When the state overrules local policies, what is the impact on people's health and wellbeing? Policies for Action (P4A) announces six new research projects that examine the impacts of state-level preemption policies on racial justice and health equity at local and regional levels. “Preemption” refers to a higher level of government’s legal authority to restrict, supersede or prevent policies or laws of a lower level of government.  The studies will explore the impacts of preemption of local policy on a wide range of issues, including education, land use, worker’s rights, political participation, birth outcomes and housing code enforcement.

The following new projects are now underway:

• Effects of State Preemption Policies on Voting, Public Assistance Participation and Birth Outcomes, Drexel University

• Can Land-Use Preemption Promote Racial Justice and Health Equity in California? University of California, Irvine

• Innovation and Measurement of Preemptive Action on Racial Justice and Health Equity Curriculum Teaching (IMPACT), University of Iowa

• ESHE: The Role of State Preemption on the Health Equity & Economic Security of Communities of Color in the Kansas City Metro Area, University of Kansas

• Workers’ Rights Preemption, Political Power, and Racial Equity in the US South, University of Memphis

• How Does State Preemption of Proactive Local Housing Code Enforcement Impact Racial Justice and Health Equity Outcomes? University of North Carolina at Greensboro

The insights from these studies will provide evidence about how preemption is being used to promote and, in some cases, impede progress towards a just, equitable, and healthy society. 

Policies for Action is a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, with direction and technical assistance provided by the Urban Institute. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

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