The Hobby Center for Public Policy (HCPP) is dedicated to providing scientific,
non-biased data and analysis to public officials, business professionals,
community leaders and residents throughout Houston and the state of Texas.
Led by HCPP Director Dr Jim Granato, the research orientation of the HCPP is interdisciplinary with particular emphasis on unifying case-study, formal/mathematical modeling, and applied statistical/experimental approaches to any research question. For example, research work teams are being created to include faculty from a variety of disciplines and universities. These research clusters will focus on a diverse array of important public policy and academic issues while archiving data, conducting statistical analysis, using experiments and computer simulations, and developing working papers. The issue may be education, transportation, energy or a myriad of others but the approach will always use objective methods of analysis.
The Concept Visualization Lab (CVL)
The Concept Visualization Lab creates
multi-dimensional visualizations and proto-types to display research
findings in dynamic and interactive graphics. Custom designed for each
project, the specialized software is available for free to the public. Whether it is a state-wide study or an examination of a local
issue, the CVL visualizations can make data come alive.
Learn more about CVL and make
a reservation to view a demonstration.
Energy Management and Policy Group (EMAP).
EMAP is an interdisciplinary group whose research addresses academics as well as policy makers in business and government. In our work, "energy management" includes the assurance of adequate supplies, more efficient use of energy, the balancing of energy/environmental demands, and the development of new sources of energy. "Energy policy" includes public policy, business strategy, and the coordination of the two. Recent debates of our energy future stress the need for a transition from fossil fuels to other energy sources that produce less greenhouse gases. Given the scale of global energy use and the dominance of fossil fuels in the current energy mix, however, they will remain important for generations. Indeed, natural gas seems likely to serve as a "bridge fuel" to any alternative fuel that might grow large enough to make a difference in global energy supply. The location of the University of Houston in the petroleum capital of the world makes it a logical place to study the long transition away from fossil fuels with an emphasis on the management and policy issues facing oil and natural gas. The EMAP Group is organized around five major centers and programs on the University of Houston campus: (1) Global Energy Management Institute in the Bauer College of Business. (2) Energy, Environment, Natural Resources and Center in the Law Center. (3) Center for Public History in the history department. (4) Hobby Center for Public Policy in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, and (5) Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics (TIMES) a university-wide research institute with strong ties to the psychology department. Learn more about UH Energy.
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Hobby Center Director to Lead Research for Greater Houston NGVA
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2010 Needs Assessment Survey Report to the City of Houston and Community Development Department
The City of Houston Housing and Community Development Department contracted with the University of Houston’s Hobby Center for Public Policy to administer and analyze the results of a citywide Needs Assessment Survey as part of its 2010-2014 Five-Year Consolidated Plan. The Consolidated Plan is a five year plan required by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that serves as a comprehensive strategy to address the needs of low and moderate income residents in the City of Houston. The plan identifies community needs and provides a strategy to address those needs using Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME, ESG and HOPWA funds as well as other City and federal resources. Learn more about this Needs Assessment survey.
Report to the Interagency Coordinating Council for Building Healthy Families (ICC) & the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS)
The Office of Community Projects (OCP) at the UH Graduate College of Social Work, in collaboration with the Hobby Center for Public Policy conducted an evaluation on the effectiveness and efficiency of Texas’s publicly funded child abuse/neglect prevention and early intervention services. Financial structures, efficiency, outcomes, program development and quality assurance were examined. This evaluation will help provide the ICC with an analysis of the current status of the prevention programs and services and to offer specific options and methods for maximizing prevention services. Read the full report to the ICC & DFPS.
Governor Bill Hobby Discusses U.S. Census History and the Texas Political Atlas
Former Lieutenant Governor Bill Hobby talks about the history of the U.S. Census, apportionment, redistricting and also explains what makes Texas an urban state and how demographics affect voting.
Community-Based Participatory Research Workshop: Challenges and Solutions for Researchers and Community Leaders
The University of Houston's Hobby Center for Public Policy co-hosted a community research workshop on April 10, 2009. The one day workshop brought academics, applied practitioners and community advocates together to discuss the most effective ways to conduct research within a community, particularly with hard to reach populations. The Workshop was sponsored by the Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics (JERHRE), the Hobby Center for Public Policy, and the Community-Campus Partnerships for Health.
UH Moment: "Hobby Center for Public Policy"
Houston is a microcosm of the world. Researchers at the University of
Houston's Hobby Center for Public Policy find what happens here is an indication of
what may happen across the country or around the world.
Listen to Dr. Granato talk about it with KUHF 88.7 FM in this UH Moment.
Hobby Center for Public Policy Survey of Texas Lottery Players Finds
Steady Participation
The primary goal of the Hobby Center for Public Policy's (HCPP) demographic study for the Texas Lottery Commission is to provide a snapshot of who is most likely to engage in the state's lottery games. The 2009 survey marks the third consecutive year the HCPP has completed the study.
