Critical Value

The country has now spent a year dealing with the effects of COVID-19 and the pandemic has brought an array of unprecedented challenges for public leaders. Host Justin Milner speaks with Philadelphia Councilmember Kendra Brooks, King County, Washington Executive Dow Constantine, and Pueblo, Colorado Mayor Nick Gradisar on how they worked to support their communities and how they envision the road to recovery.

Nearly a year into the pandemic, the definition of ‘giving’ has been expanding and the idea of philanthropy at multiple levels is more salient than ever. As we think about developing a culture of giving, it is important to start at the beginning and look at how we learn about charitable giving as kids. Host Justin Milner speaks with Shena Ashley, the vice president of Urban's Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy, Alison Body, a lecturer in philanthropic studies at the University of Kent, and Amy Neugebauer, executive director and founder of The Giving Square, to discuss how children develop their philanthropic identity.

Research organizations are increasingly thinking about how to make their research more inclusive. Community-based participatory research is an approach engages people who would normally be research subjects as full partners in a research project, from beginning to end. In this episode, we will hear about a truly inclusive project called Promoting Adolescent Health and Safety, or PASS, in southeast Washington DC. You will hear from four PASS participants, facilitators Stan Hamilton and Dannielle Hamilton and Urban Institute senior research associate Elsa Falkenburger about how PASS centers lived experiences and community expertise. Related Links:  Promoting Adolescent Sexual Health and Safety When Teens Are Aware and Empowered, Healthy Dating Norms Prevail Making Their Voices Heard: Improving Research through Community Collaboration

How are American Indian tribes and Native communities faring during the COVID-19 pandemic? Host Justin Milner speaks with Lukaya Williams of the White Mountain Apache Housing Authority, Joe Cushman and Justine Capra of the Nisqually Indian Tribe’s planning and economic development department, and Nancy Pindus, senior fellow at the Urban Institute. Related links: White Mountain Apache Tribe White Mountain Apache Housing Authority Nisqually Indian Tribe, Department of Planning and Economic Development Emerging Stronger than Before: Guidelines for the Federal Role in American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes’ Recovery from the COVID‐19 Pandemic Federal COVID‐19 Response Funding for Tribal Governments: Lessons from the CARES Act Steps States Can Take to Help Break Down Housing Barriers for Native Communities Four Ways to Improve Water Access in Navajo Nation during COVID-19

Technological advancements continue to redefine how the world operates. How can government take advantage of technological innovations to improve their services and help American citizens? Host Justin Milner speaks with Amanda Renteria, CEO of Code for America, and Urban Institute data scientist Alena Stern about how government can put real people at the center of policy design to better meet the needs of vulnerable Americans.

What happens when researchers come from the communities they study? Host Justin Milner speaks with two Latina researchers at different points in their career—one at the pinnacle, and one who is just starting her journey. Both have similar upbringings that influence their motivations and work to this day. Together, their stories show why representation in research matter. Related links: Latinx Communities in America How Social Scientists Can Incorporate a “Latinx Lens” in Their Work Marta Tienda Biography Clara Alvarez Caraveo Biography

What role can the federal government play to ensure that all families live in neighborhoods that support their well-being and their children’s ability to thrive? Host Justin Milner discusses ideas around zoning and the Housing Choice Voucher Program with Urban researchers Solomon Greene and Martha Galvez, NYU’s Ingrid Gould Ellen, and Sarah Oppenheimer of Opportunity Insights. Related links: Breaking Barriers, Boosting Supply: How the Federal Government Can Help Eliminate Exclusionary Zoning Taking Neighborhood Mobility to Scale through the Housing Choice Voucher Program Opportunity for All: Federal strategies to support strong and inclusive neighborhoods

