One of our many go-to spots for finding research reports about state and local government is the California Research Bureau’s “Studies in the News,” a newsletter, which we scurry to open when it arrives in our email each Wednesday. 

While there’s sometimes a time lag in the research briefs that are featured, they generally provide insightful trend information and highlights of management, performance, and policy-related news. The most recent edition, which arrived on May 15, covered 13 studies, research briefs and surveys.

Although California reports often dominate, the topics generally reflect issues surfacing elsewhere, which makes this a go-to place for information that can lead to what’s happening in many states and local governments. As one political pundit said a bit hyperbolically, “Whether they're for good or bad, all trends in the United States start in California.” 

Last week’s edition, for example, featured a UC Davis Center for Poverty and Inequality Research policy brief that charted the increase in the purchase of vegetables and fruits in low-income households when provided with enhanced WIC benefits. (WIC is the federal supplemental nutrition program for Women, Infants and Children). 

It also included summaries of several national surveys, published in April by the Pew Research Center. One focused on the percentage of teachers who have experienced gun-related lockdowns (23% in the last school year) and another explored US adult perceptions of social media companies. (In 2024, 78% said the influence of social media on politics was too great, up from 72% in 2020.)

We have not found an easy way to access “Studies in the News” through a single URL, so we can’t provide one here. But the California Research Bureau provides a link for subscribing to this and its other newsletters. 

#StateandLocalGovernmentResearch #CaliforniaResearchBureau #StateandLocalGovernmentManagement #StateandLocalGovernmentPerformance #PewResarchCenter #B&GRecommendation #StateandLocalManagementAndPolicyStudies #StudiesInTheNews #B&GWeeklySelection