In New Haven, Yale economists have collaborated with the local public schools on a study demonstrating that a free, full-day pre-school program statewide would help families strengthen their finances and offer a high return on public investment.
On a state level, Yale researchers are working alongside Connecticut administrators to help them improve the state's Medicaid system and the SNAP food assistance program, which more than a million residents rely on for health care and nutrition, following unprecedented changes in federal policy.
And nationally, Yale research laid the groundwork for a 2020 law to protect people from being slammed by unexpected, and costly, medical bills. And when trade wars and the COVID 19 pandemic began disrupting supply chains, Yale economists provided policymakers and manufacturers tools and impartial data needed to restore the flow of critical products and materials.
These and other projects were led by Yale's Tobin Center for Economic Policy, a nonpartisan campus hub for facilitating and promoting evidence-based economics research that informs public policy. Since its founding in 2018, the Tobin Center has reduced the gap between research and impact by connecting faculty to policymakers, assuring that their insights could be translated into stronger policies with better outcomes for families, communities, and the country.
In a newly released report, the center documents the real-world impact of its initiatives on Yale research, public policy, and people's lives.
"Seven years ago, the Tobin Center was created to close the distance between what research shows and what policy does - and to shorten the time it takes to get there," said Michelle Hahn, acting executive director of the Tobin Center. "In our initial phase, we've shown what a university can do in the policy arena, moving economics research beyond papers and into practice. Our next chapter is about supporting more Yale researchers, tackling bigger economic-policy questions, and continuing to build bridges between scholars and policymakers."
