Faculty news, fall 2023

December 12, 2023
Axelrod's adventures
Green cover with text: "A Passion for Cooperation Adventures of a Wide-Ranging Scientist"

Robert Axelrod, William D. Hamilton Distinguished University Professor Emeritus, writes about the difficulties and rewards of interdisciplinary collaboration in his new autobiography, A Passion for Cooperation: Adventures of a Wide-Ranging Scientist (University of Michigan Press). The book recounts his wide-ranging field work, including talking with the leader of Hamas, the Prime Minister of Israel, and the Foreign Minister of Syria. Axelrod shows through his academic and practical work that opportunities for cooperation are much greater than generally thought.


John Z. Ayanian led the effort to conduct and write an interim independent evaluation of the Healthy Michigan Plan for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Amy Beck Harris published “Using Foreign Aid Contracts to Pursue Participatory Approaches to Development Within Large Foreign Aid Agencies” in Public Administration and Development.

Charlotte Cavaillé’s book, Fair Enough? Support for Redistribution in the Age of Inequality, was published by Cambridge University Press in September 2023. Cavaillé presented her work at the American Political Science Association’s annual meeting.

Catherine Hausman gave the 2023 Jon Goldstein Memorial Lecture on Economics & Environmental Policy at the University of Minnesota and published “Excess Methane Emissions from Shallow Water Platforms Elevate the Carbon Intensity of U.S. Gulf of Mexico Oil and Gas Production” in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

This summer, Morela Hernandez was inducted into the prestigious Society for Organizational Behavior, a recognition for individuals “who have made significant contributions to the field of organizational behavior.” She also co-authored “Theorizing for Positive Impact” in the Academy of Management Review. Over the summer, Hernandez was the keynote speaker at several events including the Academy of Management Conference and the Detroit Board of Ethics Conference.

Brian A. Jacob co-authored a NBER Working Paper, “The Value of Student Debt Relief and the Role of Administrative Barriers: Evidence from the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program.”

Yusuf Neggers traveled to London to present his paper, “Updating the State: Information Acquisition Costs and Public Benefit Delivery,” at the 5th World Bank Tax Conference.

Mara Ostfeld published an article titled “Anger, Fear, and the Racialization of News Media Coverage of Protest Activity” in the Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics.

Ambassador Susan D. Page was selected by the National Academy of Public Administration for inclusion in its 2023 Class of Academy Fellows. She also spoke at Northwestern Michigan College’s International Affairs Forum on the structural difficulties Africa faces in the future.

The Boston Review published Shobita Parthasarathy’s article, “Can Innovation Serve the Public Good?”

Natasha Pilkauskas, Katherine Michelmore, Luke Shaefer, and U-M postdoctoral fellow Nicole Kovski published “Unconditional cash transfers and mental health symptoms among parents with low incomes: Evidence from the 2021 Child Tax Credit” in Social Science and Medicine – Population Health. Pilkauskas also published “Child Poverty and Health: The Role of Income Support Policies” in The Milbank Quarterly and co-authored “‘Excess’ Doubling Up During COVID: Changes in Children’s Shared Living Arrangements” in Demography.

Barry Rabe discussed his paper, “Carbon Pricing Enters Middle Age,” in the Wilson Center’s workshop on Transatlantic Climate Governance and in a Wilson NOW broadcast.

Kevin Stange published “College Majors and Skills: Evidence from the Universe of Online Job Ads” in Labour Economics, and his “Grads on the Go: Measuring College-Specific Labor Markets for Graduates” was accepted for publication in the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management.

David Thacher published “The emergence and spread of the summons in lieu of arrest, 1907–1980” in the Journal of Criminal Justice.

Mo Torres (MPP ’15) presented on Michigan’s urban fiscal crisis at the annual meeting of the Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Torres has a forthcoming publication, “Detroit,” in the Oxford Bibliographies in Urban Studies series, co-authored by U-M alum Dana Kornberg (PhD ’20).

Janet Weiss was elected as Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Academy of Public Administration, a Congressionally chartered organization that provides practical advice and thought leadership in the field of public administration. Weiss also serves on the boards of Corner Health Center in Ypsilanti and Rights Behind Bars.


Welcome & congratulations

The U-M recognized Paula M. Lantz and Alford A. Young Jr. as University Diversity and Social Transformation Professors for their contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion through research, teaching, and service. Lantz also received a Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award for her demonstrated achievements in scholarly research and her teaching and mentoring of students and junior faculty throughout her time at the University.

Watkins-Hayes, Lantz, Young Jr., and Ono at Faculty Awards
Pictured (from left): Watkins-Hayes, Young Jr., Lantz, and Ono at faculty awards

Earl Lewis was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Joe Biden during a White House ceremony earlier this year. He was the first U-M faculty member to receive this award.

Earl Lewis receiving the National Humanities medal and shaking hands with President Joe Biden
Earl Lewis with President Joe Biden

Yousif Hassan will join the Ford School faculty as an assistant professor in January 2024. Hassan’s work examines the social, economic, and political implications of emerging technologies. Hassan is a former Illinois distinguished fellow at the School of Information Sciences and a faculty affiliate with the Center for African Studies, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Headshot of Yousif Hassan
Yousif Hassan

More in State & Hill

Below, find the full, formatted fall 2023 edition of State & Hill. Click here to return to the fall 2023 S&H homepage.