In our pursuit of racial equity and racial justice, Policies for Action (P4A) is thrilled to announce 20 new research teams as part of its portfolio of work investigating policies, laws, and other public- and private-sector levers that will promote health equity and ensure all people in America can attain and preserve health and well-being.  

With topics including environmental justice, reparations, incarceration policy, and maternal and child health, these research projects will evaluate key policies and their impacts on communities across the country, with a focus on communities of color. This work is of particular importance given the current public health crisis and the long-standing imperative to understand and address inequities brought on by systems that have historically and disproportionately negatively affected racialized groups in America while benefitting other groups. 

The below projects are now under way: 

• Advancing Racial Equity through Climate Policy: Environmental, Economic, and Health Equity Outcomes and Implications of CA's Climate Investment Program 

• Advancing Tribal Health and Wellness through Meaningful Government-to-Government Consultation in State and Local Environmental Decision-Making 

• Assessing the Policy Impacts of Racism as a Public Health Crisis Resolutions 

• A Black Community's Vision for and Accountability of a Local Reparations Process 

• California Diversion: Mental Health, Racial Equity, and Criminal Court 

• Economic Pathways to Better Health: Evidence from a Guaranteed Income Experiment in Compton 

• Evaluating "Ban and Replace" Policies for Reduction of Racial Disparities in School Discipline 

• From Words to Action: Can Local Policies and Declarations Address Racism as a Public Health Issue? 

• Honoring Indigenous Families: Evaluating the Impact of Nebraska's Indian Child Welfare Act 

• Impacts of the Affordable Care Act on Equity in Health Care Access and Utilization for Indigenous Women 

• Impacts of State Incarceration Policies on Racial Health Equity 

• Implementing and Evaluating Structural Interventions in Medicaid to Promote Racial Equity in Pregnancy and Child Health 

• New Jersey Criminal Justice Reform Advancing Racial Equity (NJ CARE) Study 

• The Power for Change: Energy Policy and Racial Equity 

• Protecting Tenants, Landlords, or Places? The Ecology of Rental Housing Regulation in Illinois 

• Race, Felon Voting Privilege, Fines/Fees, and Recidivism: The Miami-Dade Experience 

• Racial Equity in the Service Sector: An Evaluation of Subminimum Wage Policy and Its Impact on Workers of Color 

• Racial Inequality and the Community Reinvestment Act 

• Reducing Black Infant Mortality in Alabama 

• To What Extent Do Student Debt Forgiveness Programs Reduce Racial Wealth Gaps? 

The effects of structural racism on people of color are profound and enduring; it affects policies and practices that shape virtually every aspect of life, opportunity, and well-being. The work of these new research teams, and of others, will be critical as the country continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic and a reckoning with continued racial violence. We hope this work will be a catalyst for renewed focus from decisionmakers at all levels. 

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