News
NJ needs a Sweeney budget center at Rowan
The policy center’s advisory board, which Sweeney will chair, already includes a stellar roster of economics and fiscal policy talent, including Thomas J. Healey, senior fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and former assistant secretary of the U.S....
Commentary: America ignores history’s lessons at its peril
In The Devil’s Disciple, General John Burgoyne, when pressed by Major Swindon’s earnest plea to know how history will record what is taking place, answers: “History, sir, will tell lies as usual.” George Bernard Shaw, that talented and prolific cynic,...
Experts Give Input to Holmdel Charter Study Commission
A Phase II meeting of the township charter commission caused some residents to question whether the process of examining the community’s current form of government was truly for the benefit of the people. ********* The commission has met eight times this year,...
New Jersey State Policy Lab: Adjustments to Municipal and County Population Counts in New Jersey for 2020
According to the latest Census count, NJ’s population peaked above 9 million for the first time in 2020. Census estimates were off by a whopping 4.3 percent.
Public health policy gets renewed push
For years, public health leaders have warned about underinvestment in New Jersey’s system — a patchwork of local, county and state programs designed to keep residents safe and blunt the impact of disasters — and academics have documented these concerns. Many...
New Jersey State Policy Lab: From Emergency to Routine: Evaluating the Implementation of Technology for Government after COVID-19
While much of the conversation on policy regarding technological advancements is largely on understanding technological infrastructure and economic opportunities, its use in the workplace and how it impacts the social, psychological, and mental well-being of employees in public organizations is less studied.
More states consider bills to prohibit discrimination against black hair
This year, more states are weighing measures to prohibit hair discrimination in work or school settings, joining 14 other states that have enacted similar laws over the past few years. For decades, Black Americans have been villainized and discriminated against...
Generational shift: Hudson County population dropped 20,000 in first year of pandemic
Essex County saw the second-largest population change, with about 7,000 residents leaving. James W. Hughes, a professor at Rutgers University’s Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, said Hudson County is going through a generational shift. He said...
2022: 3/31 Breaking Intergenerational Barriers While Dismantling Systemic Racism in NJ
3/31 Breaking Intergenerational Barriers While Dismantling Systemic Racism in NJ click to play Dismantling NJ’s pervasive systemic racism is a fight that requires activists of all ages, skill sets, passions, vigor, and ideas. Yet even within the work of social...
More States Consider Bills to Prohibit Discrimination Against Black Hair
For decades, Black Americans have been villainized and discriminated against because of their natural hair, whether they’re showcasing their hair texture or wearing protective styles such as braids, twists or dreadlocks. In many cases, employers have demanded Black...
New Jersey State Policy Lab: New Jersey’s Single-Family Housing Markets by County 2021
Home real estate markets intensified in 2021 due to what appears to have been a buyer frenzy that drove single-family home prices steeply upward across the State of New Jersey. More single-family homes closed despite fewer listings in New Jersey.
Will Democrats restore tax break?; Move would save NJ residents billions
These next few months could likely be the last chance for Democrats to partially or fully lift the cap, said Marc Pfeiffer, a senior policy fellow at Rutgers University's Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. "People that pay higher taxes tend to be in...