Urban at the 2026 Fall APPAM Research Conference

Urban Institute researchers will join policymakers, practitioners, and scholars at the 2026 Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM) Fall Research Conference, November 5–7, to share research and insights on financial well-being, housing, education, health care, workforce development, and more.

2026 Urban Institute participants and presentations

Thursday, November 5

  • Rekha Balu, Moderator, How Will Proposed Changes to the 2030 Census Shape U.S. Democracy and Policymaking?
    • Discussant, SNAP Access and Economic Security: The Role of Policy Implementation
  • Rebecca Berger, Presenting Author, Examining the Complexities of ECE Funding from a National-, State-, Program-, and Family-Level Perspective
  • Sarah Gillespie, Chair, Evaluating Alternative 911 Responses: Public Safety Outcomes, Program Implementation, and Barriers to Adoption
  • Jenny Haley, Discussant, Addressing Health-Related Social Needs Through Medicaid: Findings from 1,115 Waivers Across States
  • Elisabeth Jacobs, Roundtable Participant, Reimagining Job Quality Measurement: Learning from the American Job Quality Survey
    • Discussant, Employment Instability, Working-Time Employment Policies, and Economic, Health, and Work-Family Well-Being
  • Michael Karpman, Presenting Author, Projecting Coverage Impacts of State Implementation Choices Under Medicaid Work Requirements and Six-Month Eligibility Redeterminations
  • Karolina Ramos, Paper Presenter, Examining Variation in State Policy Assessment for the panel “Knowledge, Assessment, and Communication in Public Management”
  • Christina Stacy, Organizer, Innovative Rental Market and Neighborhood Data
    • Presenter, Real-Time Rental Data Scraping and Analysis for Policy and Research: The Neighborhood Rental Database (NeRD)
  • Dara Zeehandelaar Shaw, Presenting Author, Career and Technical Education and Work-Based Learning: A Meta-Analysis and Current Research in Three States
  • Mingli Zhong, Presenting Author, Measuring What Matters: Improving Data Quality and Decisionmaking Under Uncertainty

Friday, November 6

  • Rebecca Berger, Speaker, Who’s Not in the Data? Reaching and Engaging Populations Not Represented in Public Benefits Research
  • Kristin Blagg, Speaker, Has the Scholar-Ship Already Sailed? Preparing Leaders and Researchers for the Education Freedom Tax Credit
  • Laura Jimenez Parra, Chair, QRIS Under Review: Cross-State Lessons for a More Effective System 
    • Presenting Author, From Approval to Access: Understanding Why Eligible and Approved Families Don’t Use Child Care Subsidies
  • Elaine Maag, Presenting Author, Tax Credits and Family Economic Well-Being: New Evidence on Design, Context, and Impact
  • Eve Mefferd, Presenter, ECE Workforce Compensation Initiatives to Enhance Wages, Improve Retention, and Stabilize Businesses
  • Elli Nikolopoulos, Presenter, ECE Workforce Compensation Initiatives to Enhance Wages, Improve Retention, and Stabilize Businesses
  • Christina Stacy, Presenting Author, The Low-Income Tax Credit at 40: Implementation and Impacts

Saturday, November 7

  • Rekha Balu, Moderator, How Are States Approaching Equity in Policy?
    • Speaker, What Is Education For? First Principles for the Next Generation of Learning Systems
      Speaker
  • Sarah Benatar, Presenting Author, Cash Transfers, Income Support, and Household Behavior: Evidence from Multiple Contexts
  • Madeline Brown, Moderator/Organizer, Using Qualitative Data to Define Wealth (roundtable)
  • Ilham Dehry, Presenter, Measuring and Modeling Cross-State Variation in Social Policy for Children and Families
  • LesLeigh Ford, Speaker, Using Qualitative Data to Define Wealth (roundtable)
  • Jenny Haley, Presenter, Ensuring Continuous Coverage for Pregnant and Postpartum Medicaid Enrollees under OBBBA
  • Michael Karpman, Discussant, State Policies to Address Medical Debt: Evidence on Financial Assistance, Screening, and Consumer Protection
  • Bridgette Lery, Participant, Cash Transfers, Income Support, and Household Behavior: Evidence from Multiple Contexts
  • Elaine Maag, Speaker, The Expansion of State-Level Tax Credits to Improve Outcomes for Immigrant Youth and Their Families
  • Eve Mefferd, Presenter, How Georgia’s Child Care Subsidy Program Shapes Families’ Child Care Satisfaction
  • Elli Nikolopoulos, Presenter, How Georgia’s Child Care Subsidy Program Shapes Families’ Child Care Satisfaction
  • Karolina Ramos, Organizer, How Are States Approaching Equity in Policy?
  • Maggie Reeves, Discussant, No Cells for You: The Impacts of Cellphone Bans on Student Outcomes in the US
  • Laura Wheaton, Presenter, The Combined Effect of Key OBBBA SNAP, Medicaid, and Tax Changes on Benefits and Poverty