MURC disseminates research findings on topics relevant to pressing urban issues that are of interest to policymakers, public bodies and officials, urban planners, service providers, private groups and the lay community. Dissemination is promoted through peer-reviewed scholarly articles on emerging topics, commentaries, case reports, as well as special publications and presentations.

Periodically, MURC issues a call for papers and seeks reviewers for its Online Journal of Rural and Urban Research. OJRUR publishes original timely research from scholars in a variety of disciplines. Research on current and emerging topics also appear in the following publications — MURC Digest; MURC Research Briefs; and MURC Special Reports. Below is a listing of MURC-related publications:

Review Publications

Research Briefs / Special Reports / Data Snapshots

2026

• Strategies for Reducing Residential Blight_ResourceGuide.Feb2026
• Trump Administration Education Policy Changes_2025

2025

• MURC’s Uncomfortable Conversations Series Forum Report: Proceedings and Key Findings on Mississippi’s STD Crisis_Nov.2025
• An Update on Homicide Rates and Other Gun Violence Issues in Mississippi and the City of Jackson_Fall2025
• Sexually Transmitted (STD) Rates in the Southern Region of the United States_DataSnapshot.Dec2025
• Social Media’s Impact on Select Urban Issues.Compendium.092025
• Examining the Issue of “Brain Drain”: Implications for Mississippi and Shrinking Cities
• Examining the Relationship between Community Resilience and Nonprofits in Mississippi

2023-2024

• Homicides&COVID19.Newspaper.ResBrief_March2025
• Possible Impact of COVID-19 on the Physical and Mental Health of Mississippi Youth: A Review of YRBSS Survey Data_ResearchBrief.091024
• Adverse Childhood Experiences & COVID19_DataSnaphot.Spring2024
• Comparing Declining Enrollment – JPS vs. Other MS Schools Districts_DataSnapshot.May 2024
• Teacher Preparation Best Practices_Research Brief.May2024
• MS 15 Largest Cities: 2022 Population Growth or Loss Estimates_DataSnapshot.June 2023
• YRBSS.Suicide_Data.Snapshot_Final.Spring2024
• Pawn Shops & Homicides.JacksonMS_DataSnapshot.Final.Spring 2024
• Issues and Factors Associated with Crime & the Criminal Justice System in Jackson, MS_ResearchBrief.Fall 2023
• Examining Trauma-Informed Practices in MS Public Schools_Research Brief.Fall 2023

2022-2023

• Mobilizing for Emergencies: A Resource Guide for Churches and Other Community Organizations
• Changes in Housing Units in Mississippi Counties Per 2022 Population Estimates
• Charter vs. Public.School_MURC Research Brief_Feb2023v-1
• MS State Fair Econ Impact Report_Final.Oct2022v
• Examining Gun Violence Homicide Rates Across America: Trends, Factors, and Potential Solutions
• MURC Online Journal Recommendations Guide Preview Cover Ver-3
• GET READY: A Community and Household Disaster Preparation Seminar
• Implications of 2021 Jackson Water Crisis: Past, Present, and Future

2022-2023 Snapshot

• Comparison of Homicide Rates in Jackson, MS and Several Southern US Cities

2021

• Prior to Pandemic, Poverty Levels in Some Cities Were Slowly Improving
• Incarcerated.Mentally.ILL.Forum.Summary_April.21.2021.Final
• ConnectJxn.FocusGroups.Summary.Rept_April23.2021v2
• Social.Effects.COVID19.Forum.Summary_Final.May21.2021
• Med.Marijuana.Final.Report.Full_Jan13.2021v
• ExecutiveSummary_Med.Marijuana.Final.Rept_Jan13.2021v2
• 2021 (vol. 1 issue 2) Exploring the Relationship between Health Behaviors, Factors, and Chronic Diseases in Mississippi’s 82 counties, January 2021
• 2021 (vol. 1 issue 1) The Impact of COVID-19 on the Incarcerated Mentally Ill Upon Reentry to the Community, January 2021

