Dukakis Center for Urban & Regional Policy
Producing state-of-the-art applied research and implementing effective policies and practices based on that research
Inequity is the leading problem of our time.
Public policy is the solution.
The Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy uses data and analysis to design, implement, and evaluate public policies that push the needle forward on complex problems found in urban areas. We are researchers and students working together with policymakers and practitioners using a community-engaged research model that fosters long term mutually beneficial partnerships.
Research Focus Areas
Targeting local, urban issues that impact our cities
Explore how we’re tackling youth employment, the opioid crisis, housing, and workforce development in Boston and beyond.
Community to Community Impact Labs
Empowering communities through effective policy research
Local policymakers often lack rigorous data and analysis about which policies are most effective, yet academics typically do not apply their knowledge to the most pressing policy issues in these local contexts. See how we bridge the gap between knowledge and practice to drive societal impact.
Summer Youth Employment
Preparing local youth for the future
Since 2015, the Dukakis Center has partnered with cities to evaluate, replicate, and scale summer youth employment programs. Discover best practices, tested models, research evidence, and other helpful resources.
Resources
Supporting community-engaged scholars
Societal impact occurs when academics and policy leaders work together to apply their knowledge to the most pressing policy issues in their communities. Explore our training opportunities and funding initiatives to support both faculty and practitioners.
Testimonials
Adam Gamoran
President, William T. Grant Foundation
“Research conducted in partnership with public agencies finds a ready audience for action. Our foundation supports research that yields high profile findings. One example is summer youth employment opportunities in Boston. We had a study by Alicia Modestino, an economist at Northeastern University, showing that investments in summer youth employment payoff for less crime and more educational attainment, and she’s continuing that work in Boston.”
Rashad Cope
Deputy Chief of Worker Empowerment, City of Boston
“Before partnering with Northeastern, anecdotally, we knew a lot of challenges existed for youth to access the program, but it was very difficult to communicate these challenges from a policy standpoint to our administration without data to back it up. We were excited to lean on Northeastern to add credibility to this work and to the challenges that we know existed, so we could really develop a plan to address some of these issues. Now we have recommendations around ways we can centralize some of these processes through a common intake and have a system that serves as a depository of all youth applicants, so we can better see inequities that may exist, and see ways we can really improve the program.”
Sofia Navarro
Executive Director, Oakland Workforce Development Board
“Local government and university partnerships are essential to expanding social equity in our cities. The City of Oakland is fortunate to partner with C2C Northeastern to advance economic and workforce development goals through co-convening aligned stakeholders and building policy solutions that center evidence-based research and community voice. We are inspired by the results C2C has achieved in Boston to expand summer youth employment and we hope to incorporate insights from that work here in Oakland..”