NC Center for Public Policy Research

The North Carolina Center for Public Policy Research is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to the goals of a better-informed public and a more effective, accountable, and responsive government. The Center identifies public policy issues facing North Carolina and enriches the dialogue among citizens, the media, and policymakers. Based on our research, the Center makes recommendations for improving the way government serves the people of this state. In all our efforts, the Center values (a) reliable and objective research as a basis for analyzing public policy; (b) independence from partisan bias and political ideology; (c) the richness of the state’s diverse population, and (d) a belief in the importance of citizen involvement in public life.

The N.C. Center for Public Policy Research was founded in 1977 and is still one of only six independent, state-level policy centers in the country. Our founders believed that most of the important issues in future decades would be decided at the state level, and they’ve been proved right over the 30 years of our existence. The Center is governed by a 23-member Board of Directors set up to mirror the population of North Carolina in its proportions of men and women; African Americans, Native Americans, Caucasians, and Hispanics; Democrats, Republicans, and Independents; from the east, west, and Piedmont. With our Board of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, there are no sacred cows in what we should study, and there are no predetermined results.