Research & Analytics

Bridging the gap between research and reality by developing plain-spoken, action-oriented materials and building meaningful peer connections among government staff, nonprofit professionals, and academics.

Around the globe, researchers are making discoveries and developing technologies with the potential to improve the public’s health and well-being. But all too often, there is a disconnect between that research and its application in the public sphere. We aim to bridge that gap by supporting governments and nonprofits in using research findings and methods to improve their policies and programs. While this may seem daunting, our collaborative approach makes it possible through peer learning and action-oriented tools and resources.

Analytics Technical Assistance

Our team works directly with city halls across the globe, providing hands-on analytics coaching and training. We teach staff how to explore and understand complex data systems, extracting insights that can be used to improve governance. We help analytics teams create data pipelines to support performance management programs. We also work with city data scientists to carry out advanced analytics projects, cooperatively building machine learning models to optimize city services from an equitable and ethical perspective.

Web Application Development

Our team turns complex, disparate, and disorganized data into clear, accessible resources for the general public, the media, and public sector practitioners. We develop data ingestion pipelines to automate data acquisition to ensure the web applications we create have the most accurate and up-to-date data available.. Those pipelines support custom-built data visualizations that we combine with subject matter expertise to contextualize the data. Everything is then packaged within an easy-to-navigate user interface to create an engaging, informative experience for exploring complex data to make personal and policy decisions.

Research Translation

We are constantly nurturing and growing an expansive network of researchers and subject matter experts on diverse fields, both internal and external to JHU. The GovEx Analytics and Research team bridges the disappointingly wide gap between cutting edge research and civil operations by translating research findings into actionable information. We serve as liaison-translators connecting citizens, researchers, and policymakers and ensuring they can understand each other. We have relationships with public health experts that have driven the national response to COVID-19, award-winning and field-defining faculty and subject matter experts, and public servants with rich experience on the national, state, and local levels.

Management of Communities of Practice

We believe that the lessons learned through our work with cities have extensive opportunities for application elsewhere. For that reason, we have endeavored to establish and manage communities of practice where practitioners can exchange experiences, information, and resources focused on improving services using data. The goal of data-driven governance is to improve quality-of-life for citizens, and these communities are another resource for our partners to do just that. These are spaces for civil servants to communicate, learn, and come together to build products that work across cities.

Original Research

In addition to synthesizing, analyzing, and presenting existing data, our team undertakes original research projects. These projects are intended to deepen our understanding of topics relevant to public policy leaders, their citizens, and society. We can also evaluate the direct experiences of residents and the effects of policy and program activities to better inform future endeavors and focuses for city engagement. We routinely design and develop research utilizing a variety of methods, analyses (both qualitative and quantitative), and data collection instruments (including surveys, interviews, focus groups, and document analysis). Our in-house team performs all coding, analysis, and reporting, which has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals and news sources, some of which are highlighted below.

Publications

Food System Resilience: A Planning Guide for Local Governments

This planning guide is aimed at helping local governments build food system resilience in a way that promotes equitable and just food systems.

Why Data Must Drive Decisions in Government

It’s not a matter of whether data-driven government can create the best solutions to society’s problems; it’s a matter of how soon different governments will embrace the idea and reap the benefits.

Alright, Don't Pack It Up Folks

New surveillance and reporting methods implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic need to be funded and enhanced.

The Missing COVID-19 Demographic Data

A Statewide Analysis of COVID-19–Related Demographic Data From Local Government Sources and a Comparison With Federal Public Surveillance Data

Building the Data City of the Future

This article examines government’s opportunities and challenges as it relates to the use of data as the key strategy to prepare cities for the future.

Covid-19 Data Is a Mess. We Need a Way to Make Sense of It.

Our Johns Hopkins University Centers for Civic Impact Executive Director Beth Blauer along with Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo, associate professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, wrote an op-ed in The New York Times on November 23, 2020.

Disparities in SARS-CoV-2 Testing for Hispanic/Latino Populations: An Analysis of State-Published Demographic Data

Racial and ethnic minorities in the United States have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, experiencing increased risk of infection, hospitalization, and death.

Collecting Comorbidity Data to Identify Covid-19 Correlations

Comorbidity data is critical to better design treatments, craft health policy and response strategies, and aid in patient care for those infected by SARS-CoV-2. If they aren’t already, States should begin producing, using and sharing this data.

Immerse yourself in an interactive global health data experience presented by @JohnsHopkins and SNF at this year's #snfnostoshealth! https://t.co/0XLuY7CMs9
? GIF of circles expanding to show the prevalence of Covid-19 cases during the Omicron wave of the pandemic. pic.twitter.com/3bVBPHLKnT
— Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) (@SNForg) June 21, 2022