We believe that a community of creative problem-solvers, faced with complicated, seemingly intractable challenges, is well-served by thought-provoking, research-based information and analysis. We support the development and dissemination of research in two ways:
Abell Reports are commissioned reports by subject matter experts, academics, and investigative journalists that provide studies of selected issues on the public agenda.
These projects – undertaken with grant funding by academics and nonprofit research and advocacy organizations – advance learning on issues key to Baltimore City.
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In 2017, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a consent decree for the Baltimore Police Department, mandating wide-ranging reforms. In a pair of companion reports, researchers from the University of Maryland examine the current state of community-police relations and how certain initiatives could help to improve them.
Eviction prevention programs, which cover up to three months of past-due rent, are a cost-effective way to stabilize families, pay landlords, and reduce costs to the state. This report examines two different scenarios that would prevent disruptive displacements.
Ten years ago, Maryland’s legislature passed a bill to expedite utilities’ replacement of their natural gas pipes in the name of safety. Since then, Maryland has adopted ambitious climate goals that will require the near elimination of natural gas use in homes by 2045. Yet the state continues to allow utilities to invest billions in replacing pipes, which consumers will have to pay for — with a profit for the utilities — for decades to come.
An Abell-funded report by the Maryland Center on Economic Policy that examines the role of funding formulas in increasing equity.
Hemp offers opportunities for new products, good jobs, and wellness. It can replenish our soils; reduce our dependence on pesticides that harm rivers and streams, the air, and bee populations; and save much needed water, especially as droughts become more common with climate change.
In response to unprecedented rates of overdose deaths, enduring morbidities associated with drug use, and the failed war on drugs, there has been increased interest in the U.S. in creative and effective interventions aimed to reduce harm to drug users and the broader community.
Community benefit requirements coupled with Maryland’s new hospital payment system provide a powerful incentive for hospitals to invest in new strategies to address community health needs.
For successfully recruiting, training, certifying, and retaining highly effective teachers committed to teaching in Baltimore City Public Schools.
Header photo courtesy of Venture for America.