Research Library

From an early age, children spend many hours interacting with screens: phones, tablets, and laptops. A new policy brief from the Child Health Policy Program explains the importance of unstructured free play for healthy child development and recommends four policy approaches to reduce screen time and ensure children’s well-being in the digital age.

The number of children walking and biking to school has been in decline for more than 50 years, yet associated death and injury rates remain high. In a new brief, nonresident fellow Zoabe Hafeez and co-author Shruti Natarajan review child pedestrian and bicyclist injuries in Houston, analyzing the worst hotspots and identifying how infrastructure improvements can have outsized benefits.

In a new brief, McClain Sampson, fellow in Maternal and Reproductive Health, and co-author Priscilla P. Kennedy summarize how the recent Texas Medicaid and CHIP extension will benefit families and explore the expected impacts of this extension.

Turkey currently hosts nearly 4 million refugees — predominantly Syrians who have fled their country’s civil war. Ensuring adequate legal protection for those seeking asylum and improving the capacity of Turkish institutions and civil society organizations to serve those in need is vital. This policy brief, based on a conversation with Refugee Solidarity Network founder and director Zaid Hydari, explains how domestic and international bodies can support the many refugees in Turkey.

Prioritizing the safety and capacity of reconstruction workers can speed up the disaster recovery process and make communities more resilient to future hazards, write Drs. William Brett Perkison and Bill Christian, researchers at UTHealth Houston.

This policy brief explores the dangerous potential of neuroweapons, the need for a “Neuroshield” to protect democracies from the risks of disinformation, the implications of brain-computer interfaces and other national security considerations related to brain health.

Economic security has become a top priority for the West following the disruptions caused by COVID-19, the Russia-Ukraine war and the growing threat of China. Could investing in brain capital help build more resilient economies?

How can advocates move the needle on immigration reform? Engaging policymakers through storytelling and combating misinformation are key, according to the American Psychological Association's Katherine B. McGuire.

Biden's new Welcome Corps program enables regular Americans to sponsor refugees. In this brief, Kelsey Norman and Ana Martin Gil outline a conversation with Craig Damian Smith, co-founder of Pairity, on the Canadian model for private refugee sponsorship and how it can inform the U.S. context.

Regulating firearms under the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA) — just like any other product — could enhance their safety, writes fellow Sandra McKay. She explains how the CPSA could investigate misfirings and require safety information to be distributed with every gun sale.