Policy Outsider

Production of concrete, the worlds most used building material is a major contributor to total global carbon emissions each year. On this episode of Policy Outsider, Matt Adams, a Richard P. Nathan fellow at the Rockefeller institute, and Nicola Armacost, mayor of the village of Hastings-on-Hudson, in Westchester County, NY, join host Alexander Morse to discuss a local policy initiative in Hastings-on-Hudson aimed at promoting low-carbon concrete. The conversation, which builds on a recent policy brief, also touches on the role local, state, and federal governments can play in reducing carbon dioxide emissions from concrete.

The expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) has the potential to dramatically reduce child poverty, improve child and parent health, and smooth fluctuations in available funds for lower-income families. On the latest episode of Policy Outsider, Leigh Wedonoja, senior policy analyst at the Rockefeller Institute, discusses changes to the child tax credit, how those changes make the credit operate more like the Earned Income Tax Credit, and why the CTC is predicted to improve outcomes for children and families.

The New York State 2021 legislative session wrapped up late last week with a handful of firearm bills passing the Senate and Assembly. On a new episode of Policy Outsider, Joe Popcun, executive director of the Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium and director of policy and practice at the Rockefeller Institute, and Nick Simons, project coordinator at the Rockefeller Institute, discuss the major firearm bills that will be sent to the Governor, the issues those bills address, and how research can best support policymakers as they seek to disrupt the cycle of firearm-involved violence.

On May 8, in response to an executive order from President Biden, the Department of Justice proposed a new rule to limit the proliferation of "ghost guns," or firearms that do not have a unique serial number. On the latest episode of Policy Outsider, Rockefeller Institute Project Coordinator Nicholas Simons explains what is in the new rule, how it may impact the use of ghost guns, and the next steps for finalizing the rule. The episode also covers Simons' recent policy brief, "Ghost Guns: A Haunting New Reality," and provides background on what ghost guns are, their increasing prevalence in law enforcement seizures, and what policymakers at the state level are doing to clarify and strengthen policy surrounding their use.

New York State will legalize adult-use recreational marijuana. On the latest episode of Policy Outsider, Rockefeller Institute Director of Operations and Fellow Heather Trela breaks down what is in the 77,529 word marijuana legalization bill and, importantly, what is not in the bill. Trela, a federalism expert turned marijuana policy maven, brings valuable context to the discussion, comparing revenue structure, social justice provisions, and other logistical considerations in New York's legislation to the 14 other states that have already legalized recreational marijuana.

On the latest episode of Policy Outsider, Rockefeller Institute Deputy Director of Research Laura Rabinow discusses her recent research examining the capacity of the Environmental Protection Agency to support the Biden administration's ambitious climate and environmental goals following regulatory and administrative changes at the agency under the Trump administration and years of staffing and budget declines.

On the latest episode of Policy Outsider, Rockefeller Institute Nathan Fellow Rebecca Natow joins host, Alex Morse, to discuss her latest analysis examining the retirement of US Senator and Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chair Lamar Alexander, the role of the HELP Committee in setting congressional agendas and actions in higher education, and the likely choice for next Senate HELP Committee chair in the Democrat-controlled Senate.

The Rockefeller Institute recently examined ballot initiatives in Oregon and Washington DC that would decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms ("magic mushrooms"). In this episode of Policy Outsider, guest Heather Trela, director of operations and fellow at the Institute, provides an update on the outcome of magic mushroom and marijuana ballot initiatives, discusses how the liberalization of marijuana throughout the US provided a blueprint for magic mushroom advocates, and shares where cities, states, and the federal government might be headed with drug policy.

In this episode of Policy Outsider, Rockefeller Institute researchers and fellows share remarks on the important policy issues facing the winner of the presidential election. Researchers in economic development, education, climate, gun policy, and healthcare present some of the key questions, concerns, and policy challenges that lie before the nation and consider the approach the next presidential administration may take to address them.

Guests:

Laura Schultz, executive director of research at the Rockefeller Institute

Brian Backstrom, director of educational policy studies at the Rockefeller Institute

Laura Rabinow, deputy director of research at the Rockefeller Institute

Joe Popcun, director of policy and practice at the Rockefeller Institute

Michael Gusmano, fellow at the Rockefeller Institute

Under the Trump administration, the agencies and processes of the federal bureaucracy—i.e. the "Administrative State"—have been targeted for deconstruction and reorganization. In this episode of Policy Outsider, Rockefeller Institute Fellow and Professor at Daemen College Lisa Parshall discusses the Trump administration's approach to governing, including how presidents have limited the power and scale of the federal bureaucracy and how this administration has challenged presidential and administrative norms.