The Policy Analysis Laboratory conducts research in a variety of policy areas that link community groups, nonprofit agencies, and government agencies with Emory faculty and students. Our analytical approaches generally include strategic planning, program evaluation, needs assessment, and/or capacity building. Our aim is to use research to foster stronger collaborations, particularly regarding initiatives designed to reduce poverty and promote economic mobility.

Our current projects include:

• A comprehensive analysis of the Atlanta region’s workforce development system, undertaken in partnership with Atlanta CareerRise, the Atlanta Regional Commission, and the five workforce development boards serving the 10-county Atlanta region.
• An analysis of affordable housing strategies for DeKalb County, benchmarking DeKalb’s programs and investments with those of the other five core counties in the Atlanta region and 6 comparable urban counties in the Southeast.

Recent evaluation projects have included an assessment of Atlanta Housing’s Moving to Work Demonstration and McDaniel Glenn HOPE VI revitalization, the Fulton County Housing Authority’s Red Oak HOPE VI revitalization, the city of Atlanta’s Empowerment Zone and Weed and Seed initiatives, and local responses to the foreclosure crisis.

We have also conducted needs assessments and program evaluations for the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta, Goodwill Industries of North Georgia, DeKalb County, the Atlanta Community Food Bank, and the Whitefoord Community Program.