Democracy and Public Policy Practice

The Democracy and Public Policy (DPP) practice was formed by consolidating UEI's two foremost practice areas in immigration and governance. This practice will feature critical research, scholarship, writing, policy work, and direct engagement with the changing landscape of democratic governance, the civil service, bureaucracy, human rights legislation, the federal government, social policy, and fiscal policy at the local and national level:

Leadership

The CGP Practice is spearheaded by engaged scholars and policy researchers from UEI. Their existing work captures critical discussions about New York City governance and policymaking:

Co-Director — Ishaan Barrett, Founding Partner and Principal (specialties: the civil service; funding and city council oversight; corruption and electoral politics; the Office of the Mayor)

Co-Director — Rohit Barrett, Senior Partner (specialities: data analytics and machine learning; economic policy; energy, climate change, and sustainability studies).

Practice Member — Faith Heffernan, Senior Partner (specialities: Refugee and Forced Migration, Urban Planning, MENA Regional Studies, Art History).

Working Papers and Policy Analyses

Current projects and papers in public policy

PCA Clustering and Topic Modeling of New York City PPRs Demonstrate Typological Differences in Content and Success Rate of DOI Interventions in City Governance

This research investigates policy and procedural recommendations (PPRs) in New York City governance using PCA cluster analysis and natural language processing (NLP).

The Urban Equity InstituteThe Urban Equity Institute

Contracting Trust in NYC: MOIA, City Council, and Overseeing Pro-Immigrant Services

In an era where cities shoulder an increasing responsibility for immigrant service provision, local agency funding and monitoring reveals as much about democratic accountability as congressional oversight patterns.

The Urban Equity InstituteThe Urban Equity Institute

Communication is Key: Instituting Reform in New York’s IDNYC-Mayoral Partnership for Immigrant New York

This paper analyzes NYC’s IDNYC-MOIA partnership through a principal-agent lens, revealing inefficiencies and proposing reforms—like increased communication and agency consolidation—to better serve immigrant communities.

The Urban Equity InstituteThe Urban Equity Institute

Immigration Executive Order Analysis Database

This page tracks and documents the ongoing executive orders (EOs) from the Trump Administraiton that impact immigration, migration, and human rights. This page will be updated regularly with new EOs at the bottom (chronologically) and older EOs at the top.

The Urban Equity InstituteThe Urban Equity Institute

The Laken Riley Act (S.5): Policy Analysis

This legislative summary and analysis of the Laken Riley Act (S.5) from the 119th Congress provides a general overview and quick dive into the language and implications of this new immigration-focused Senate bill.

The Urban Equity InstituteThe Urban Equity Institute

Featured Scholarship

Research papers by UEI Staff

The Language of Temporary Architecture, Immigration, Migration, and Asylum at Candler HERRC: Arabic and Spanish Linguistic Pragmatics in Translation

This paper will explore the nature of ephemeral urban spaces with special attention to the physical, linguistic, and political barriers that complexify the asylum and migrant experience for new arrivals in New York.

The Urban Equity InstituteIshaan Barrett

From “Stop the Boats” to “Smash the Gangs:” A Comparative Analysis of UK Public Policy on Immigration from 2022 to the Present

A comparative analysis of UK immigration policy from 2022–2025, this article reveals how both Conservative and Labour governments have embraced punitive, securitized approaches that criminalize asylum seekers under the guise of fairness and security.

The Urban Equity InstituteEmily Watson

The Impacts of Mass Migration: Case Study of the 2011 Somalia Famine

Using the 2011 Somalia famine as a case study, this essay explores the benefits and risks of migration, providing an overview of the famine and analyzing its implications for affected societies.

The Urban Equity InstituteFaith Heffernan