Galloway, N.J. —The William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University launched a new podcast series today titled “Hughes Center Conversations,” a forum to discuss important policy issues that impact New Jerseyans.

Host and Hughes Center Director of Research Alyssa Maurice sits down with various experts to dive into the center’s research releases, the latest policy developments making news, original Hughes Center poll results, and more.

“The mission of the public policy center is to facilitate conversations around timely issues, educate and to encourage people to get engaged in civic life,” Maurice said. “We hope to provide listeners with new data and context on these topics so they feel more informed and ready to further these conversations at the dinner table or among friends.”

The latest episode on immigration and the labor market features Stockton University Professor of Economics Ramya Vijaya. Vijaya studies labor markets and the role of foreign-born workers in our national and local economies.

In this episode, Maurice and Vijaya tackle the latest election cycle rhetoric on immigration, the impact of immigration on wages, the difference in labor force participation rates between native-born and foreign-born workers, and more. They also discuss Vijaya’s data snapshot, published on the Hughes Center’s website in June, which analyzes immigrant workers’ role in the New Jersey economy.

“There is a big gap between the perception and the rhetoric around immigration and how the economy actually absorbs immigrants,” Vijaya said. “So, we dig into some of the economic numbers and see if we can address some of the misplaced anxieties.”

Other episodes released so far include a re-release of a previously recorded conversation on offshore wind energy with Stockton Professor of Sustainability Patrick Hossay and a special edition episode recapping September’s “Hughes Center Conversation” with Peter Baker, the chief White House Correspondent for The New York Times.

New episodes will be released monthly with more election-related topics to come. Subscribe now wherever you get your podcasts. “Hughes Center Conversations” can be found on all major podcast platforms or on Stockton.edu/HughesCenter.