Insight Policy Research, Inc.

01/31/2024

We’ve moved! Our Westat Insight (formerly Insight Policy Research) team is now fully integrated into Westat. We are excited to be part of the family! You can continue to follow us and our efforts to improve lives through research at https://www.facebook.com/westat.hq

12/26/2023

Have you seen the newly released 2023 SNAP State Options Report from Food and Nutrition Service and Westat? This report outlines selected SNAP policy options and waivers states can choose from. These flexibilities enable States to adapt SNAP to best suit the needs of their eligible residents while protecting tax dollars and program integrity.
https://buff.ly/3v6KoD6
https://buff.ly/483T63E

12/19/2023

The Food and Nutrition Service just released the 2023 SNAP State Options Report developed in partnership with Westat’s food and nutrition experts.

States have flexibility in how they choose to operate SNAP. This means states can adapt SNAP to best serve their residents while promoting program integrity and tax stewardship. The report outlines selected policy options and waivers available to each state and includes a state-by-state summary of the options and waivers chosen in fiscal year 2023. By making use of these flexibilities, states can better meet the needs of their eligible households. No two states administer SNAP in the same way! See how your state compares in the 15th edition of the State Options Report.

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11/27/2023

FNS just released the most recent WIC Eligibility Estimates report developed by Westat Insight’s expert food and nutrition team. The study reports an average of 12.1 million moms, babies, and young children were eligible for WIC in 2021. However, only 51 percent (or 6.2 million of those who were eligible) actually participated. That means more than 6 million eligible people are missing out on WIC’s proven health benefits! This year’s report includes new estimates of eligible individuals by income level and urbanicity and nonparticipation rates among Medicaid and SNAP participants eligible for WIC. Looking for a quick summary of the key findings? Check out the new interactive graphics!
https://buff.ly/49XL1Pw.

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

11/17/2023

Learn more about how administrative data can be used to address pressing, policy-relevant questions. This brief (https://buff.ly/3tYxJl1), prepared by Westat Insight, discusses best practices for working with administrative data, using administrative data in visualizations, and principles of equity in administrative data.

11/15/2023

Interested in engaging community members in program evaluation? This brief (https://buff.ly/4718Una) prepared by Westat Insight for , explains how incorporating community representation will improve the quality of your work and the utility and use of your findings

11/13/2023

This bibliography, prepared by Westat Insight researcher Lila Gutuskey for , is a resource for anyone wishing to incorporate equity approaches throughout the research and evaluation process. This is for anyone who is seeking a deeper understanding of how to apply an equity lens when designing, conducting, and managing evaluation, technical assistance providers.

11/10/2023

Learn more about what it means to center equity and how to incorporate equity across program evaluation phases in this brief (https://buff.ly/466vY2J) prepared by Westat Insight Senior Researcher Lila Gutuskey for

11/08/2023

Attending the Fall Research Conference? Join Insight’s Mihovich on November 9 at 10:15 am at the panel on Institutional Responses to Child and Youth Housing Insecurity where her paper exploring the administration of the New Jersey Emergency Assistance program will be presented. https://buff.ly/463SIAf

11/08/2023

Interested in learning more about how to design and implement a program evaluation? The third edition of ’s Program Manager’s Guide to Evaluation (https://buff.ly/3SlzFOD), produced by Westat Insight, includes advances in methodology, data security, and culturally responsive and equitable evaluation. The guide provides an overview of program evaluation and discusses how to engage an evaluation team, prepare for and design an evaluation, gather credible evidence, and analyze data. The guide is supplemented with additional research and evaluation technical assistance resources that expand on select topics.

As with the first two editions of The Program Manager’s Guide to Evaluation, this updated edition explains what program evaluation is, why evaluation is important, how to conduct an evaluation and understand the results, how to report evaluation findings, and how to use evaluation results to impro...

11/07/2023

We were so excited to present findings on the use of robotic process automation in SNAP administration at the conference this year! Insight’s food and nutrition experts Kathy Wroblewska and Courtenay Kessler presented on use, motivations, barriers, and outcomes associated with robotic process automation from a recent SNAP report.
https://buff.ly/3tf8OJP.

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

11/07/2023

Interested in learning more about institutional responses to housing insecurity? Find Insight’s Mihovich at where her paper on the administration of the New Jersey Emergency Assistance program will be presented on November 9 at 10:15 am.

Housing is a known challenge for low-income families in the US, and despite inc...