Policy Outsider

For many, access to the banking system is an important component of upward mobility. Loans, savings accounts, credit cards–these are all part of a financial system that, when used strategically, can help establish financial stability or undergird entrepreneurial activity. But there are barriers to accessing the banking system for those on society's margins, including in some immigrant communities, where many are unbanked or underbanked. To explore these issues, we speak with Dr. Jay Zagorsky, clinical associate professor of markets, public policy, and law at Boston University's Questrom School of Business and Dr. Dina Refki, executive director of the Institute on Immigrant Integration Research and Policy. The conversation details the challenges and consequences of being unbanked and underbanked as an immigrant and highlights potential policy solutions for improving the financial options available to these communities.

Guests

Rates of both gun violence and firearm suicide have been increasing year over year, but not all Americans have been impacted equally. Black individuals in the US are nearly 14 times more likely to die from a firearm homicide than their white counterparts, and their inpatient hospitalizations due to firearm injuries are nine times higher. And in 2022, preliminary data indicate that, for the first time in history, firearm suicide rates among Black individuals exceeded those of white individuals. A new study out in JAMA Network Open explores the relationship between gun violence exposure and suicide among Black adults. In this episode, lead author Daniel Semenza of the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center and member of the Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium joins Policy Outsider to discuss the study’s findings.

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A report we released in February 2024 found that foster youth at SUNY who received funding from the Foster Youth College Success Initiative (FYCSI) tended to reenroll after their first year of college at higher rates than their peers; they also tended to post higher graduation rates for associate degrees and, after six years, bachelor’s degrees. This episode of Policy Outsider goes beyond the numbers to hear from an FYCSI award recipient and an FYCSI advocate how this funding can change the trajectory of students' lives.

Guests

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Guests:

Honorable Dana Levenberg, New York State Assemblymember, Assembly District 95

Robert Megna, President, Rockefeller Institute

Jessica Scarcella-Spanton was 21 when she first served as executive director of the Democratic Party on Staten Island. Now, she's serving as a freshman senator in the New York State Legislature, representing New York's 23rd District, which covers the North and East Shores of Staten Island and Southern Brooklyn. As a mother of two and wife to a disabled combat veteran, she brings a unique and fresh perspective to the State Senate. On this episode of Policy Outsider, Rockefeller Institute President Bob Megna speaks with Senator Scarcella-Spanton about her road to the senate, how she approaches being a public servant and legislator, and what she's proud of in her first year as an elected official.

Guests:

Honorable Jessica Scarcella-Spanton, New York State Senator, Senate District 23

Robert Megna, President, Rockefeller Institute

Budget season is underway in New York and New Jersey. On this episode of Policy Outsider, guest Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff, a former New Jersey State treasurer, joins Rockefeller Institute President Bob Megna to discuss spending plans in the Garden and Empire State. The conversation covers what is included and excluded from reported budget numbers and how differences in budget formulation make it difficult to do apples-to-apples comparisons between states.

Guests:

Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff, former New Jersey State treasurer

Bob Megna, president, Rockefeller Institute of Government

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Op-Ed: How big is New Jersey’s budget?

On the latest episode of Policy Outsider, Rockefeller Institute President Bob Megna and Kevin Younis, executive deputy commissioner and chief operating officer at Empire State Development, return to the podcast to discuss the latest $10 billion investment in Albany's NanoTech Complex for a new High Numerical Aperture Extreme Ultraviolet (NA EUV) Lithography Center. The conversation covers who the stakeholders are in this $10 billion deal, how partnerships between private industry and government came together and landed on upstate New York as the future of the semiconductor industry, and what that means for the New York economy.

Guests:

Bob Megna, president, Rockefeller Institute of Government

Kevin Younis, chief operating officer and executive deputy commissioner, Empire State Development

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Ep. 62. New York's $100 Billion Micron Deal. How Did It Happen?

Ep. 63. New York’s Investment in Innovation Infrastructure

The latest episode of Policy Outsider dives deep into the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare. Rockefeller Institute’s Senior Fellow for Health Policy, Courtney Burke, follows up on her latest blog, "The Healthcare Industry Mega Trend to Watch in 2024: “Today” and “Tomorrow” Players and the Emergence of the “Striving Survivors”" that expands on her earlier work that identified 10 key trends in 2023 that are shaping the health care industry and discusses what we can expect in the coming year. The episode unravels the interaction between these trends and examines the existing challenges of today’s health care marketplace, including labor shortages, price inflation, and declining margins; how tomorrow’s healthcare entities are dynamically changing the playing field through private equity, consolidation, and technology; and the striving survivors–the existing health care businesses that are trying to navigate the evolution of healthcare in real time.

Guest:

Courtney Burke, senior fellow for health policy, Rockefeller Institute of Government

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2024 blog

Top Health Trends for State Health Policymakers to Watch in 2023

A Mid-Year Update on 2023 Healthcare Trends

The latest episode breaks down New York's Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA). Passed in 2021, the MRTA experienced an uneven rollout due to legal challenges and the rise of illicit markets. Yet, state officials are looking at new ways to support the marijuana industry, empower entrepreneurs, and protect consumers. New York State Senator Jeremy Cooney, chair of the state Subcommittee on Cannabis and co-chair of the Marijuana Task Force,  joins the podcast to shine a light on the work being done at the state level and emphasizes the intricate balance between market regulation, taxation, and rectifying the harms of the failed war on drugs.

Guest:

Honorable Jeremy Cooney, New York State Senator

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In the Weeds

This episode focuses on immigrant entrepreneurs, their impact on the New York economy, and their ability to access banking systems, loans, capital, and other resources to start and maintain their business. Ahyoung Kim, director of economic empowerment for the Asian American Federation, and Kristine Rudgers, small business advisor for America's Small Business Development Centers out of SUNY Brockport, recently participated in the Institute on Immigrant Integration Research and Policy webinar on the Future of Immigrant Entrepreneurship and join the podcast to expand on their discussion to touch on the opportunities and obstacles facing immigrant entrepreneurs and share their insights into how to strengthen immigrant business opportunities through policies and programs targeted at immigrant entrepreneurs.

Guests:

Ahyoung Kim, director of economic empowerment, Asian American Federation

Kristine Rudgers, small business advisor, Small Business Development Center, SUNY Brockport

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Between Stewardship and Laissez Faire: The Future of Immigrant Entrepreneurship

Institute on Immigrant Integration Research and Policy