Public Policy

Vanderbilt University welcomed regional policymakers, researchers and community leaders to campus on September 11 for Policy Innovation Days, designed to connect universities with state and local governments and highlight effective public policies based on research.   Read More

Kirsty Clark, assistant professor of medicine, health, and society, studies mental health disparities impacting LGBTQ+ populations through her lab. Clark recently published research that explores the effects of negative news and media coverage on the intensity of suicidal thoughts in LGBTQ+ young adults. Read More

Ethnocentric concerns about the growing political power and social influence of immigrants, African Americans and Latinos are undermining Republicans’ commitment to long-held democratic norms, according to new research by Vanderbilt University political science professor Larry Bartels. Read More

One of the first studies to examine the health impacts of legal marriage for LGBT individuals has found gay men were more likely to receive routine medical care following marriage legalization. Read More

A trans-institutional team of Vanderbilt social scientists and medical professionals will look at how laws affecting LGBT individuals and families affect their health and the economy. Read More

A more specific drought-measuring formula created by a group of Vanderbilt University environmental engineers could have implications for emergency planning, federal relief payouts and drought mitigation efforts. Read More

California's aggressive incentive program for installing rooftop solar-electric systems has not been as effective as generally believed according to a new analysis. Read More

Vanderbilt’s William Schaffner, M.D., professor of Preventive Medicine, delivered Monday’s Flexner Dean’s Lecture, where he discussed Ebola, public health policy and the media. Read More

Mixed-income neighborhoods help improve the safety and wellbeing of low-income residents, but cannot relieve deeply entrenched poverty or provide upward mobility without additional social services and supports, say Peabody and University of Chicago researchers in a new report. Read More

Public education is fundamental to the aims of promoting democracy, social efficiency, and social mobility, writes Claire Smrekar, associate professor of leadership, policy and organizations at Peabody. Read More