What We Do

PARCA is Alabama’s first and only independent research center. 

The Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama, PARCA, is Alabama’s trusted source for non-partisan, non-ideological research, founded in 1988 by former Governor Albert Brewer.

PARCA provides policy research and data analysis to educate the public and equip the leaders of governments, schools, and nonprofits to improve the lives of all Alabamians.

Policymakers must make critical decisions about education, health, economic development, and public safety—the core functions of state and local government.

Delivering these services requires knowledge of the issue, options to consider, capacity to implement, and assessment of results. In other words, good information. Good leaders use good information to make sound policies.

That is where PARCA comes in. We provide

  • data analysis: knowledge of the issue,
  • policy research: options to consider,
  • technical assistance: expertise to execute, and
  • program evaluation: does it work, how can it improve?

We ensure that our public leaders have the resources they need to design and deliver effective, efficient, and equitable public services.

PARCA produces knowledge so that public decisions might be made, and public money, both tax dollars and charitable donations, might be spent, informed by fact.

Our goal is sound public policy. Sound public policies pursue real issues based on fact, are thoughtfully designed, competently executed, honestly assessed, and continuously revised.

Our research – in the hands of policymakers – and our analysis – in the hands of administrators can help create policies and programs that improve the lives of all Alabamians.

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