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News

Q&A with new faculty: Kathy Michelmore

Sep 1, 2021

Kathy Michelmore, who was a IES postdoctoral fellow at the Education Policy Initiative (2014-2016), returns to the Ford School and adds social and education policy expertise. She is a leading scholar and educator on the social safety net, education...

Publication

Should complex, high-stakes government decisions be reliant on predictive algorithms?

Aug 27, 2021

Machine learning is increasingly used for government decision-making to predict adverse outcomes. For instance, many cities and states in the U.S. have adopted pretrial risk assessments that inform decisions about whether to release criminal...

News

Causal Inference program’s first PhD graduates reflect on their training

Aug 20, 2021

The Education Policy Initiative (EPI) Training Program in Causal Inference in Education Policy Research (CIEPR) graduated its first full cohort of PhDs in 2021. First funded in 2015, the focus of the program is to prepare doctoral students to...

Alumni spotlight

Ammara Ansari (MPP ‘19) serves Detroit youth through evaluation

Jul 14, 2021

Ammara Ansari (MPP ‘19) never imagined working on youth education and wellness policy or conducting evaluations—but in a joint fellowship with The Skillman Foundation and the Council of Michigan Foundations (CMF), that is exactly what she’s doing....

News

Ford School team examines liberal arts impact on students’ lives a decade after graduation

Jun 11, 2021

What is the impact of a liberal arts education on students’ lives? University of Michigan researchers, including Ford School faculty members Paul Courant and Kevin Stange, were recently awarded a $1.1 million grant extension to answer this...

Headshots of Kevin Stange and Paul Courant

News

‘Transportation is a form of freedom’: How to make it more equitable

Jun 9, 2021

The routes and schedules of public transit, the presence or absence of sidewalks, the availability of different transportation options, and the design of highways that have divided cities—these are examples of aspects of transportation systems that...

Publication

Barr and collaborators release third edition of Financial Regulation: Law and Policy textbook

May 24, 2021

Ford School Dean Michael S. Barr and his collaborators Howell E. Jackson of Harvard Law School and Margaret E. Tahyar from the law firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell, LLP, have released the third edition of their textbook, Financial Regulation: Law and...

Publication

Tompkins-Stange’s new study highlights crucial role of resources in shaping federal education policy

May 20, 2021

In 2008, Bill Gates gave a speech about how his foundation viewed teacher quality—specifically, separating high-performing teachers from low-performing ones through teacher evaluation—as their most important funding priority. In 2009, the Obama...

News

Kalena Thomhave (MPP ‘21) awarded the Peter Eckstein Prize

May 10, 2021

Recent Ford School graduate Kalena Thomhave (MPP ‘21) is the 2021 winner of the Peter Eckstein Prize for Interdisciplinary Research for her comprehensive analysis of the challenges faced by the U.S. Unemployment Insurance (UI) system during the...

News

Pilkauskas wins 2020 IPUMS Research Award

Apr 28, 2021

Natasha Pilkauskas' research on "Historical Trends in Children Living in Multigenerational Households in the United States: 1870–2018" has been selected as the 2020 winner of the IPUMS Research Award. Pilkauskas and her co-authors used decennial...

News

Robert Hampshire appointed chief science officer at USDOT

Apr 23, 2021

Robert Hampshire will serve as the U.S. Department of Transportation's chief science officer, a role that has not been filled in more than 40 years. He was appointed assistant secretary for research and technology for the department, and will advise...

News

Ford School recognized again as the #1 program in social policy

Mar 30, 2021

The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan is recognized again as one of America’s top graduate programs in public affairs, according to the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings. According to the rankings, based...

Publication

New EPI report provides snapshot of pandemic challenges for early childhood education providers

Mar 29, 2021

Even in a steady-funded “best case” scenario, teacher turnover, decreases in enrollment, and new safety protocols strain resources and stall quality improvements. Early childhood education (ECE) centers across the country are facing unprecedented...

A parent/guardian and two young children in masks walking outdoors (Credit: Shutterstock)

News

The Institute for Social Research announces the launch of its first research professorship: the Robert F. Schoeni Research Professorship

Mar 28, 2021 Institute for Social Research

The University of Michigan Institute for Social Research (ISR) is pleased to announce the launch of its first research professorship, the Robert F. Schoeni Research Professorship. This professorship honors Robert Schoeni, whose career has...

News

NYT cites Shaefer’s poverty research as laying the groundwork for the American Rescue Plan

Mar 25, 2021 The New York Times

A recent New York Times article cites Luke Shaefer and Kathryn Edin’s 2015 award-winning book, $2.00 a Day as a marker that led to the passage of important elements of the $1.9 trillion “American Rescue Plan” which includes temporary measures to...

