Policy Outsider

On Monday, November 2nd at 5 p.m., the State of New York will implement a new unemployment insurance processing platform that will bring the unemployment process for individuals and businesses out of the '70s and into the modern age. To better understand what's at stake, Rockefeller Institute President Bob Megna interviews New York State Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon on this episode of Policy Outsider.GuestsRoberta Reardon, Commissioner, New York State Department of LaborRobert Megna, President, Rockefeller Institute of GovernmentLearn MoreUnemployment Services Upgrade | Department of Labor

On this episode of Policy Outsider, Institute on Immigrant Integration Research and Policy Executive Director Dina Refki interviews two attendees of the Global Refugee Forum Progress Review, a meeting supported by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The conversation explores the ideas exchanged at the conference and progress in global efforts to meet the needs of refugees.GuestsDiya Abdo, Lincoln Financial Professor of English, Guilford CollegeLourena Gboeah, Program Director, Upwardly Global New YorkDina Refki, Executive Director, Institute on Immigrant Integration Research and Policy

Education is a critical component of preventing firearm injuries and deaths. On this episode of Policy Outsider, we explore a program in Washington State that delivers to high school students an evidence-informed education on how to reduce firearm injury. The discussion explores what the curriculum covers, its reception in schools, and why it's so important to get this information to students. That conversation is up next.GuestsGregory Engel, Vice President for Education, Ceasefire NorthwestGreg Schwab, Assistant Superintendent, Edmonds School DistrictJaclyn Schildkraut, Executive Director, Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium, Rockefeller Institute of Government

Bridging the Divide on Firearm Policy is a coalition of stakeholders who represent many perspectives on firearms in America—gun owners, gun rights and Second Amendment activists, advocates for gun regulations, firearm dealers, firearm instructors, legislators; the list goes on. The goal of this coalition? To create a sustainable, broadly supported policy roadmap that improves gun violence prevention while protecting constitutional rights. On this episode of Policy Outsider, we explore the work of the group with Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium scholars Michael Siegel, the group's facilitator, and David Yamane, a member of the coalition.GuestsMichael Siegel, Professor, Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Tufts University School of MedicineDavid Yamane, Professor of Sociology, Wake Forest UniversityJaclyn Schildkraut, Executive Director, Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium, Rockefeller Institute of GovernmentLearn MoreBridging the Divide on Firearm PolicyBridging the Divide on Firearm Policy — February 2026 Policy Proposals

On Thursday, June 18, 2026, the US Supreme Court issued a ruling in US v. Hemani, a case with implications for the Second Amendment rights of cannabis users. On this episode of Policy Outsider, Rockefeller Institute resident cannabis policy expert Heather Trela explains how the justices ruled and what questions remain unanswered for drug-using firearm owners.GuestsHeather Trela, Director of Operations and Fellow, Rockefeller Institute of GovernmentLearn MoreGuns, Ganja, and Gavels—Five Things to Watch for in the Supreme Court’s US v Hemani Oral ArgumentsCircuit Breaker—Judicial Disconnect on Disarming Cannabis Users