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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Explore our work by state
Brief Discretion To Do The Right Things
[Washington Post] Much has been written about the looming Social Security crisis and the runaway costs of health care entitlements. As the baby boomers retire between about 2010 and 2030, and the number of beneficiaries relative to taxpayers swells, an unreformed system is likely to crash or suck
Brief D.C.-Area Ties to Religious Congregations
the Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy contracted with the Greater Washington Research Center to include four questions in its April 1997 consumer survey of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area that pertain to how individuals interact with religious congregations. Specifically, survey
Brief Children's Health Insurance Programs
The State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) provides more than $20 billion in federal funds over the next five years for children's health. This brief examines how state systems for providing health insurance coverage to children vary. The brief also summarizes states' CHIP plans.
Research Report Assessing the New Federalism: An Introduction
[ Health Affairs] Assessing the New Federalism (ANF) is a large multiyear research project of the Urban Institute that examines a broad spectrum of social policies, including health policy. The project is based on two premises. The first is that states are at the forefront of redesigning U.S. safety
Research Report One Year after Federal Welfare Reform
The state-by-state descriptions of cash assistance programs show that states have used the flexibility TANF granted to take very different approaches to major decisions surrounding welfare reform in areas such as program eligibility and benefits, time limits, and work requirements. Easy-to-read
Research Report Health Policy for Low-Income People in New Jersey
The state reports describe the safety net and health care programs in place for low-income people on the eve of welfare reform. The reports also analyze the particular circumstances that are shaping the state's response to the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA)