Who We Are News and Trends Knowledgebase Grants U.S. Programming U.S. Initiatives . The Urban Institute is a nonprofit policy research organization established in 1968. The staff investigates the social and economic problems confronting the nation, as well as the government policies and public and private programs designed to alleviate them. The project, conducted by Urban Institute in collaboration with CT, Inc., monitors changes in income support, social services, and health programs.
Researchers also measure change in child and family well-being.
When possible, links between policy and outcome are identified. Subjects studied by ANF are cash assistance, Medicaid, managed care, child care, child welfare, long-term care, immigration, state budget, housing and other safety net programs. The state data base includes longitudinal data on close to 700 variables for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. It is available through the Urban Institute's Web site, and it is updated regularly. The information can be used to compare states with each other or with the nation as a whole, to track trends over time, or to analyze relationships among state characteristics.