The Policy Research Collaborative is an interdisciplinary, applied research and technical assistance center, housed in the Office of Student Research at Roosevelt University, working with community partners to address social inequities and strengthen communities through transformative policy research and advocacy.
Since 1945, Roosevelt University has promoted mutual understanding, inclusion, social consciousness, and action through engagement with metropolitan Chicago as both a laboratory for learning and as an expression of its commitment to social justice.
Created in 2014, the Policy Research Collaborative draws upon Roosevelt University’s rich history of engaged scholarship and experiential learning by creating opportunities for community partners and stakeholders to lead and advance transformational policy change toward an equitable and just society.
The Collaborative is committed to a community-based, collaborative research model to inform evidence-based policy solutions. Using a team-based approach that promotes inclusion, collaboration, and reciprocal learning, the Collaborative links research and advocacy to transform structures of inequity and injustice. In partnership with community stakeholders and policymakers, we formulate proposals, create budgets, and coordinate research teams to conduct applied research that strengthens communities. The Collaborative builds capacity with our partners to understand and address complex and interdisciplinary policy issues including racial and ethnic equity, housing and economic mobility, health justice and youth development.
The Collaborative is devoted to working toward the public good and frames our research and advocacy efforts together with community partners, policymakers, and other stakeholders. By convening policymakers and community partners and building relationships between diverse stakeholders to conduct applied research, the Collaborative reimagines traditional approaches to policy development, implementation, and evaluation. We cultivate a platform for long-term relationships and practice knowledge sharing throughout our research and advocacy initiatives to support our community partners in advancing their own visions for policy innovation at all scales.
The Collaborative integrates students and faculty into our research efforts and provides training and professional development through our experiential learning initiatives. We are committed to investing in meaningful relationship building and offer a broad range of programming for Roosevelt students and faculty, community partners, and the public.