Urban across the Country

Urban’s researchers partner with state and local leaders to provide the evidence, tools, and support they need to improve lives and strengthen communities. This work includes strategic advising to translate research into action, program evaluations to measure effectiveness, and research and data analysis to inform decisionmaking. Our experts develop custom data tools and modeling to support equitable resource allocation and lead community-engaged research and convenings to ensure policies reflect local priorities.

Use this page to explore Urban’s work. Search by region to see examples of our research, and filter by evidence and products to narrow results by topic or type of work.

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Testimony The Future Direction of the Nation's Unemployment Compensation Program
Former chair of the Advisory Council on Unemployment Compensation (ACUC), Janet Norwood, testifies before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means, Subcommittee on Human Resources on the future direction of the nation's unemployment compensation program (UI).
Research Report Variations in the Uninsured
Using the state as the unit of analysis, this study gauges the effects of various state policy interventions on rates of uninsurance, private coverage, and Medicaid coverage for the nonelderly population. The study controls for economic structures, population demographics, and characteristics of the
Fact Sheet After Welfare Reform
After welfare reform, states maintain cash benefits and toughen work sanctions, according to analyses in "One Year After Federal Welfare Reform: A Description of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Decisions as of October 1997."
Brief The Impact of TANF on State Budgets
The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996 consolidated three federal-state matching-grant programs into one block grant, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families. TANF offers states considerable spending flexibility, but also imposes new work requirements and
Brief What About Health Care for the Poor?
[Washington Post] Urban Institute Senior Fellow, Marilyn Moon, asks the question 'What About Health Care for the Poor?' She goes on to discuss how so many of the modest changes to health insurance more often than not benefit those who already have health insurance, and frequently ignore those who
Brief Tracking the Well-Being of Children within States
States' ability to plan and implement programs that serve children and families depends in part on reliable data, yet gathering these data is an expensive proposition. This brief reviews efforts by the federal government to provide state- and local-level data on children, outlines possible future
Brief Welfare Reform and Children
While children represent the majority of welfare recipients, surprisingly little is known about welfare reform's possible effects on their well-being. This brief applies findings from evaluations of past welfare-to-work programs and broader research on children and families to identify the specific