Tulane students conduct real-world research for New Orleans policymakers

The word "government" may conjure up images of Washington, D.C., or the state capitol. But the policies and decisions of local government can have an often underappreciated impact on daily life, from the city streets we drive on to the city water we drink.

This summer, Brian Brox, associate professor of political science in the School of Liberal Arts, paired students in his Policy-Making Research Shop class with New Orleans elected officials. The students gained hands-on experience in local government by using a variety of sources - including property records, scholarly articles and the budgets of other cities - to develop policy briefs that helped leaders understand problems better and choose among realistic solutions.

Students focused on a wide breadth of topics, from efforts to involve residents more in the development of the city budget to creating paths to homeownership for renters.

Summer is the perfect time for the course, as it tends to be less busy for the officials the students are paired with, Brox said. He helps prepare students for the work from start to finish, from finding sources for the data they use to communicating their findings.

"For a lot of students, they're familiar with the idea of a brief, but they have never actually contacted policymakers," Brox said. "So, we cover things like how you would secure interviews. And once you get an interview, how you would generate conversation and record information."

The research students conduct in the class is unique in that it underpins the real work elected officials are doing.

"The students will know more about public policy, not just because they've read my readings and attended my lecture but because they've actually helped craft public policy," Brox said. "Yet, they can't write that brief until they learn how in the classroom."

For Andrew Worley, an environmental studies and political economy major in the School of Liberal Arts, the impact of the work he's doing for the class is as rewarding as a good grade.

"I think that adds an element that's particularly engaging for me and why I've been super excited for this class," said Worley. "You're not writing a paper just to turn in; you're doing something very real."

After weeks of poring over articles and records while comparing New Orleans to cities around the country, the students shared their research with councilmembers. This year, one group had the chance to showcase their work on a bigger stage: in the New Orleans City Council Chambers.

"This class has been all about learning a process that we are applying to the real world while still in class," said William Kesterson, a political science major in the School of Liberal Arts who presented a brief with his group during a public meeting at New Orleans City Hall.

"It's been the most unique class I have taken at Tulane, and I am so thankful I was able to take it and gain valuable knowledge about policy," he said.

Kesterson's experience fulfills Brox's goal of centering the course around service learning.

"The purpose of service learning is that the classroom instruction should prepare them for the service. But the service should also come back and enrich, complement and augment what's happening in the classroom," Brox said.