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Research

Morrison Institute is a leading resource for relevant research, analysis and policy choices of public value. Recent research reports are listed below.

More Morrison Institute research reports are available in the Arizona State University archives.

Bridging Success: An Evaluation of a Program for Foster Care Alumni

Arizona State University’s (ASU) Bridging Success program, launched in 2015, is a campus-based support program for students with a background in foster care, also known as Foster Care Alumni (FCA). The program is housed within ASU’s School of Social Work, which is part of the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions.

Arizona Town Hall: Mental Health, Substance Use, and Homelessness
Mental illness, substance use and homelessness impact people from all walks of life. The effects of these issues extend far beyond the individual — negatively affecting loved ones and threatening public health and safety. In Arizona in 2020, there were at least 11,000 people experiencing homelessness. Of those individuals, roughly 1,700 had a serious mental illness, and about 1,900 chronically used substances like drugs and alcohol.

Arizona Redistricting: A Perspective on the Process

This commentary focuses on the performance of the five-member Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC), which has had responsibility for undertaking the task of developing congressional and legislative districts in the state three times — in 2001, 2011 and 2021 — since the voters created it in 2000.

Survey: Statewide Perceptions of Independent Investigations of Officer-Involved Shootings
To help policymakers understand statewide perceptions of officer-involved shooting investigations, attitudes toward potential reforms, and support for funding of an independent investigatory agency, a multi-modal survey was conducted of Arizona residents.

The First Forty Years of ASU's Morrison Institute for Public Policy

A chronicle of the origins and achievements of ASU's Morrison Institute for Public Policy.

 

Are State and Local Policies Addressing Community Concerns about Extreme Heat?

Morrison Institute for Public Policy and Guinn Center for Policy Priorities examined what challenges from extreme heat were exposed or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic in Phoenix and Las Vegas.

The research looks at policies and programs that have helped address these heat challenges and how public policy can enhance adaptive capacity to extreme heat.

What drives civically engaged student voters

Voting rates among Arizona State University (ASU) students have increased since 2012. Still, young people tend to vote at lower rates than older individuals, and this is especially true in the United States. ASU’s student population is no exception.

Mesa Residents’ Perceptions of the Mesa Police Department and Community Safety

To help the Mesa Police Department understand Mesa residents’ current perceptions of policing in the community and attitudes toward potential reforms, a live telephone interview survey was conducted of Mesa residents.

The Myth of Safe-Yield: Pursuing the Goal of Safe-Yield Isn't Saving Our Groundwater
Forty years after the passage of the Groundwater Management Act, we are at a crossroads between success and not good enough.

Housing is Health Care

This study examines how housing and in-home supports affect public spending on individuals with chronic mental illness in Maricopa County, Arizona.

It does so through a comparative analysis of average costs per person per year across three housing settings: permanent supportive housing, housing with unknown in-home support, and chronic homelessness.