Over the past decade, the number of Latino entrepreneurs increased 34 percent—compared with just 1 percent for all business owners in the US, but the pandemic may affect that growth. How might COVID-19 affect Latino entrepreneurship, and what can we do to help ensure an equitable recovery? Host Justin Milner discusses trends with Marlene Orozco, lead research analyst with the Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative, business owner Josh Melendez from Crossfit Be Someone, and Urban Institute researcher Jorge González. Related Links: Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative The Pandemic Is Threatening Latino Entrepreneurship, but Local Leaders Can Help Crossfit Be Someone Measuring the Latinx "Tsunami" and Its Impact on the US Latinx Communities in America

The dramatic shift to online learning has many families struggling to balance work and virtual learning, especially parents who aren’t able to work from home. Host Justin Milner speaks with Urban Institute researchers, Megan Gallagher and Gina Adams, and Melissa Hicks, director of the Albina-Rockwood Promise Neighborhood about how remote learning has presented major challenges for students and parents and what can be done to support working parents with school-age children.   Related Links: Mapping Student Needs during COVID-19 For Students of Color, Remote Learning Environments Pose Multiple Challenges Meeting the School-Age Child Care Needs of Working Parents Facing COVID-19 Distance Learning Child Care and Feeding Young Children during the Pandemic Finding Solutions to Support Child Care during COVID-19 Stabilizing Supports for Children and Families during the Pandemic

Charitable giving and philanthropy is as important today as ever. In the midst of an ongoing pandemic and in a moment of national reckoning with racial injustice, Americans from all backgrounds are giving in important and different ways. Host Justin Milner speaks with Urban Institute researcher Benjamin Soskis, Emily Boardman Ndulue, researcher and community manager with the Media Cloud Project at Harvard University, and Erica Rosenthal, director of research at The Norman Lear Center at USC about how trends on charitable giving are shifting and how the media can influence the discourse. 

Technology has transformed nearly every aspect of our lives, but technological innovations don’t always benefit everyone equally. And COVID-19 has revealed that this digital divide is even greater than we thought. Host Justin Milner speaks with Urban Institute researcher Alena Stern, chief information officer of Atlanta Gary Brantely, and Miguel Gamiño Jr., executive vice president for Global Cities at Mastercard, about why cities should care about tech equity and how they can achieve it. Related links:  The Equity Imperative   How Cities Are Leveraging Technology to Meet Residents’ Needs during a Pandemic  How Governments, Nonprofits, and the Private Sector Can Help Technology Work for Everyone  To Make “Smart Cities” More Inclusive, Leaders Need Better Tools and Data Expanding Online Use of SNAP Benefits Can Help People Stay Safe during the COVID-19 Pandemic Four Questions Cities Are Asking about Equitable Technology  Technology and Equity in Cities  Projects in Chicago and St. Lo

This week’s New York Times list of best-selling books shows a country reading all about race and racism. On this episode, Urban offers its own reading (and watching) list. You'll hear from Urban staff about the books, movies and documentaries they are reflecting on to contextualize anti-racism, structural racism, police brutality and privilege in this moment. Links to all the recommendations can be found at: https://www.urban.org/criticalvalue

The pictures speak to the growing challenge of food insecurity in America: miles-long lines of people in cars waiting to receive emergency rations of food supplies. In the latest in a series of episodes on the pandemic, host Justin Milner speaks with Urban senior fellow Elaine Waxman and Jodi Tyson of Three Square Food Bank in Nevada about the rapidly increasing food insecurity levels for millions of Americans, lessons policymakers can learn from the Great Recession, and the ways food banks are stepping up as a critical frontline response to meet the high demand of food insecure people.   Related Links: Three Square Food Bank Many Families Are Struggling to Put Food on the Table. We Have to Do More. More Than One in Five US Adults Experienced Food Insecurity in the Early Weeks of the Pandemic Feeding the Country during a Pandemic: Seven Ways Forward Strategies and Challenges in Feeding Out-of-School Students COVID-19: Policies to Protect People and Communities

