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April 26, 2021
Office of the Secretary of Higher Education Announces $1 Million to Rutgers University to
Establish State Policy Lab
The Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE) today announced that Rutgers, The State
University of New Jersey, will receive a total of $1 million in funding to establish a state-of-the-art policy
lab that will provide timely and thoughtful analysis of policy-based solutions and issues facing New
Jersey.
“As we look toward economic recovery post COVID-19, we’ll need new and smart government policies
to emerge as a stronger, fairer, and more resilient New Jersey,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “Partnering
with Rutgers University, today’s funding will invest in transformational research and analysis that will
advance positive and lasting impact to ensure a prosperous future for all New Jerseyans.”
“High-quality research and analysis is crucial to ensure New Jersey remains at the center of innovation.
This will be even more critical as our economy recovers from the pandemic, as the Policy Lab will
examine how to address long-term issues facing the State and improve the lives of New Jerseyans,” said
Dr. Brian Bridges, Secretary of Higher Education. “I look forward to Rutgers’ leadership in this high
quality research endeavor.”
Governor Murphy’s Fiscal Year 2021 budget allocated $1 million to establish and operate a policy lab at
a New Jersey research institution. The main purposes of the State Policy Lab are to:
• Provide policy-makers throughout New Jersey with clear and accessible research on state and
local governance as well as public decision-making and assist stakeholders in troubleshooting
unanticipated policy implementation issues;
• Generate data modeling for policy recommendations to enable state policymakers to test
different budgetary and legislative scenarios; and
• Build coalitions across governments, institutions of higher education, and community
organizations to support evidence-based policy initiatives.
The State Policy Lab will be housed in the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at
Rutgers University, New Brunswick and will include expertise from a network of scholars, community
members and external policy experts. Rutgers University identified additional partners in this work,
including the School of Public Administration and Affairs (SPAA) at Rutgers University-Newark, Walter
Rand Institute (Camden), the Cornwall Center (Newark), the Eagleton Institute for Public Interest Polling
(New Brunswick), the Center for Urban Research & Education (Camden), the Rutgers Law School Center
on Law, Inequality, and Metropolitan Equity, Kean University, and New Jersey Institute of Technology.
The State Policy Lab will utilize an equity framework to analyze policies and programs with the goal of
identifying improvements that benefit all residents, particularly those from low-income backgrounds
and those who have been historically disadvantaged.
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“Rutgers-New Brunswick and its Bloustein School have always focused on serving the people of New
Jersey,” said Christopher J. Molloy, Rutgers-New Brunswick Chancellor. “We are proud to collaborate
with the state on this partnership, which provides another important venue by which our world-class
research will help enhance the quality of life in the Garden State.”
“The policy lab and its capabilities will provide the data necessary for New Jersey residents to
understand significant decisions made by policy-makers and allow them to recognize how they impact
taxpayers,” said Assemblyman Andrew Zwicker, Chairman of the Assembly Science, Innovation and
Technology Committee. “With clear and accessible research, we will be able to test various scenarios,
and further evaluate if legislative measures or budget proposals are beneficial for State and local
governments and more importantly the nine million residents of New Jersey.”
