The Urban Politics Lab conducts research on how local governments shape racial equity, democratic accountability, and public responsiveness in American cities.

We are a collaborative research team based in the Department of Politics at New York University and led by Professor Bryant Moy. Our work draws on original data collection, experimental design, and descriptive and causal inference to understand how institutions like policing, housing, and local elections operate in multiracial urban democracies.

We conduct empirical research across five core areas: Discriminatory Institutions & Historical Redress, Local Government Accountability & Responsiveness; Local Elections & Candidate Emergence; Policing, Oversight & Public Safety; Housing & Land-Use Politics.