News

Parthasarathy testifies about equity in innovation before key Congressional subcommittee

Feb 25, 2021

On February 25, Shobita Parthasarathy testified before the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies. The hearing included four invited experts to speak about energy and climate innovation issues....

Screen cap of Shobita Parthasarathy testimony

News

Ford School plays virtual host as students around the world compete in a real-time simulation to stop the next pandemic

Feb 24, 2021

Hundreds of students will tackle a deadly outbreak during a very timely NASPAA-Batten Student Simulation Competition On February 27, the Weiser Diplomacy Center at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at University of Michigan and the...

Publication

U-M survey finds early lack of awareness among local leaders with state’s new approach to redraw legislative districts

Feb 23, 2021

Michigan’s local government leaders reported mixed familiarity with the state’s new approach to redistricting, according to a 2020 survey whose results were released today by the the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) at the...

Michigan Congressional Map (113th Congress)

Publication

Dynarski’s research shows default options key to student loan repayment

Feb 13, 2021

Susan Dynarski’s recent research, “Designed to fail: Effects of the default option and information complexity on student loan repayment,” shows the powerful effects of default options and how making an income driven repayment (IDR) plan the default...

In the Media

Owen-Smith highlights economic impact of U-M research

Feb 9, 2021 DBusiness

“Our findings illuminate the many different ways in which academic research affects the national economy and society as a whole,” said Jason Owen-Smith. “U-M is an excellent illustration of the multifaceted impact research investments can have,...

News

Students address climate change migration at the U.N. in Integrated Policy Exercise

Feb 6, 2021

The United Nations General Assembly recently agreed to three resolutions addressing the rights of climate migrants and refugees. It was a landmark moment for international cooperation on an issue that will become more urgent as the effects of...

News

Call for applications: Interdisciplinary Eckstein Prize now open

Jan 28, 2021

Submissions are now being accepted for the Ford School’s top award for student work, the Peter Eckstein Prize for Interdisciplinary Research and Policy Analysis. The award is given to a student or a group of students in any Ford School degree...

In the Media

Gerber and Morenoff seek to understand vaccine hesitancy in Detroit

Jan 25, 2021 Model D

"It really jumped out that for people of color in general, and Blacks specifically, how important it is to get a [vaccination] recommendation from a health care provider or government health officials," said Jeffrey Morenoff, commenting on findings...

News

Robert Hampshire joins Biden administration to work in transportation research and technology

Jan 21, 2021

Robert Hampshire, associate professor at the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, whose research and policy engagement focuses on understanding the societal, climate and equity implications of autonomous and connected...

News

Jacob and Dynarski ranked among top U.S. education policy influencers

Jan 11, 2021

Education Week released their 11th annual RHSU Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings—the top 200 university-based scholars who shape education practice and policy. Ford School professors Brian Jacob and Susan M. Dynarski were two of the four...

Brian Jacob, Sue Dynarski, and members of the Education Policy Initiative stand along the winding main staircase of the Ford School's home, Weill Hall

News

Watkins-Hayes: What the HIV safety net can teach us about the fight against COVID-19

Jan 9, 2021 Detroit Free Press

Read Celeste Watkins-Hayes' op-ed in the Detroit Free Press below. In winter 2021, Watkins-Hayes will teach a graduate course, PubPol 750: Interview Methods, and an undergraduate course, SOC 295: Pandemics: Social Dimensions of HIV and...

In the Media

Shaefer shares food insecurity insights on the Food First podcast

Jan 5, 2021 Food First podcast

Shaefer: "A number of years ago work requirements were reimposed on food stamps for adults without dependents....We looked at the research nationally and locally....when you add work requirements, there is very little evidence there it has any...

News

Celeste Watkins-Hayes takes a people-centered research approach

Jan 4, 2021

New Ford School sociologist Celeste Watkins-Hayes works at the intersection of inequality, public policy, and institutions, with a special focus on urban poverty and race, class, and gender studies. Her most recent book Remaking a Life: How Women...

News

Hall delivers 3rd annual Barbara Sinclair Lecture on the insidious influence of lobbyists

Dec 18, 2020

In accepting his American Political Science Association (APSA) career award for contributions to the understanding of legislative politics, Rick Hall delivered the 2020 Barbara Sinclair Lecture on December 2, 2020, to fellow scholars, members of the...

News

Trust in government in a time of questioning: local governance leads the way

Dec 17, 2020

In a time of growing suspicion about the role of government at the state and national level, a good news story emerges when looking at local governance in Michigan. The conclusion of a new compendium study, The Functioning of Democracy: Insights...