New Blog Posts

  • Asthma: The Surviving Symptom of Redlining in Low-Income Communities of Color

    Asthma: The Surviving Symptom of Redlining in Low-Income Communities of Color

    Julia Vanella is a staff writer for Brief Policy Perspectives and a first-year MPP student. The term redlining is “the practice of denying a creditworthy applicant a loan for housing in a certain neighborhood even though the applicant may otherwise be eligible for the loan.”  It is also a significant factor in the U.S.’s current…

  • The Value of Statistical Life: Tradeoffs between the Cure and the Problem Itself

    The Value of Statistical Life: Tradeoffs between the Cure and the Problem Itself

    Catherine Kaufman is a staff writer for Brief Policy Perspectives and a second-year MPA student. Back in March, President Donald Trump tweeted, “WE  CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELF,” referring to shutdowns amid the coronavirus outbreaks across the country in a sentiment that has often been repeated. The economic costs of…

  • Looking to Other Countries for a New Model of Government Housing

    Looking to Other Countries for a New Model of Government Housing

    Brett Litzler is a staff writer for Brief Policy Perspectives and a first-year MPP student. The United States has a tumultuous history with government-run housing. Throughout the last century, efforts have been made at every level of government to find ways to provide stable, quality, and inexpensive housing to those who are unable to afford…

  • Space Force is No Joke: The Need for U.S. Space Policy Under Biden’s Administration

    Space Force is No Joke: The Need for U.S. Space Policy Under Biden’s Administration

    Madison Grady is a staff writer for Brief Policy Perspectives and a second-year MPP student. NDAA 2019 Last December, Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2019. The $717 billion act authorized a 2.6% military pay raise and increased active-duty forces by 15,600 members. More notably the act elevated two military organizations for…

  • The Policy and Politics of Prescription Drugs

    The Policy and Politics of Prescription Drugs

    Ben White is a staff writer for Brief Policy Perspectives and a first-year MPP student. The Rising Costs of Prescription Drugs Drug prices in the U.S. have skyrocketed over the past decade at a rate more than three times greater than inflation. On average, Americans pay nearly four times as much for prescription drugs than…