Government officials, analysts, and practitioners benefited from the expanding efforts of the Child and Family Policy Initiative to bring University of Georgia–wide research to bear on policy issues confronting today's Georgia families. Activities in 2007 included a symposium examining national trends on how children are being channeled into the juvenile and criminal justice systems, presentations at child- and family-related conferences, and a new Web site to provide easier access to the initiative's research repository, campuswide listserv, and database of UGA faculty expertise related to child and family policy. Other Institute research faculty engaged in a study of why some noncustodial parents do not pay child support.

With faculty and staff experienced in the latest methods for measuring public priorities, the Survey Research and Data Services Unit is able to provide officials with data that have been quantified and presented in tables and informal written analyses for decision-making purposes. Projects of note in 2007 included an examination of the scope and economic impact of the child-care industry in Georgia and a survey of Athens–Clarke County residents' views about their community's growth issues. The Institute's Peach State Poll provided policymakers with Georgians' views on traffic volume and higher education. Unit faculty were also recognized nationally for their expertise in survey design.

Environmental Policy Program faculty continued to provide background research and information related to the Georgia Comprehensive Water Management Plan, especially in light of the year's extreme drought conditions. Technical support was also offered in the areas of invasive species management and solid waste management.

Vinson Institute economic researchers provided the first comprehensive look into the current and future economic impact of MARTA on both the regions it serves and the rest of the state from 2001 to 2055. The detailed analysis takes multiple factors into account and illustrates how MARTA is unique from most traditional economic development projects.