Shaping Policy That Moves the World Forward
From health and economic systems to entrepreneurship and innovation, Batten scholars tackle today’s most pressing challenges with data-driven insight and leadership in action.
FOCUS on
Tackling the Challenges
That Matter Most
Our research and teaching span the critical policy domains shaping communities locally and globally — from social policy and economic inequality to health care, national security, and democratic institutions.
-
Social Policy & Economic InequalityRigorous, data-driven research on how social programs shape economic opportunity, reduce inequality, and improve the well-being of families and communities. -
Democratic Institutions & LawmakingExamining the structures, actors, and formal mechanisms through which governments operate and how laws, institutions, and the people within them shape democratic life. -
Political Behavior & Public OpinionExamining what citizens believe, how they participate, and why, and what those forces mean for the health of democratic institutions. -
Organizational Behavior, Decision-Making & Behavioral ScienceUnderstanding the human and psychological forces that shape institutions, leadership, and collective action, and applying those insights to improve organizational performance and public outcomes. -
Education Policy, Labor Markets & Economic MobilityExamining whether educational institutions and workforce systems deliver on their promise of economic opportunity, and identifying the interventions that most reliably close mobility gaps. -
Public Safety & Community Well-beingStudying how communities and public institutions can work together to promote safety, trust, and well-being through policing reform, civic engagement, and cross-sector collaboration. -
Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Technology PolicyWorking at the intersection of policy, entrepreneurship, and community engagement to design innovative solutions to public challenges, from impact investing to industrial policy to AI. -
Health & Healthcare PolicyAnalyzing the financing, institutional structures, and behavioral dimensions of American healthcare, and asking whether the system's design choices ultimately improve health and share benefits equitably. -
Environmental Policy & RegulationBringing rigorous policy analysis and governance expertise to the defining environmental challenges of our time, from climate and energy to infrastructure, public health, and environmental inequality. -
Global Development & Humanitarian PolicyPartnering with governments, UN agencies, and NGOs worldwide to build evidence-based strategies that improve welfare, strengthen resilience, and address crises affecting the most vulnerable populations. -
National Security, Defense & Foreign PolicyProducing original research and policy analysis on the vital national security questions facing the United States, connecting scholars and government practitioners to address deterrence, conflict, intelligence, and emerging threats.