The OSU Policy Analysis Lab in the School of Public Policy works with local and state government agencies, as well as nonprofits, to provide data analysis support
By Colin Bowyer, Communications Manager - June 7, 2024
Few organizations and labs on campus offer opportunities for students, both undergraduate and graduate, to gain real-world experience working with external clients. Since 2013, the OSU Policy Analysis Lab (OPAL) has provided students opportunities to conduct important applied policy research addressing real, systemic issues with independent partners in the public and private sector.
Projects taken on by OPAL involve fields focused on topics including but not limited to climate change, food systems, housing inequality, rural economic vitality, and civic engagement. Supervised by School of Public Policy faculty, who are leading experts in policy research, analysis and evaluation, OPAL students engage with stakeholders at local and state levels, working with local organizations and civic governments to evaluate and design community-based interventions and administer statewide longitudinal data infrastructures across public entities.
“As part of a land-grant university,” said Mark Edwards, Professor of Sociology and Director of OPAL, “the School of Public Policy and OPAL are in a unique position to identify ways local and state governments can better engage their constituents, identify gaps in service delivery, and provide perspective on how best to deliver services.”
One of the more expansive and comprehensive analyses conducted by students in OPAL is the ongoing partnership with the Oregon Health Authority (OHA). In 2021, OHA published a request for proposals from community housing nonprofits in all Oregon counties, with the intention of providing grants to service providers to address the housing and behavioral health needs of residents. After receiving thousands of submissions, OHA employed OPAL to help analyze the massive amounts of data received in the proposals, with the goal of outlining how to better provide housing services in specific counties and tribal communities. In over 20 published reports, students synthesized the counties’ glaring exigencies and provided recommendations for immediate impact.
Melissa Hanks, M.A. ‘07, an operations and policy analyst at OHA, worked directly with students in OPAL when compiling the reports.
“Working with OPAL is this incredible symbiotic relationship,” said Hanks. “OPAL helps fill our capacity needs by providing a diverse cohort of students who can bring their unique perspectives to look for strategic ways to direct funding to address regional issues. While doing so, students are able to gain experience in policy analysis, helping to create the government workers for tomorrow.”
The initial work was so successful, Hanks and the OHA are devising a plan to continue working with OPAL for the foreseeable future.
“The OPAL team inspires the OHA team with their enthusiasm and alternative viewpoints about what conclusions can be drawn from the data,” continued Hanks. “They put people’s experiences at the forefront of their research.”
An example of how students in OPAL have benefited by working with OHA is Jeremy Seicianu, an M.P.P. graduate student. Seicianu, who graduated from Portland State University with a bachelor of business administration, was invited by Edwards to join the team after contributions to previous projects. Students who are part of OPAL either receive an assistantship stipend, or are hired on an hourly basis.
“The projects OPAL receives from clients provide a lot of opportunity to work on issues that you may have an interest in,” said Seicianu. “Though OPAL is guided by Dr. Edwards, we’re given plenty of flexibility and freedom to drive the projects and work directly with the clients. It’s been a wonderful experience and I love working as part of the team.”
In 2020, the Tillamook County Futures Council tasked OPAL with collecting the data required to develop a new strategic vision for Tillamook County. The goal of the project was to collect the data that included viewpoints from a wide array of residents, including very remote rural residents, or Spanish-language speakers, or young people. In 2021, OPAL delivered a report, incorporating opinions and perspectives from residents to better understand the community’s current values and concerns. Results from the report have contributed to the public policy discussion in Tillamook’s county government.
Similarly, OPAL worked with Siletz, Oregon, a small community consisting of 1,900 people 50 miles west of Corvallis. Like many cities and towns on the West Coast, Siletz is faced with the challenge of rising homelessness and the city was required by the state government to pass a local ordinance that specified how individuals who sleep in public places would be treated. OPAL embarked on a multi-method study to obtain community feedback, interviewing local leaders, distributing a community survey, even standing in front of the lone grocery store inviting survey participants. They ensured that input from residents with firsthand knowledge or lived experiences of homelessness were included in the study, in hopes that their concerns would be addressed in Siletz’s new ordinances on homelessness.
“Every year, graduate and undergraduate students who work as part of OPAL are conducting rigorous analysis on challenges that communities are facing today,” said Edwards. “Issues of housing policy, food security, wildfire safety, and renewable energy are experienced nationwide, but OPAL students are able to make a difference in their local communities now.”