2020

• 2020 (vol. 2, issue 2) Lessons from Flint Part-II: A Follow-Up Report Examining Lead Contamination in Twelve Urban Areas, December 2020
• 2020 (vol. 2, issue 1) Optimizing CDBG Spending, December 2020
• 2020 (MURC Snapshot) Improving Student’s Academic Performance from the Inside Out: The Relationship Between Self-Esteem and AcademicPerformance_June30.2020
• 2020 (Special Report) Reducing the Number of Incarcerated Persons with Mentally Illness: A Technical Assistance Guide
• 2020 (vol. 1, issue 2) Interruption of the Grieving Process Due to COVID19_June2020
• 2020 (vol. 1, issue 1) Comparison of Factors Influencing High- and Low-rated Elementary Schools in the Jackson Public Schools’ District

2019

• 2019 (Special Report) East Biloxi Community Collaborative Needs Assessment Summative Final Report
• 2019 (vol. 2, issue 6) Socioeconomic Consequences of Changing Family Structures: A Literature Review
• 2019 (Special Report) Identification of Issues Impacting Educational Performance in the Clinton Public School District
• 2019 (vol. 2, issue 5) A Case Study of Hinds County’s (MS) Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Team
• 2019 (vol. 2, issue 4) The Impact of School District Consolidation on Academic Achievement in Mississippi
• 2019 (Special Report) Home Mortgage Approval & Denial Rates in MS
• 2019 (vol. 2, issue 3) Changes in Family Household Structures and Possible Societal Implications
• 2019 (vol. 2, issue 2) Lessons from Flint: A Comparative Study of Water Lead Levels in Jackson, MS and 11 Southeastern Cities
• 2019 (vol. 2, issue 1) Examining the City of Jackson’s 1% Sales Tax Infrastructure Program: Insights & Implications

2015-2018

• 2015 – 2018 Archived Research Briefs/Special Reports

Online Journal of Rural and Urban Research

2023 Spring Journal: COVID

• Challenges to Healthcare Programming Vaccination Efforts and Community Engagement

2022 Spring Journal: Jackson Water Crisis

• 2022.OJRUR_JacksonWaterCrisis_Special.Issue.Final

2017 (vol.7, no.1) Theme: Public Health

• 2017.OJRUR.Whole_journal
• The Effect of African American Socio-Political Ideology on Diabetes and Hypertension Diagnoses | Kristie J. Lipford
• The First School of Public Health in Mississippi: Challenges and Opportunities | Mohammad Shahbazi
• The Community Health Model (CHM): A Conceptual Framework for Understanding Racial/Ethnic Community Change | Joyce Buckner-Brown
• A Preventive Intervention Model for Preschool Children Who Are At-Risk for Language and Literacy Difficulties | Betty D. Sutton, EdD; Caroline McCormick, BS; Kimberley Ritchie, BS; Teaonna Rochell, BS; Brandi Newkirk-Turner, PhD
• Designing and Implementing a Prevention Program that Targets Language and Literacy Development | Lekeitha R. Morris, PhD
• Living with HIV/AIDS in Rural and Urban Areas of the Midwest | Sarah Donley, C. Patrice Lockett
• The First School of Public Health in Mississippi: Challenges and Opportunities | Mohammad Shahbazi
• Recruitment and Retention of Males and Persons from Minority Backgrounds into the Fields of Communication Sciences and Disorders | Mary Langford Hall, Brandi Newkirk-Turner, Betty D. Sutton
• Enhancing Maternal and Child Health in Mississippi: Is the One Key Question® (OKQ) Initiative a Potential Solution? | Wengora Thompson, Joni Roberts
• Predictors of Dental Care Service Utilization among Hispanics/Latinos in Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama | Azad R. Bhuiyan, Sophia S. Leggett, Pamela D. McCoy, Gerri A. Cannon-Smith, Maria Barvie
• From Their Hearts to Our Ears: Former Wards in Rural Communities Discuss Permanency | Shonda Lawrence
• Step N2 Life- A Pilot Investigation on the Benefits of Community-Developed Intervention to Reduce Hypertension in Mississippi | Bettye Tyler, Mangle Shanks, Saundra Hill, Ruby Gray, Clifton Addison, Brenda W. Campbell Jenkins, Adrianne Clark, Marty Fortenberry, Darcel Odom, Donna Antoine-LaVigne
• Treating Depression: A Strategy for Preventing and Reducing Chronic Illnesses | Mary Langford Hall
• Preventing Illiteracy: Improving the Practice of Selecting Reading Assessments or Early Learners | Tracy Harris, Regina Fults McMurtery, Alfonzo Haralson