Read the media release about the HCPP Survey of Texas Lottery Players.
Learn more by reading the 2009 report. If you want to compare the findings to previous years, review the 2008 report and 2007 report. Led by Dr. Timothy Hellwig, the 2008 results were similar to many of the 2007 findings, with a few exceptions. “The 2008 survey found an overall participation rate of 38.82 percent compared to 38.47 percent the previous year,” said HCPP Director Jim Granato. “This stable rate of participation marks the first time in recent years that the participation rate did not decline."
Hobby Center for Public Policy to Study Houston Housing Market, Foreclosure
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The University of Houston's Hobby Center for Public Policy is the recipient of a grant from the National Science Foundation to study Houston's regional housing market, particularly significant in the wake of the nation's crisis in leading financial institutions. Read more about this grant and the project to be done in partnership with the UH Institute for Regional Forecasting (IRF) to help create a comprehensive Houston area real estate database. Read an article about this grant by The Daily Cougar and the Houston Business Journal.
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Jim Granato on Public Policy and the Current Financial Crisis
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The presidential elections are about two weeks away, but it seems the top issue on the minds of the American people these days is not so much presidential politics as it is their personal pocketbooks. The present financial crisis and how public policy contributed to it is the subject. *Viewed best with QuickTime 7 |
Faculty Researchers Discuss Obama Election
The election of Barack Obama as the nation's 44th president was the topic of discussion with three CLASS researchers in the departments of Political Science and History. Watch this discussion* that ranges from voter motivation to a look at the economic policies at the time of the Great Depression and the lessons they hold for us and for the new Obama administration.
*Best viewed with QuickTime 7
Study of HPD's Taser Use Now Released: What Do the Statistics Say?
In
2007, the City of Houston assembled a team of experts to examine the use of Conductive Energy
Devices (also known as Tasers or stun guns) by the Houston Police Department.
Charged with the statistical analysis, the Hobby Center for Public
Policy reviewed the CED deployments occurring between December
2004 and June 30, 2007. What do the
statistics tell us? Do patterns of CED use emerge? Do CEDs reduce injuries or deaths to officers and citizens?
Find out more about the study and the interactive visualization tool.
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For Students, Professors and Political Junkies
Everywhere:
An Interactive Visualization of Texas Voters and the 2004 Presidential Election |
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To take a look at the 2008 presidential election in Texas, the Hobby Center for Public Policy has developed an innovative tool to analyze voting results with numerous demographic variables as determined by the U.S. Census. Users can select their variables of interest and virtually see and compare results instantly. Download the free software to start your analysis!
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The Hobby Center for Public Policy Looks at Texas Lottery Players...
and You Can Too!
The
primary goal of the Hobby Center for Public Policy's (HCPP)
demographic study
for the Texas Lottery Commission is to
provide a snapshot of who is most likely to engage in the Texas Lottery games.
To capture the demographics of both players and non-players, the HCPP surveyed
1,702 Texas citizens between mid-September and early October of 2007.
The HCPP study incorporates an innovative interactive geographic feature that the online viewer can use to dig deeper into areas of individual interest. For example, if you interested in finding out how many females living in the San Antonio area play the Texas Lottery—or any other combination of demographic data and survey responses— you can do so by downloading the customized software and data. Learn more by trying it out yourself.
HCPP Considers a Panel Study on Houston
The
Hobby Center for Public Policy (HCPP) has
received $130,000 in seed money from Houston Endowment to consider a
way that better investigates the long-term economic, social and
behavioral dynamics of the Houston region.
National and local
experts met on March 21-22, 2008 to discuss the intricacies of a
Houston panel study.
Survey Methodology: New Developments
Exploring new methods for collecting survey data— rather than by traditional means such as the telephone — is a big challenge today. Dr. Harold Clarke and Dr. Marianne Stewart of the University of Texas-Dallas recently visited UH to discuss new developments in survey methodology (survey “mode”). Read the transcript, political analysis paper and view their PowerPoint presentation.
Just How Do Those College Rankings Really Work?
This year about 100,000 college-bound students will graduate from Texas high schools. They will visit campuses, take PSAT and SAT tests, consult the U. S. News and World Report (USN&WR) rankings, and fill out maybe 250,000 applications. The students and their parents (300,000 people) will check their mailboxes and e-mail millions of times to get the results.
Getting into college takes up a lot of time in the last two years of high school.
USN&WR’s “America’s Best Colleges” issue is their swimsuit issue—academic cheesecake.
Presidents and governing boards consider the rankings and hire consultants to improve them.
Bill Hobby and Jim Granato analyzed the various factors used in this widely read ranking system.
Learn how the rankings work by viewing the study.
