Tracking policy studies’ impact

Of the 18 studies generated by the College & University Research Collaborative over the past two years, state leaders cite only a few as having had direct impact on policy decision-making, and there’s been no active tracking of their usefulness. The latter at least is about to change, according to program director Amber Caulkins, who says the public will be privy to impact analysis in April.

And with 16 more studies due to be published this winter and next spring, including two concerning Rhode Island transportation issues, tracking these studies’ value makes sense, say the state’s top legislative leaders and Lynne Urbani, House policy director.

The studies were launched by the Rhode Island Foundation’s Make It Happen initiative in 2013. The foundation has contributed $287,500 to date to fund the studies. The state has contributed $150,000, and schools added $82,500.

The collaborative is a statewide public/private partnership of the state’s 11 colleges and universities that links public policy and academic research. The research is intended to serve as an evidence-based foundation for policymakers as they develop economic-development initiatives.

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Developing the program has taken time, say Urbani and Caulkins, but it was always part of the plan to determine the studies’ impact.

Urbani, her Senate counterpart, Marie Ganim, as well as a representative from the governor’s office, set the topics. Completed studies are vetted by this group, along with House and Senate leaders and lawmakers.

An April 2015 study by Roger Williams University assistant professor of engineering Nicole Martino did play a role in state decision-making. It examined best-practice strategies for maintaining bridge infrastructure by looking at how five top-rated states do it. She found the state ranked 47th in highway conditions.

“This is obviously unacceptable and is one of the factors in why I am committing to making the improvements to our roads and bridges a top priority for our state in 2016,” House Speaker Nicholas A. Mattiello told Providence Business News in an email.

Mattiello, Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed and Urbani also say two years of research have helped them prioritize how to focus the policy-making and budget process, and even proved instructive on what not to pursue, such as raising the income tax.

“I never expected a true one-to-one deliverable – that the minute a study came out it would automatically mean legislation,” Urbani said. “It’s meant to provide local, independent research and a basis for discussion and analysis at the policy level.” •

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