The Thomas Jefferson Program in Public Policy (MPP)

Client-Driven Student Projects

This one semester research and writing intensive seminar for second year students involves both the further development of policy research skills and communication skills relevant to policymaking. Students will be involved in small-group, client-driven policy analysis projects and an individual project. Each student will complete a policy research report and present it to various audiences. In addition, students will analyze at least one quick-turnaround policy problem picked at random.

2007

Virginia House Appropriations Committee

  • Legislative options for improving access to physician care for medicaid recipients

Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC)

  • What is a "normally expected" mortality rate for children with emotional or behavioral disturbances in Virginia residential facilities?

National Govenors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA)

  • State policies to promote and support rural entrepreneurship

Project on National Security Reform (PNSR)

  • What lessons can be learned from prior attempts at National Security Reform in the United States?

Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)

  • The economic impacts of recycling in Virginia

MITRE Corporation

  • How government redirects its efforts to improve effectiveness

Virginia State Crime Commission (VSCC)

  •  Effectiveness of available juvenile services across the Commonwealth of Virginia (both public and private):  which programs are the most cost-effective programs and which boast the lowest recidivisim rates?

The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis

  • The state of working Virginia

2006

Willis Morris, Office of the Secretary, Office of Public Health and Science, US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)

  • An Empirical Review and Policy Analysis of Disease Prevention and Health

Joe Flores, Legislative Fiscal Analyst, Senate Finance Committee, Virginia General Assembly

  • Policy and Budget Analysis of  Virginia's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

Joesph Nash, EPA, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT)

  • EPA Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics Nanoscale Materials Research Needs Review

Virginia's Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC)

  • The Impact of Regulations on Virginia's Manufacturing Sector: How Good are Estimates Derived from Examining Differences in Economic Levels Across Countries

York County Office of Economic Development

  • Defining and Creating a Business-Friendly Community:  Evaluating York County's Business Environment

Brooks Keene, Policy Analyst, CARE USA - Policy and Advocacy Unit

  • Mapping the Humanitarian Policy Landscape

 2005

Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy

  • Tracking Lottery Sales and Education Distributions in Virginia

House Appropriations Committe, Virginia General Assembly

  • Factors Driving the Cost of Residential Services in the Comprehensive Services Act Program:  What are Alternatives to Control Costs and Serve Children in the Most Effective Treatment Setting

Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC)

  • What Is a Living Wage in Virginia

Children's Services, County of York

  • Early Childhood Behavior Interventions - What Works

National Council for Advanced Manufacturing (NACFAM)

  • Project Green:  Linking Environmentally-Friendly Business Practices to Public Policy

Ernst & Young Quantitative Economics and State Practice

  • Benefit-Cost Analysis of Rails-to-Trails Investment

2004

Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association

  • Why Doesn't Virginia Have More Nurses:  Changes in Faculty Funding, Curriculum and Credit Requirements Needed

Joe Flores, Legislative Fiscal Analyst, Senate Finance Committee, Virginia General Assembly

  • Serving Foster Children at the Local Level:  Best Practices and Investment Results

The Office of Comprehensive Services (CSA)

  • An Empirical Analysis of Local Government Utilization Management Under the Virginia Comprehensive Services Act

Partnership for Public Service

  • Public Attitudes About Government and Government Workers

IBM Global Services

  • Issues in Evaluating Projects for the Millennium Challenge Corporation

Kimberly J. Hamilton, Executive Director, Virginia State Crime Commission

  • Prosecutorial Services in the Commonwealth of Virginia

2003

Virginia Department of Health

  • Evaluate Proposed Modifications to the Isolation and Quarantine Statutes in Virginia to Enhance the Public Health Response to Large Scale Disease Outbreaks

Partnership for Public Service

  • Who is Being Hired in the Federal Government

The Office of Comprehensive Services

  • A Gap Analysis of Local Government Utilization Management Under the Virginia Comprehensive Services Act

Hampton Health District

  • Evaluation of Hampton's Healthy Families Partnership Programs

Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC)

  • Projecting Future Benefits Paid and Future Balances of the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund

Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission

  • Formula-Driven Spending in the State Budget

2002

Employment Policy Foundation

  • Is Phased Retirement a Viable Approach for Extending Labor Force Participation of Skilled and Experienced Older Workers

