US and Massachusetts Social and Health Policy Datasets 

To request download(s) or if you have questions about the dataset, please submit the Download Request Form. 

Studying the relationships between social conditions and health outcomes is a critical focus of social science research. However, whether examining the effects of specific policy options or independent interventions, researchers must account for a complex policy environment that is in constant flux. This challenge became particularly pronounced with the rapid policy changes that came in response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, as well as with the subsequent rollbacks and evolutions of these policy changes.  

This site presents a collection of resources designed to provide information about pandemic-era policies and empirical indicators across four domains: Public Health, Healthcare Delivery, Social Welfare and Economics. Our intention is to foster social policy researchers' ability to investigate and/or adjust for the impacts of these changes and legislative activity across the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Additionally, we offer a more localized dataset that presents pandemic-era policies and empirical indicators for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  Altogether, the collection includes: 

• The U.S. Social and Health Policy Dataset with corresponding data dictionary and technical documentation. 

• The Massachusetts Social and Health Policy Dataset with corresponding data dictionary and technical documentation. 

• A set of science posters authored by Brandeis student research assistants affiliated with the studies.