Mathematica@50 Event Series

Join Mathematica and our partners for a series of events celebrating the proud history of our work to improve public well-being, and looking ahead to what’s next as we continue to unearth new insights to address the world’s social challenges. 

Events
  • Emerging Methods CIRE Forum
    Using Emerging Methods to Produce More Credible, Actionable Evidence for Policymakers

    Finding and interpreting relevant evidence can be a frustrating experience for many policymakers. Too often, decision makers have difficulty finding objective, actionable evidence related to a decision at hand. On June 20, Mathematica brought together leaders from across the federal policy community, academia, and nonprofits to discuss how emerging research methods are creating new opportunities to address these frustrations and use evidence to inform more decisions. The discussion covered advances in how better evidence can be generated and how it should be properly interpreted.

  • Paul Decker and others at the APPAM conference 2018
    40 Years of Evidence for Action at APPAM and in the Field

    In a special November 8 super session at APPAM’s 40th Fall Research Conference, APPAM president-elect Matt Stagner joined a roundtable discussion with industry CEOs who are working to apply insights from our modern data revolution to social science questions and challenges that have spanned generations. Abt Associates CEO Kathleen Flanagan, Impaq International CEO Avi Benus, Mathematica CEO Paul Decker, MDRC president Gordon Berlin, and Urban Institute President Sarah Rosen Wartell shared the most important lessons from their work to advance evidence-based policy, as well as the critical challenges and emerging trends in policy analysis and program improvement. 

  • Beyond the Great Society
    Beyond the Great Society: Creating Opportunity for All in the 21st Century

    Fifty years after President Lyndon Johnson launched his “Great Society” agenda, where do we stand when it comes to providing services, as well as economic and social mobility, to those in need? Between 1964 and 1968, President Johnson launched and implemented a huge range of social programs known as the “Great Society” agenda. Fast-forward fifty years, the form and efficacy of these programs are being questioned at every level of government. On October 2, Mathematica partnered with Government Executive and Route 50 to explore the future of these social programs and look at ideas for reform that are being tested across our nation, as well as the data behind them. 

  • Material Hardship & the Safety Net
    At the Intersection of Data Science and Social Science

    Attendees joined APPAM and Mathematica for this forum on the road ahead for data and social science, how to communicate more effectively when the lanes merge, and what this all means for uncovering insights to better-informed policies and programs that improve public well-being.

    The event on September 20, featured opening remarks from Paul Decker, president and CEO of Mathematica, and a moderated discussion with GovInnovator podcast host Andy Feldman, GovEx Director of Cities Sheila Dugan, Xavier Hughes, chief innovation officer, International City/County Management Association, Matt Salganik, professor of sociology, Princeton University and Will Yang, innovation and design consultant, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.