rubin, an associate dean at Rutgers University’s Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy.

Stamato Commentary: Rocking the boat for democracy: Public media, under siege

Of course, the Trump administration is determined to end public support not only for PBS, but for NPR as well. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting receives and distributes over $500 million in taxpayer money to public TV and radio stations annually. Eliminating millions of dollars in federal funding to the two public media organizations amounts to a significant threat.

Research from Ralph: The Deal Breaker Theory of Cycling

Most locations across the world have a large un-tapped pool of people who do not bike at all and an even larger pool who do not bike for transportation. To increase cycling, we must better understand this group and the reasons they do not ride. I propose a new theory that suggests everyone has a list of “must-haves” that must be in place before they will bike. While there are many possible cycling needs, I introduce five in this paper: Safety, Comfort, Relative Convenience, Availability of Tools, and Social Approval.

NJSPL: Snapshot of NJ Undergrad Degree Earners

According to the report, more than 59,300 students in New Jersey earned an associate or bachelor’s degree during the 2023–2024 academic year—a 0.5% decrease from the previous year.

NJSPL Report: Emotional Well-Being of NJ Nurses

COVID-19 brought to light the disparities among the nursing workforce that have been simmering in our health care system and highlighted the need for nurses to access emotional well-being programs with the intention of reducing emotional distress and burnout. In recognition of National Nurses Week, researchers have published a new report examining the findings from a study administered to NJ nurses who participated in the emotional support Virtual Schwartz Rounds (VSR) online sessions.

Paul, Seymour promoted to associate professors with tenure

The Bloustein School is pleased to announce that the Rutgers Board of Governors approved Mark Paul and Eric Seymour as Associate Professors with tenure at their recent meeting. Their promotions underscores the scholarly excellence and the Bloustein School’s standing as a home for researchers of global distinction.

From Public Health Research to Real-World Impact

This week on EJB Talks we talk to Melinda Rushing, a new faculty member in the school’s health administration program, and her winding journey from social work to public health and how her passion for research, particularly around sickle cell disease and healthcare access, shaped her academic journey.

New Jersey State Policy Lab Annual Report

In celebration of our fourth birthday, we are all excited to announce the release of our first official annual report, which represents a mere snapshot the wealth of work, research, and collaboration we have accomplished.

RAISE-25 Recap – Our Future With AI: Utopian or Dystopian?

Hosted by the Master of Public Informatics (MPI) program, the final round of the second annual RAISE-25 Informatics – Data Science competition was held Friday, April 11, 2025, at the Bloustein School. The competition challenge focused on “Our Future With AI: Utopian or Dystopian?”

Comparison of NJ and U.S. Greenhouse Gas Targets

This report evaluates New Jersey emissions targets relative to the goals set forth in the U.S. Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and IPCC projections that are consistent with the Paris Agreement of keeping global temperatures well below 2°C relative to preindustrial temperatures by 2100 and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C.

Inside, Outside, & In Between: Leading In Government

This week on EJB Talks, Bloustein School Young Alumni honoree and Advisory Board Member Sara Meyers MPP ’09 shares her unconventional path into public policy, beginning with a background in music and German before being inspired by political events to pursue change from within government.

Presidential Legacies of Regulatory Reform

In Regulatory Reform from Nixon to Biden, Graham chronicles 10 U.S. Presidents’ regulatory legacies. Drawing on his extensive research and experience, including his own service as the administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs during the George W. Bush Administration, Graham makes the case that Presidents have long exercised strong influence over both congressional and agency regulatory agendas.

Riding South Jersey’s little river line that could

Dr. Michael Lahr, a professor emeritus at Rutgers, used to commute on the River Line daily. In an interview with the ‘Prince,’ he highlighted its convenience due to its high service frequency, and said that he found it easier than driving.

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