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The Abstract
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> By Torie Ludwin, Arnold Ventures
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This late in the year, can we still talk optimistically about resolutions? The data says yes: 77% of Americans who’ve made resolutions have kept them through the first week. For those of you still at it: congratulations! Here are a few Arnold Ventures' leaders would like to see:
Smaller and safer prisons, so that fewer officers and incarcerated people are hurt or die behind bars, and also, I would like to see more states eliminate unfair and inefficient justice fees. – Juliene James, vice president of criminal justice
Meaningful federal and state action to make health care more affordable and accessible for families, employers, and taxpayers. – Mark E. Miller, executive vice president of health care
Changes to the Child Tax Credit that help struggling families, encourage work, and are fiscally responsible. – George Callas, executive vice president of public finance
Criminal justice agencies that make their data more accessible to researchers and the general public. – Jennifer Doleac, executive vice president of criminal justice
Federal and state legislation that sets aside a penny for research and evaluation for every dollar spent on social programs. – Justin Milner, executive vice president of evidence and evaluation
Congress enact bipartisan legislation to ensure patients pay the same price for routine services regardless of where they’re delivered. – Erica Socker, vice president of health care, payor reform
Ways to make it easier to build homes. Far too many barriers at federal, state and local levels have resulted in shortages that make housing increasingly unaffordable for owners and renters all across the country. – Charlie Anderson, executive vice president for infrastructure
The IRS turn from dysfunction to progress in its efforts to modernize operations. – Andrew Moylan, vice president of public finance
Lawmakers extend accountability measures like those in the Department of Education's gainful employment rules and in the SAVE for Students Act to cover all colleges and universities by passing new legislation. – Kelly McManus, vice president of higher education
Mayors and police chiefs make solving violent crimes a leading metric of success. – Walter Katz, vice president of criminal justice
The U.S. government better coordinate the design and delivery of loan and loan guarantee programs. Here’s why. – Doug Criscitello, public finance program integrity fellow
Federal legislation that requires every state to offer an integrated Medicare-Medicaid program to their low-income older adult and disabled population of “dual eligibles.” – Arielle Mir, vice president of health care, complex care
Let all voters vote. End the practice of excluding 27 million independent voters from participating in primary elections. – Sam Mar, senior advisor
Passage of bipartisan legislation that curbs anti-competitive practices that delay competition so patients, taxpayers, and employers can pay lower drug prices. – Andrea Noda, vice president of health care, drug pricing
Because safety and justice are important to all Americans, I’d like to see Democrats and Republicans put partisanship aside and work together to advance these important objectives. – Kevin Ring, vice president of criminal justice advocacy
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By Evan Mintz, communications director
Despite Congressional gridlock, we at Arnold Ventures celebrated several policy wins across our portfolios in 2023. We saw important gains in federal sentencing guidelines, site neutral payment reform, gainful employment regulations, and more. In particular, criminal justice saw statewide reform across the country.
Read our list>
Read about our criminal justice reform wins>
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25%
The increase in surgical infections and bed sores among Medicare patients in hospitals purchased by private equity firms.
A new study published in JAMA that examined 51 hospitals over 10 years found serious medical issues rose when hospitals were purchased by private equity firms. In fact, as a New York Times article (free link) on the report shares, in the three years after a hospital was purchased by a private equity firm, adverse events, like the surgical infections and bed sores mentioned above, increased: a 38% rise in central line infections and a 27% rise in patient falls compared to similar hospitals not bought by private investors. Recent articles in Health Affairs and STAT also explore how some health systems may be prioritizing profits over patients.
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Criminal Justice
- The Chicago Sun Times reports on the Pretrial Fairness Act, which eliminated money bail in Illinois, finding that the first three months of implementation have been relatively smooth, but that smaller jurisdictions are facing resourcing and capacity challenges.
- The Sentencing Project has published a list of criminal justice reform trends that it observed in 2023, including efforts in several states to reduce over-incarceration.
- The Yakima Herald-Republic covers the ongoing public defense crisis in both Yakima County and the state of Washington, as well as efforts and proposals in the state to ensure defendants receive their constitutional rights to both representation and a speedy trial.