2016 (vol.6, no.1) Theme: Economic Development in Distressed Communities

• Enhancing Workforce Readiness Using Civic Education and Service Learning Experiences of College Students and Their Political Efficacy
• Human Capital Enhancement in Depressed Communities by Utilizing Teacher Loan Forgiveness Programs in Mississippi
• An assessment of payday lending practicies in the Methro-Jackson Area (MS) and potential policy responses
• A correlation analysis of poverty with race, education, and economic well-being in Mississippi with suggested policy alternatives
• Challenges in securing financial resources on aging infrastructure in Jackson, Mississippi
• Editorial
• Measuring County Level Quality-of-Life for the State of Mississippi Using a Spatial Equilibrium Amenity Index
• Complying the EPA Regulation of Wastewater Treatement Utilizing Ecosystem Services of Natural Wetlands as a Component of Wastewater Treatment System in Economically Depressed Communities in Mississippi
• Addressing African American Male Unemployment in Two Inner-City Neighborhoods: A “Credentialed Skills Quandary”
• Food Insecurity in the South: A Case Study of Food Desert Identification and Community-Based Solution in Hattiesburg, Mississippi
• A Comparative Assessment of Green Economy Growth among Five State Capital Cities and Policy Recommendations in the United States

2015 (vol.5, no.1) Theme: Social Determinants of Health

• Impact of Vaccinations on Improving the Health of Children
• Building state, academic, and community partnerships to improve health outcomes for racial and ethnic minorities
• Editorial Team
• Editorial — Addressing Social Determinants to Eliminate Health Disparities, Achieve Health Equity, and Improve Health
• End_of_life Care Decision-Making: Race Matters
• Family Affluence Scale Revisited: Accumulation of Material Possessions verses Children’s Perception of Their Family Being Well-off
• Racism and Urban Health Disparities: Using a Community-Based Approach
• Prevalence and Trends of Underweight among Mississippi Public School Students: 2005-2013
• Assessing the Nutrition Environments in the Southern Quadrant Area in Jackson, Mississippi
• Origins of Vaccination and Immunizations
• Public Health Need and Vaccination
• Urban Sprawl as a Link to Sustainable Development: Negative Health Effects
• Utility of Vaccinations and the Body’s Immune System
• Vaccinations: Reducing the Burden of Disease
• Strategies to make long-term obesity treatments more effective

2014 (vol.4, no.1) Theme: The Utilization of Non-Traditional Interventions to Promote Healthy Living

• A Comparison of Obesity across Geographic Areas
• Association between CDH13 Variants and the Initiation of Alcohol and Sexual Behavior
• Increased Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder is a Public Health Concern
• Becoming a Trauma Informed Agency: A Commentary on Mental Healthcare
• Heart Attack Symptoms Knowledge can Lead Children to Summon Help for Grandparents
• Diary Reporting and Phonetic Transcription for Effective Speech Analysis in Children with Disabilities: What Itard did not Know
• Dieting May Cause More Harm than Good: Mindful Eating may be a Healthier Approach to Managing Weight
• Disaster Response Multiple University Community Partnerships A Case Report
• Editorial Team
• Foreword
• Incorporating Health Related Policies within Urban Churches: A Strategy for Reducing Health Disparities
• JUnderstanding the Role and Effect of Anchor Institutions on the Revitalization of West Jackson: A Distressed Community
• Privileging the Client Voice: The Path to Improving Outcomes

