Bringing Rigor and Independence to the Policy Discussion
As a 501(c)(3) research organization, the Urban Institute exists to build knowledge for policymakers, practitioners, the media, advocates—changemakers of all kinds. Amid the heightened policy awareness of campaigns, we take extra care to ensure we remain a trusted source for reliable analysis while complying with election and lobbying rules and honoring our commitment to independence.
We know these conditions require clear guidelines for what Urban will (and won’t, or can’t) do in the context of an election. In the interest of transparency and accountability, we’re sharing our guidelines so everyone knows our practices for all work pertaining to elections.
1. Provide transparency and consistency.
When Urban publishes an analysis, we are willing to share details on methodology, assumptions, evaluation criteria, and data sources with anyone who asks. Candidates and policymakers are free to correct or clarify our assumptions. And per our policies on errors and corrections, we will always correct the record if we discover an error.
2. Acknowledge that we can’t answer every question.
We choose which questions and proposals to analyze based not on whether researchers agree or disagree, but on whether they contain novel or important ideas, whether they are sufficiently detailed, whether we have the capacity to analyze them rigorously, and whether they present opportunities to significantly elevate or clarify public understanding.
3. Live up to our high quality standards.
To produce relevant campaign analyses, our researchers must act quickly. But that is no reason for their work to fall short of Urban standards. We take the time to check and double-check our analyses and our explanations.
4. Provide nonexclusive counsel.
Urban experts regularly receive calls from campaign staff and advisors asking for evidence-based insight as they design policy proposals. When contacted, Urban staff explicitly say that they will provide the same answers and advice to any other campaigns if asked.
Urban staff members should never be identified as “campaign advisors” when using their Urban affiliation, and Urban analyses should never be mistaken for endorsement. In addition, if Urban experts have provided advice to campaigns, they disclose this information when publishing related analyses.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to our government affairs team or, for members of the media, our media team if you have questions or want to know more about Urban’s guidelines and policies for elections.
