Public Policy Clinic   

Public Policy Clinic
Abernethy Hall, CB # 3435
Chapel Hill, NC 27599
ph: 919 962-0682

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WELCOME!

The Public Policy Clinic is an organization designed to help non-profit and governmental agencies principally in North Carolina to find answers to policy questions that those agencies have neither the time nor resources to address.  The Department of Public Policy has provided this kind of analysis through its capstone course, and the clinic is an outgrowth of that effort.  Through a grant from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, the Public Policy Clinic of the Department of Public Policy at UNC attracts the talents of students, faculty and other members of the university community to help with this student effort to serve North Carolina, the nation and the world.

 

OUR PROJECTS

Here are our clinic projects.  As you can see, these are important projects and we can use your help!

1. There are eight American Indian Tribes in North Carolina. Only the Eastern Band is recognized by the United States government and is eligible for federal service, including health care.  The other tribes are generally in poor, rural communities where access to health care can be problematic.

This project will investigate policy issues such as lack of adequate health statistics on American Indians, how the state is (or is not) addressing the unique situation of the tribes in the state with regard to health, and what initiatives are being made by tribal people to influence public policy on health issues.

2.  An economic development foundation in Virginia wants us to find out why 18-to-30 -year-olds are leaving the area and what could be done to keep them.  They also want to know how to attract and retain award-winning level teachers in their school systems.  Finally, they would like to understand what kind of skills the "unskilled" have that might be used in entrepreneurial work.

3.  A multi-client consortium wants us to develop implementation plans for a city-wide project to enter the market that gangs now dominate.  The idea is that the city will offer a product that provides the services that gangs provide, but in a way that will help young people look forward to a long and productive life.   The product has been designed and many of the elements are already in place.  What is missing is an evaluation of the best possible implementation plan and schedule.
 
4.  A regional energy sustainability group wants us to investigate a problem with the way regulated energy companies receive revenue.  In the drought a few years ago, a local water company complained that it was hard for them to be a full partner in water conservation since they make their operating revenue by selling water.  The same is true of power companies. Should this way of doing things be changed?  How? Why?
 
5.  A regional consortium that advises regional governors would like us to help them improve the economic development information they provide by both improving the data gathered and the data analysis provided.

6.  A community health clinic would like us to help them discover ways to include qualitative and quantitative evaluations in the way they do their everyday business so evaluation can be continuous.
 
7.  An agency that manages low-cost housing would like us to help them evaluate an after-school program.  They would also like us to perform a skills inventory of residents of two of their housing communities in order to identify the potential for entrepreneurial activity.
 
8.   A business organization would like to help develop a transit plan for the area that serves both business and residential needs.

9.  A voter education organization would like us to help them pilot a method for both informing voters about what is happening in their local government and inviting them to participate in what is happening.
 
10.  A campus organization would like us to help them determine which of their services works best to encourage students to become involved in public service.

 11. The International Criminal Court Victim's Compensation Fund would like us to look into ways to involve young people in supporting this fund's objective: making the victim's of war crimes as whole as possible.

12.  A local woman's advocacy group is interested in finding out whether or not there is evidence of sexual trafficking locally.  A second international topic --- how to support women in their quest to increase human rights --- is also possible. 


JOIN THE PUBLIC POLICY CLINIC!

 

ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2010 IN GARDNER HALL, ROOM 08 FROM 5PM TO 6PM

 

We would like to invite UNC students and faculty to join the public policy clinic.  You can work on clinic tasks whenever you have some free time.  Your participation will mean a great deal to a non-profit or governmental agency.
 
Please use the contact form on the Contact Us page to either volunteer as a mentor (an hour of your time would mean a great deal) or to become a full participant in the clinic. 
 
Clinic work is available for credit --- if you sign up very, very soon.  You can get up to 3 credits graded or pass fail.  Clinic work will be the best on-the-job social science academic training you are liable to get!
 

Public Policy Clinic
Abernethy Hall, CB # 3435
Chapel Hill, NC 27599
ph: 919 962-0682