Press Release: The People Lab, focused on public sector research, joins the Taubman Center for State and Local Government

nim075 Tue, 07/07/2026 - 10:55 July 7, 2026 Today, The People Lab announced that it is joining the Taubman Center for State and Local Government, a research center at Harvard Kennedy School, focused on current and future public-sector leaders working to improve the governance of states, counties, cities, and towns in the United States. The People Lab empowers the public sector by producing cutting-edge research on the people of government and the communities they serve, using evidence from public management and insights from behavioral science. Its core mission is to study, design, and test strategies that solve urgent public-sector challenges in three areas: strengthening the government workforce, improving resident-government interactions, and reimagining evidence-based policymaking. “We’re excited to join the Taubman Center and continue building on our shared work in an official capacity,” said Emma Bloomberg Professor Elizabeth Linos, Faculty Director of The People Lab. “This move fits The People Lab’s strategic focus on producing research that solves challenges with and for public servants — where the Taubman Center has deep experience and connections.” Launched in 2017 at UC Berkeley, The People Lab has spearheaded influential research on key issues affecting the public sector, including how to reduce burnout among public safety professionals, how to reduce stigma around social safety net participation, and the role of AI in supporting policymaking. One of the Lab’s most recent core efforts, The Public Servant Project , aims to produce and translate meaningful data on public servants across the U.S. through a comprehensive research and policy hub. It includes quarterly data on how the American public view public servants, and Public Servant Pulse, a first-of-its-kind national people survey of state and local government employees, which will glean insights to better support the more than 22 million public servants countrywide. “We’re thrilled to welcome The People Lab to the Taubman Center where we have been able to foster research, teaching, and hands-on projects on many issues that state and local government leaders are grappling with today,” said Jeffrey Liebman, Director of the Taubman Center and Robert W. Scrivner Professor of Public Policy. “Professor Linos has done pioneering field experiments inside government organizations and brings a team with strong technical expertise and a deep commitment to improving outcomes through research.” The People Lab joins the Taubman Center’s existing ecosystem of labs and initiatives, which includes the Government Performance Lab , Harvard Impact Labs , Program on Education Policy and Governance , and Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston . To learn more about The People Lab, visit: To learn more about the Taubman Center, visit: Press Release: The People Lab, focused on public sector research, joins the Taubman Center for State and Local Government Contact Nicole Morell, Director of Communications