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Welcome to CPI.
Commonwealth Policy Institute
The university powered Think-Tank developing innovative, evidence-based, and nonpartisan solutions for the Commonwealth. Founded with resolutions of the KY House & Senate.
Our Centers
The core work of the Commonwealth Policy Coalition is accomplished from founding new centers with one or more cohorts focused on crafting a particular new solution. Centers include faculty counsel and university chapter Associates & Fellows serving as team members or leaders. Centers are often small, but tactically focused on crafting new innovative solutions highly tailored to the evidence they collect.
In recent years, CPC has housed three active centers: the Center for Environmental & Sustainable Development, Center for Healthcare Disparities, and Center for Rights, Liberties, and Equity.
Under the theme of each center, a coalition of feedback and collaboration is born between university-based research partners, stakeholders in each focus area, policymakers and government officials, to craft new Kentucky-centric policy options intended to solve key issues in the field and capture future opportunity.
From the process of creating these uniquely tailored solutions for the Commonwealth, each year new policy recommendations tied to the state level are considered from a broader lens to create unique "trickle up" policies at a Congressional level. Likewise, the Congressional Summit also provides "trickle down" insight for new policies or implementation strategies at more local level in the Commonwealth.
Visit our Publications page to review the policy output of our centers, and our Members & Organization page to see those involved.
The CESD is an interdisciplinary center that hosts policy projects pertaining to the Commonwealth and nation's sustainability and environmental issues. Current and past projects hosted in this center include research involving the management of waste from bourbon & brewing, agricultural net metering & power purchasing, and agricultural economic empowerment zones.
The CHD works to address complex healthcare policy issues such as rural healthcare workforce development, the preceptor shortage throughout Kentucky, disparities in healthcare access amongst communities, and enhancing educational opportunities for medical students to ensure the next generation of providers. Current and past policy projects hosted within the CHD include a geographically targeted preceptor tax incentive program using HPSAs, and a revised state loan repayment program to reward rural medical practitioners who have stayed in their communities.
The CRLE develops nonpartisan policies to better-ensure the rights and liberties of all Kentuckians, and works to promote equity through its solutions. Current projects hosted within this center include proposed amendments for increased transparency and added gentrification protection surrounding the new Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district in the West end of Louisville and improve community connection to the West End Opportunity Partnership board, a state + federal policymaker strategy to pressure passenger rail development for improve equitable transportation access between Louisville to Nashville and establishing Louisville as an Amtrak light rail service hub, and retro-fitting Ohio legislation to Kentucky for improved highway safetey corridors which help to protect a right to life.