Profile banner
Jennifer McDonald

Jennifer McDonald

Director of Activism and evidence-based public policy researcher

Arlington, Virginia
ij+1
Favicon imageij.org
Favicon imageorcid.org
Favicon imageinfo.lse.ac.uk

Summary

Leader on local pro-entrepreneurship activism: she directs IJ's Activism efforts and leads the Cities Work initiative, partnering with city officials and local stakeholders to reduce regulatory barriers, streamline permitting, and expand access to small-business ownership. ij+2
Empirical researcher on government regulation and property rights: authored and co-authored multiple IJ reports and scholarly articles on civil forfeiture, municipal fines and fees, occupational licensing, and home-based businesses, applying data-driven methods to inform policy debate. ij+2
Academic public policy training with applied focus: holds an MPA from the London School of Economics where she produced policy-oriented research (e.g., a public policy journal article on tobacco plain packaging), combining international academic training with practical policy implementation work. ac+1
Communicator and public-facing advocate: frequently engages with media, presents at conferences, contributes to reports and podcasts, and helps craft legislative and regulatory recommendations to advance reforms that expand economic opportunity. ij+1

Work

Education

Projects

Writing

Does Civil Forfeiture Fight Crime? Evidence From New Mexico

January 1, 2024

A study using a nine-year panel of monthly crime rates to assess the impact of New Mexico's elimination of civil forfeiture; finds no sufficient evidence that civil forfeiture effectively fights crime, with crime rates not worsening after reform.

Favicon imageij.org

Policing for Profit (contributions / co-author)

January 1, 2020

Work contributing to IJ's research documenting abuses and incentives created by civil asset forfeiture laws and advocating for reforms to protect property and due process rights.

Favicon imageij.org

Finding the American Dream at Home

January 1, 2017

Report on benefits of home-based businesses, documenting how zoning and regulatory restrictions limit entrepreneurship and providing recommendations to support home-based entrepreneurs; includes city case studies (e.g., Nashville).

Favicon imageij.org

Plain packaging for cigarettes: Evaluating implementation in the UK

January 1, 2015

An article evaluating the merits and potential impacts of adopting plain packaging for cigarettes in the UK, examining evidence from Australia and recommending study of impacts on young people to inform policy design.

Favicon imagepsj.lse.ac.uk