Brookings Mountain West
Brookings Mountain West is a partnership between UNLV and the Washington, D.C.-based Brookings Institution. The purpose of Brookings Mountain West is to bring the Brookings tradition of high-quality, independent, and impactful research to the issues facing the dynamic and fast-growing Intermountain West region. Building upon work at Brookings and UNLV, our community engagement and research initiatives focus on helping metropolitan areas like Las Vegas grow in robust, inclusive, and sustainable ways. Brookings Mountain West provides a platform to bring ideas and expertise together to enhance public policy discussions at the local, state, and regional level.
Accomplishments
Lee Business School alumna Caren Yap brings the value of collective responsibility to her work in national labor rights advocacy.
UNLV researchers offer solutions for bringing more men into healthcare, social services, and early-grade teaching fields.
Brookings Mountain West In the News

Using data in the Mental Health America report, Brookings Mountain West at UNLV breaks out some of the findings with a more regional emphasis in its report on the “State of Mental Health in the Mountain West.” The Brookings analysis included metrics for major depressive episodes, mental illness, substance use disorders, suicidal idiation, and unmet treatment for both adult and youth population.

If you've ever wanted to make a suggestion for a new law, now just might be your chance. The Southern Nevada Forum held its initial meeting on Monday, with the goal of coming up with a dozen new ideas to fix problems faced by residents of the Las Vegas Valley. The 13-year-old organization — created by the Vegas Chamber, the City of Las Vegas, Brookings Mountain West and former Assembly Speaker Marilyn Kirkpatrick in 2013 — brings together lawmakers and community leaders to brainstorm ideas.

Rep. Mark Amodei’s recent decision to retire opens a Northern Nevada House seat long considered untouchable – giving Democrats a rare chance to test Republican dominance in the state’s most conservative congressional district. Political scientists say midterm backlash, economic pressure and weak candidates can sometimes turn “safe” districts into November surprises.

A government shutdown is underway, and NV Senator Catherine Cortez Masto voted with Republicans to avoid it. David Damore, Executive Director of The Lincy Institute & Brookings Mountain West, discusses this and Governor Lombardo’s call for a special legislative session. Plus, the work a NV teenager did on a newly passed antisemitism bill and how the Raiders are celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month.