In 2017, New Jersey implemented extensive changes to its criminal legal system, including shifting to a system nearly eliminating bail, relying instead on a risk-assessment tool. Researchers at MDRC analyzed New Jersey's bail reforms using mixed methods, seeking to assess racial equity and perceptions of fairness to determine whether the reforms improved racial equity in the state. Findings suggest bail reform policies can reduce involvement in the criminal legal system but do not advance racial equity or address racial disparities.
The debate over tipped minimum wage has gained traction since the pandemic, with several states abolishing it and replacing it with a “one fair wage” policy. This fact sheet, developed by P4A researchers at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, highlights gender and racial bias in tipped minimum wage structures and shows the impact of tipped minimum wage on servers by state, race, and ethnicity.
P4A researchers at Dēmos are examining public banking as a strategy to build wealth in communities of color to reduce the growing racial wealth gap in the United States. In this blog post, researchers outline their novel project, which will analyze both established and proposed public banking models, policies, and governance structures to identify the best approaches to advancing democratic governance in communities of color and building community wealth.
Community corner
Congratulations to Darrick Hamilton, a Policies for Action research hub leader, who’s been appointed chief economist at the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, the nation’s largest labor federation, representing nearly 13 million workers.
Read the press release.
Systems for Action (S4A), a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has released a new funding opportunity entitled Community-Led Systems Research to Address Systemic Racism. The goal is to produce actionable evidence about how to help medical, social, and public health systems work together to address systemic racism. S4A seeks community-based nonprofits, government agencies, and tribal organizations committed to conducting rigorous, equitable research to lead these one-year pilot studies in partnership with research institutions. Proposals are due Wednesday, June 4, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. (ET).Learn more about this opportunity and register for an upcoming webinar.
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