The Civic Research Agenda
Government is best which is closest to the people
– Lyndon B. Johnson
The Civic Research Agenda is a culmination of several years of study, partnerships, and intelligence gathering that is the first comprehensive reporting on the priority research needs of American cities and counties. It considers the demand and supply of research: what are the priority research needs and knowledge gaps of local governments, and how can research outputs better serve that audience to improve or create impact?
About the project
Local government and universities are critical to our communities. How do they work together? How can they support each other? How can we think differently about their relationship to one another – moving beyond big employers and land users to thinking about the fruits and labors of what the research community can do for local policy making.
The Civic Research Agenda is a multi-year, multi-partner study that is the first comprehensive reporting on the priority research needs of U.S. cities and counties. FAS has asked local governments directly about their research needs and pressing knowledge gaps that, if addressed, would help address their priority challenges and goals. It also provides an analysis of the supply side barriers (and recommendations) that will connect research to impact.
This report provides…
- research questions that are in demand by local governments; and
- specific recommendations for local governments and universities to improve and grow the research-to-impact pipeline for one simple purpose: make research actionable, understandable, and accessible to communities across the country.
The policies, market forces, financing tools, and service systems that shape the availability, affordability, quality, and stability of homes within a community.
The policies and strategies local governments use to strengthen economic opportunity, fiscal health, and long-term community prosperity.
The policy domains that shape residents’ health, development, stability, and safety.
The local government policies, tools, and strategies that address climate mitigation, climate adaptation, environmental quality, and energy systems.
The local government systems, infrastructure, technologies, and policies that shape how people and goods move within and across communities.
The local government policies, practices, tools, and partnerships used to communicate with residents, build trust, gather representative input, and incorporate community perspectives into decision-making.
The systems, workforce, data infrastructure, technology, financial management, and operational practices through which local governments administer public services.
What impact can come from a list of priority knowledge gaps if no action is taken, or if the research is conducted but is not given to an individual or institution who can use it?
Get in touch
If you are in the research community and have a report or publication addressing a specific question listed that has been published after March 2025, please fill out this form. FAS aims to support this community and support the responses/answers to this report will include it in a repository.