New Research to Inform and Guide Equitable Policy Change

Equity-focused policy change efforts at the local, regional, and federal levels have made extensive use of many important new forms of research, on subjects ranging from neighborhood change and health disparities to metropolitan access to opportunity. Whether this research takes the form of surveys, photo-voice, GIS mapping, community indicators, analyses of housing, population and employment databases, or other forms of inquiry and presentation, the changes in practice are as important as the findings. More effective and balanced partnerships are being created among researchers, advocates, and community residents. This session will examine the trends in equity-focused research, highlighting innovative projects, describing new partnerships between community residents and researchers, and assessing the state of the art.