Arthritis Foundation, Virginia Chapter

  • Arthritis Care in Managed Care Populations

National Institute of Justice (NIJ), U.S. Department of Justice

  • Benefit Cost Analysis of the Collection of DNA Evidence in Reported Rape/Sexual Assault Cases

Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC)

  • Virginia State Agency Use of Performance Measures

RAND Corporation

  • The History and Impact of Several Research and Development (R&D) Programs Supported by Various Federal Agencies - Selected Case Studies

 2001

State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV)

  • Assessing Critical Labor Shortages in Virginia

Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC)

  • Virginia State Agency Use of Performance Measures

Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC)

  • Why do Localities with Higher Population Density Tend to Spend More

Virginia State Crime Commission (VSCC)

  • Study of Indigent Defense in the Commonwealth of Virginia

RAND Corp. for NASA

  • The Federal Government's R&D Investment and the American Aerospace Industry

U.S. Congressional Budget Office (CBO)

  • Review and Evaluation of the Work of National Commissions on Economic and Budgetary Issues

2000

Virginia's Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC)

  • Likelihood of Different Types of Economic Downturns Occurring

Virginia State Crime Commission

  • Decision-Making in the Criminal Justice System

National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council, Board on Science, Technology, and Economic Policy

  • The Information Technology Workforce Gap: An Analysis of the United States and India

AGATE Alliance Association, Inc. (AAAI) and NASA Langley Research Center

  • The Development of the Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) Public Policy Implications at Federal, State, and Local Levels

1999

International City/County Management Association (ICMA)

  • Analysis of Factors Determining and Consequences of Vacant Properties in U.S. Cities

Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC)

  • Forecasting Enrollment and Expenditure Needs for K-12 Education in Virginia

PriceWaterhouseCoopers for the U.S. Mint

  • Modeling Changes in Procurement Practices for the U.S. Mint Under New Federal Regulations

Virginia State Crime Commission

  • Analysis of School Safety in Virginia

1998

Arlington County

  • Assessing Welfare Reform in Arlington County, Virginia

Office of Human Services

ISSI, Inc.

  • Evaluating the Redevelopment of Superfund Sites

PriceWaterhouseCoopers

  • Telehealth:Business Case, Social Good, and Government Programs

Virginia State Crime Commission

  • An Analysis of Wireline and Wireless 911, E-911 Systems, and the #77 Service

York County

  • An Analysis of Unmet Health Needs in York County, Virginia

1997

Ameritech of Illinois

  • Evaluation of Several Aspects of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 as it Applies to Competition, Pricing, and Market Share Issues for Ameritech

Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC)

  • Pay Equity Among State Classified Employees

Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC)

  • Survey of State Cabinet System Structure

Price Waterhouse - Gateway

  • Policy Issues Related to Housing of Military Service Members

Urban Institute

  • Policies to Protect Victims of Threats, Harassment, and Stalking by Domestic Partners

Virginia Health Care Foundation

  • Evaluation of the Free (Dental) Clinic of the New River Valley

1996

City of Hampton

  • City of Hampton:Building a Healthy Neighborhood Asset Index

Council of Governors' Policy Advisors

  • Private Sector Prison Industries:A Report to the States

Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC)

  • Legislative Program Evaluation:Survey of Analytical Methodologies and Tools

Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC)

  • The Effects of Truth-in-Sentencing on Admissions to Virginia State Prisons

Olde Towne Medical Center

  • The Proper Patient Mix for the Olde Towne Medical Center:A Menu of Policy Options

Virginia Health Care Foundation

  • Nelson County Rural Health Outreach Program Evaluation

Virginia Power Company

  • Analysis of Virginia Power's Corporate Giving Program in Light of a Changing Regulatory Environment

1995

Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC)

  • Forecasting State Indebtedness

Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC)

  • Development of an Alternative Method for Forecasting Needs for Juvenile Prison Space

Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC)

  • Impact of Social Security Reform Proposals on the Virginia Retirement System

National Center for State Courts

  • Impact of Tort Reform Proposals

Williamsburg Child Care Center

  • Analysis of the Future Viability of the Williamsburg Child Care Center

1994

City of Norfolk

  • Helped the City's financial planning bureau develop a financial plan

James City County

  • Analyzed new regulations regarding "open space" in James City County in regard to land use policy.