Uploaded October 2019 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Chicago is a city grappling with many challenges, but also one at the frontier of social policy innovation. This panel discussion provides context for the crime and violence problems in Chicago, and through two case studies, shows how social policy research carried out in close collaboration with city government can help a city make meaningful progress. Panellists from academia, social service, and city government discuss two innovative violence reduction programs, how researchers partnered with city agencies and frontline practitioners to co-produce rigorous evidence about their impact, and how these findings have steered policy, practice, and public funding in the third largest city in the U.S.
Commander Alex Murray, Metropolitan Police
Evelyn Diaz, Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights
Roseanna Ander, Chicago Crime Lab and Education Lab
Dr Sara Heller, University of Michigan
Chicago is a city grappling with many challenges, but also one at the frontier of social policy innovation. This panel discussion provides context for the crime and violence problems in Chicago, and through two case studies, shows how social policy research carried out in close collaboration with city government can help a city make meaningful progress. Panellists from academia, social service, and city government discuss two innovative violence reduction programs, how researchers partnered with city agencies and frontline practitioners to co-produce rigorous evidence about their impact, and how these findings have steered policy, practice, and public funding in the third largest city in the U.S.
Commander Alex Murray, Metropolitan Police
Evelyn Diaz, Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights
Roseanna Ander, Chicago Crime Lab and Education Lab
Dr Sara Heller, University of Michigan
