Building Arizona

Arizonans are facing a growing problem: low- and middle-income rental housing has become increasingly unaffordable and scarce in one of the nation’s fastest-growing states. Rent increases have far outpaced inflation and wage growth. This surge in rental prices puts low- and middle-income renters at risk, and many Arizona renters have struggled to keep up.

Ten Tenets of Water Equity

Water is the foundation of public health, economic opportunity, unique natural areas and quality of life in any community.

Much attention has been paid to the sustainable management of water supplies, as well as the responsible investment in the infrastructure that supports the delivery of safe, clean water.

Cost of Adverse Childhood Experiences in Arizona

For more than 20 years, researchers and public health officials have studied the impact of adversity on the growth and development of children. Two decades of research has shown that early childhood adversity can increase the risk of experiencing negative health outcomes later in life.

The Family First Prevention Services Act

Policy changes rarely overhaul government systems. But recently the child welfare system experienced a policy shift that will significantly change the way child welfare operates in the United States.

Return to Watering the Sun Corridor

A lot has flowed under the bridge since the Morrison Institute issued Watering the Sun Corridor in August of 2011. That report was an attempt to explain to a general audience how the water systems of urban Arizona work, and how those systems could support a large population.

A Place in the World

At Morrison Institute for Public Policy, a research center within Arizona State University's Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions, we combine academic rigor with the goal of informing real community change.

Understanding Proposition 207
The Smart and Safe Arizona Act (Proposition 207) proposes to legalize and regulate the production, sale, possession, and consumption of recreational marijuana. A ballot measure first legalized medical use of marijuana in 1996, but decisions by the state legislature and the governor, in effect, maintained prohibition. Another successful ballot initiative in 2010 established the current medical marijuana program. In 2016, voters rejected a recreational marijuana initiative with 51% against.

Understanding Proposition 208
The Invest in Education Act (Proposition 208) would generate funds for schools by placing a 3.5% income tax surcharge on taxable individual income that is more than $250,000 for a single person (or married person filing separately) or $500,000 for a married couple (or a single person who is a head of household).

One Crisis Away: Rethinking Housing Stability for Arizonans on the Margin

COVID-19 has disrupted almost every facet of American life, but the pandemic’s economic impact has been especially challenging for some of Arizona’s renters.

Prior to COVID-19, approximately one in seven Arizonans lived in poverty, which is defined as earning less than $13,000 a year for a single adult and less than $22,000 a year for a three-person family.

2020: The COVID-19 Poll

The ASU Morrison Institute-Arizona Republic COVID-19 Poll is a census-balanced poll of Arizonans, regardless of their voter registration status. Morrison Institute fielded this poll in order to elevate the perspectives of all Arizonans to inform policy discourse and decision making.

The Morrison Institute analysis is available below.