2013 (vol.3, no.1) Theme: Health Disparities Within a Rural and Urban Context

• Improving educational services to students with speech-lanaguage disabilities through multidisciplinary collaborative clinical experiences in teacher preparation programs
• Correlates of posttraumatic growth among African Americans living with HIV/AIDS in Mississippi
• Investigating the relationship between hazardous waste sites, cancer, obesity, and diabetes prevalence in Mississippi
• America’s exploitation of health disparities leads to a call for a health movement among African Americans: A Commentary
• Closing the gap of health disparities in urban communities: The role of the Seventh-day Adventist church
• A public health crisis: Teen drivers and service learning as a strategy to prevent injuries and death
• Editorial Team
• Editorial — Closing the Gap in Health Disparities
• Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC): The paradigm and burden of black women as an unequal research priority
• Remedies for the obesity epidemic: Can we afford them? Do we want them?
• QT interval duration in the Jackson Heart Study: A segregation analysis
• Transportation-related barriers to care among African American women living with HIV/AIDS: “What you getting out of the cab for”

2012 (vol.2, no.1) Theme: Urban Education

• Editorial Team
• Towards a Model for Predicting Mississippi Public School Children’s Academic Performance
• The prevalence of obesity among students at an African American university in the south
• Cyberbullying Among College Students
• Improving educational services to students with speech-language disabilities through multidisciplinary collaborative clinical experiences in teacher preparation programs

2009 (vol.1, no.1) Theme: Enhancing the Quality of Life

• 2009.Journal.Edition — Includes All Articles Listed Below
• Editorial
• “Professor Johnson Goes to School”
• Why HIV Rapid Testing Makes Sense on College Campuses: Lessons Learned at a Historically Black College and University (HBCU)
• The Influence of Race and Gender in the Utilization of Invasive Procedures when Patients have Medicaid or Free Care
• Public Opinion on Childhood Obesity as a Driving Force for Policy and Intervention Development
• Comparison of In-Class and Online-Learning Students’ Performance and Attitudes in an Introduction to Biological Science Course Instruction

The MURC Digest

• African Amerian Male Unemployment in Mississippi, October 2013
• Special Forum on Incarcerating the Mentally Ill_June 22,_2017

MURC Brochure

• MURC Brochure 2023

The MURC Digest (Archive)

• Volume 1, Issue 1 – February 2005 — Blueprint Mississippi Reconsidered
• Volume 1, Issue 2 – May 2005 — The Social and Behavioral Ecology of Youth Violence in West Jackson
• Volume 1, Issue 3 – October 2005 — Are Faith-Based HIV/AIDS Programs Effective?
• Volume 2, Issue 1 – January 2006 — Citywide vs. Neighborhood-specific Crime Rates: Do they Matter for the City of Jackson?
• Volume 2, Issue 2 – April 2006 — Black, Dark, Disadvantaged: Crime, Punishment and Skin Hue in Mississippi
• Volume 2, Issue 3 – June 2006 — Is Mississippi Really the Worst Place to Live?: A Spatial Equilibrium Approach to Ranking Livable States
• Volume 3, Issue 1 – February 2007 — The Economic Impact of Jackson State University
• Volume 4, Issue 1 – January 2008 — CRIME IN MISSISSIPPI: A Trend Line Analysis
• Volume 5, Issue 1 – May 2009 — The Spread of HIV/AIDS among African Americans and its Economic Impact
• Volume 5, Issue 2 – June 2009 — Crime in Mississippi: Does Community Involvement Really Matter?

Research Report

• Research Report Series 05-01 — A Blueprint for Income Inequality and Lower Economic Growth in Urban and Delta Region Counties?
• Research Report Series 05-02 — An Analysis of Violence Exposure among Youth in the West Jackson Community as a Correlate of At-Risk Behavior
• Research Report Series 05-03 — Does Religion Constrain Risky Sexual Behavior Associated with HIV/AIDS?
• Research Report Series 06-01