Health Care
- The National Academy for State Health Policy’s recent interview with Colorado’s Prescription Drug Affordability Board Director Lila Cummings highlights her experiences and looks at how the board is using legislation to ensure high-priced drugs are affordable for all Coloradans.
- The National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) recently released two issue briefs exploring how states have implemented alternate payment models. The issue briefs, Value-Based Care in State Medicaid and Value-Based Care in the Commercial Sector and with Multi-Payer Arrangements highlight examples of successful state Medicaid accountable care organization (ACO) initiatives, as well as explain the role state policymakers can play in implementing commercial and multi-payer value-based care arrangements.
Higher Education
- The Federal Trade Commission is suing Grand Canyon University for deceptive student practices, alleging it misled prospective students about the cost and course requirements of its doctoral programs, Inside Higher Ed reports. This follows the university’s $37.7 million fine from the U.S. Department of Education for deceiving students.
- The New York Times reports on student loan repayment data released by the Education Department, which shows that 60 percent of student borrowers are paying their loans after the pandemic freeze. (free link)
Infrastructure
- A new research paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) has identified how financial incentives can nudge owners of electric cars to charge their vehicles during off-peak hours.
- A Montana judge has put a halt to two bills that would allow greater building in neighborhoods zoned for single-family homes, undercutting a bipartisan effort to address the state’s affordable housing crisis, the Daily Montanan reports.
- The Associated Press covers how the first large-scale, offshore wind project in the United States is finally producing electricity after facing years of regulatory hurdles.
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On NPR’s All Things Considered, Alison Shames, Director of the Center for Effective Public Policy, discusses how bail reform in Illinois has made it clearer who can, and should, be detained before trial. |
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On Tuesday, January 16, 2024, from 12 to 1:30 p.m. EST, the Niskanen Center will host the first in a series of criminal justice-focused lunch conversations. At this event, Kevin Ring, vice president of criminal justice advocacy at Arnold Ventures, will moderate a discussion with Greg Berman, distinguished fellow of practice at the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation and coeditor of Vital City, and Aubrey Fox, executive director of the New York City Criminal Justice Agency. They cowrote Gradual: The Case for Incremental Change in a Radical Age. RSVP here. |
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This week's final inspiration is dedicated to the non-human creatures in our lives who bring joy, love, optimism, and connection. (A recently-adopted chocolate lab puppy named Hershey comes to mind!)
The Purest Bond by Jen Golbeck and Stacey Colino uses storytelling to breathe life into the research and science supporting the positive impact dogs have on the physical and emotional health of their owners.
“ They’re our companions,” said Carlos Nuñez, a prisoner in Chile's "The Pen," referring to a two-year-old tabby he named Feita, or Ugly, who lives there with him. The New York Times profiles the prison, its population of free-roaming cats, and the love they elicit from both inmates and staff. (free link).
At Arnold Ventures, informal conversations show a burgeoning interest in conducting in-house research on the effects of pets on professional growth and development. Perhaps our first evaluation will involve Jason Alinsky's @woodleythegolden or Kim O'Sullivan's @Joey_and_Hank? Stay tuned! |
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We're Seeking Proposals
and Fellows
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The Criminal Justice team is supporting a new Social Science Research Council fellowship program. This program will provide generous and unrestricted support to postdoctoral fellows working to innovate and evaluate more effective and equitable criminal justice policy solutions. The application deadline is January 15, 2024.
The Higher Education and Evidence-Based Policy teams have created a request for proposals for rigorous impact evaluations of programs and practices (“interventions”) to promote college success in the United States.
The Criminal Justice team has released a new request for proposals (RFP) titled “ Causal Research on Community Safety and the Criminal Justice System.” The RFP seeks research proposals across all issues related to the criminal justice system and will remain open.
The Evidence-Based Policy team invites grant applications to conduct randomized controlled trials of social programs in any area of U.S. policy. Details are here.
View our RFPs here>
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Have an evidence-based week,
– Torie
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| Torie Ludwin leads strategic branding efforts across digital, print, and multimedia, including this delightful newsletter. |
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