Civil & Government Systems

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Our work includes program evaluations and data analysis related to government systems planning, processes, and communication. Related to Center public engagement and emergency response consultation, Center staff have facilitated multi-agency efforts to develop and present more effective messaging. Center projects focusing on civil and government systems include work with various agencies to improve processes and enhance accessibility. Recent projects include:

Equitable Access to Justice

This project builds on the Community Engagement in the State Courts Initiative, which was a collaboration of the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) and the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center. With funding from the State Justice Institute (SJI), the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) initiated six pilot projects to learn more about how courts can best engage the public to overcome social inequities and bias in the court system and build trust between various publics and the courts. Listening sessions and an online survey were conducted with court and civic leaders active in efforts to reduce racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and other forms of bias in the courts. These efforts culminated in the production of the ENGAGE! Toolkit. Visit the National Center for State Courts website to learn more or read about the project.

This Equitable Access to Civil Justice planning grant unites and expands an interdisciplinary team uniquely capable of leveraging multi-method scholarship with the objective of reducing the civil justice gap. This team will continue developing a Catalyst Idea around an open-access knowledge hub that promotes scholarly inquiry and social change to increase access to civil justice, especially for underserved communities. This effort will require a pioneering consortium of scholars, practitioners, and community members to curate and analyze complex data (e.g., developing models and indexes) and integrate that data with compelling lived experiences (e.g., storytelling), and policy work together on an accessible and interactive online platform.

Workforce Development with the City of Lincoln

The University of Nebraska Public Policy Center (NUPPC), in collaboration with the City of Lincoln and the Workforce Development grantees, evaluates the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funded workforce development programs. The NUPPC works with grantees to ensure they are tracking data that reports on outcomes such as the achievement of a credential, job attainment or improvement, income improvement, and demographic data. These workforce development programs are available across multiple locations in Lincoln and give community members an opportunity to increase their career skills. Visit the City of Lincoln’s website for more information on these programs.

NE Climate Pollution Reduction Implementation Grant

The University of Nebraska Public Policy Center (NUPPC) gathered feedback from identified interested parties in collaboration with the Nebraska Department of Energy & Environment (NDEE) to inform the development of the Nebraska Climate Pollution Reduction Priority Plan. The NUPPC assists in writing grants such as the Nebraska Climate Pollution Reduction Planning Grant submission to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) included in this project. The Environmental Protection Agency awarded $307 million to Nebraska to reduce climate pollution, the largest federal grant ever given to the Department of Environment and Energy. The state is continuing to develop a comprehensive action plan to address emission reductions through 2050. That plan is due in August 2025.

Services

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Conference & Training Facilitation

For many of our active projects, our staff plan and execute conferences, workshops, and seminars of all sizes, virtual and in-person. This includes event management, technology recommendations, graphic design, communications, and accommodations for in-person and remote-hosted events. Additionally, staff are experienced in managing all logistics for virtual and in-person events. The University of Nebraska Public Policy Center is an approved continuing education sponsor through the American Psychological Association (APA). This means we can facilitate psychologists’ access to continuing education that meets APA standards.

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Grant Development & Management

We pursue and manage funding opportunities to support policy-related initiatives. Center researchers garner both public and private funding at the local, state, and national levels for applied and translational research grants. We work closely with partners to identify funding opportunities, develop grant and contract proposal narratives, create budgets and timelines, execute agreements, manage grant funds in accordance with funder requirements, and submit required fiscal and programmatic reporting.

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Program Design and Evaluation

Center research staff routinely conduct program evaluations in partnership with stakeholders to define questions, plan activities, interpret results, and use findings to recommend and implement changes. We use quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods techniques appropriate to the project. Our programmatic capabilities include survey design, interviews, focus groups, mapping geographic data, overall data analysis, and report preparation.

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Project Management, Strategic Planning & Consulting

Our researchers bring high-level management expertise to projects for all kinds of organizations. We bring research-based insights to executive decision-making, develop organizational structures to achieve desired results; assist with communication planning, agenda setting and creating necessary informational materials; implement research plans; and guide open communication among stakeholders. Our researchers are trained in facilitation and regularly lead stakeholders through strategic planning, problem definition, and consensus-building, as well as discovering organizational priorities, setting goals, and creating action plans.

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Scholarly Research

Our approach is rooted in academic-oriented inquiry and investigation. We provide basic research products for partners such as high-quality and easy-to-understand literature reviews, white papers, and briefing papers. Our researchers come from diverse disciplines, including: Business, Economics, Family and Consumer Sciences, Law, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology. 

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Stakeholder Engagement & Outreach

We work with stakeholders to design and execute customized frameworks. This includes determining the breadth, length, location, and timing of facilitated events; identifying participants; collecting data from participants throughout the planning or engagement process; creating opportunities for feedback and debriefing; and producing draft and final products based on results. In addition, many of our staff consult with outside organizations and conduct professional presentations on a variety of issues.