Since March 21, more than 30 million people have sought unemployment benefits—nearly one of every five workers. And the April jobs report coming out tomorrow will likely tell an even more distressing story of how the response to the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting unemployment rates, job losses, and earnings. So what should we do? Host Justin Milner asks researchers Greg Acs, Jesse Jannetta, Heather Hahn, and Shena Ashley for their best ideas on to get Americans into jobs.   Related Links: How Government Jobs Programs Could Boost Unemployment COVID-19: Policies to Protect People and Communities

In the latest episode of Critical Value, Host Justin Milner speaks with former Urban Institute Board Member Freeman Hrabowski about how to make education more accessible, affordable, and effective for students of all backgrounds. Recognized by TIME magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in 2012, Hrabowski has served as the president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, for 27 years. He has led UMBC to new heights as a national leader in STEM education and in graduating students from diverse backgrounds.   Related Links: The Empowered University: Shared Leadership, Culture Change, and Academic Success TED Talk: 4 pillars of college success in science We Must Change the Culture of Science and Teaching: Freeman Hrabowski at TEDxMidAtlantic Supporting Student Achievement On an Uneven Playing Field: A Conversation with Freeman Hrabowski

Jails and prisons are ripe for rapid transmission of the coronavirus, putting residents, corrections staff, and the broader community at risk. In the latest in a series of podcast episodes on the pandemic, host Justin Milner talks to Brie Williams, physician and professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, Johnny Perez, director of the US Prisons Program for the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, and Urban Institute policy associate Bethany Young.    Related Links: How Should Prisons and Jails Prepare for COVID-19? Prison Research and Innovation Initiative Amend at the University of California, San Francisco National Religious Campaign Against Torture

The $2 trillion economic relief package passed last week is larger than any other plan of its kind in modern history. Who does it help and how? In the latest in a series of podcasts on the pandemic, host Justin Milner talks to the Tax Policy Center’s Mark Mazur, and Urban’s Jack Smalligan and Wayne Vroman about what’s in the law and how it provides support payments to Americans and expands unemployment insurance.   Related Links: The COVID-19 Relief Bill Improves Access to Unemployment Insurance, but Further Steps Could Fill Remaining Gaps How Will The Coronavirus Stimulus Bill’s Individual Payments Work? How Soon Can The IRS Get Coronavirus Payments Out The Door? COVID-19: Policies to Protect People and Communities

The coronavirus is already having widespread, dramatic effects on our economy – particularly those who are the most financially vulnerable. In the second in a series of podcasts on the pandemic, host Justin Milner speaks with Urban’s Donald Marron and the Tax Policy Howard Gleckman about the economic impact of the pandemic and the most powerful economic solutions we can use to respond.   Related Links: Macroeconomic Policy In The Time of COVID-19 If We Give Everybody Cash to Boost The Coronavirus Economy, Let's Tax It Government Payments Will Help Families But May Not Boost The Coronavirus Economy Much Six Reasons Why Trump's Plan to Delay Tax Filing Won't Help the Coronavirus Economy COVID-19: Polices to Protect and People and Communities

The coronavirus poses a particular threat to people experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity. In the first of a series of podcasts on how the pandemic will affect vulnerable populations, host Justin Milner speaks with Mary Cunningham, vice president of the Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy Center and researcher Samantha Batko about how the pandemic impacts those experiencing homelessness, those on the edge of becoming homeless and what policymakers can do to help.   Related Links: How Programs Addressing Homelessness Can Prepare for the Coronavirus Immediate Federal Action Is Needed to Keep People Housed in the Face of the Pandemic COVID-19: Policies to Protect People and Communities

Research can take months—even years—to complete before publishing a final product. Is it possible to accelerate the research process? Recently, Urban researchers looked to hack the process by completing a research project in just one day. Host Justin Milner speaks with Christina Stacy and Brett Theodos to discuss their findings and the advantages and disadvantages that come with speeding up the research process.