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In the Media

Core measures do a better job to predict inflation, says Wolfers

Aug 16, 2022 Quartz

Economists have a lot of data—consumer prices and monthly inflation rates— to measure inflation and predict prices. But Ford School economist Justin Wolfers explains that cherrypicked numbers are contributing to general confusion about what's...

In the Media

Hausman on why fracking is part of the net-zero energy transition

Aug 15, 2022 NPR Marketplace

Fracking provides a shorter timeline for production payoff that may lower the risk for gas and oil investors who are weighing their options in light of the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act. “That speaks to why, along with geopolitical...

News

Rabe: Landmark U.S. climate bill addresses methane

Aug 12, 2022

The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to pass the Inflation Reduction Act today, which includes nearly $400 billion for clean energy initiatives. The legislation was approved by the Senate last weekend and, if signed into law, would be the...

News

Recession fears dim amid strong job numbers, falling gas prices, passage of Inflation Reduction Act - Ford School economists

Aug 11, 2022

The flurry of major and surprising economic news in the past week has changed the outlook on inflation and the possibility of recession. Ford School professor Betsey Stevenson was one of 126 top economists who wrote a letter to congressional...

News

Michigan primary election analysis by Hanson: GOP rift between “traditional” and Trump camps

Aug 7, 2022

Ford School professor Jonathan Hanson commented on the harsh rhetoric being used in the Republican primary race for governor of Michigan, noting that the long shadow of former president Donald Trump loomed as the candidates sought his...

News

Former Ford School deans make an immediate mark at the Federal Reserve

Jul 28, 2022

As the U.S. confronts historic inflation, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) announced an interest rate hike of 75 basis points on July 27, for a second straight meeting, which is the most aggressive tightening since the 1980s, when Fed Chair...

Headshots of Susan M. Collins and Michael S. Barr

Publication

CLOSUP survey reveals Michigan communities' priorities for spending COVID-related federal relief funds

Jul 28, 2022

A survey of Michigan local government leaders on the federal American Rescue Plan Act funding and uses finds the top spending priorities are on capital improvements, infrastructure and public safety. Further, the state's largest jurisdictions...

Photo of a "Road Work Ahead" sign in the foreground with cars driving along the road beside it

News

Ford School economists weigh in on inflation and recession fears

Jul 28, 2022

News this week that GDP had contracted for the second quarter in a row, combined with the Fed’s interest rate hike and persistent inflationary pressure, are creating fear that the U.S. economy is headed towards recession. Yet the picture is...

Photo of a person's arm holding a gasoline pump nozzle in position as it dispenses fuel into a black vehicle

In the Media

"A new emergency number is required in the post-Roe world" - Kleiman and Lopez

Jul 27, 2022 Michigan Advance

Legal confusion in the wake of the Supreme Court's overturn of Roe v. Wade is engendering fear in women who may have miscarriages, Molly Kleinman, managing director of the Science, Technology, and Public Policy program, and William Lopez, affiliate...

Photo of the Supreme Court of the United States building

News

Morenoff Senate testimony highlights discrepancies in 2020 Detroit Census

Jul 26, 2022

The results of the 2020 Census have generated debate across the country, but perhaps nowhere as intensely as in Detroit. Michigan’s largest city, which has an overwhelming majority of African American and Hispanic residents combined of 85%, may have...

Jeffrey Morenoff testifying to Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee

In the Media

Supreme Court reform is complex but achievable - El-Sayed

Jul 23, 2022 Detroit Metro Times

"The Supreme Court has arrogated itself over the other branches of government — and trampled the rights of Americans. It’s time to fix that," Ford School Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence Abdul El-Sayed writes in Detroit Metro...

Publication

U-M study finds discussing carbon dioxide removal does not limit climate policy support

Jul 22, 2022

How should scientists, advocates, and others communicate to the general public about new geoengineering technologies that mitigate climate change? Specifically, does the discussion of climate change technologies create a moral hazard effect, in...

Electric towers in the near foreground dwarfed by many large plumes of smoke coming from carbon-emitting towers in the distance

News

Wolfers sees signs of optimism amid high inflation numbers

Jul 21, 2022

The latest inflation rate numbers show an increase in prices of 9.1%. Ford School economics professor Justin Wolfers has been discussing the intricacies of elements and implications of that rate. Reacting to the inflationary pressure, the...

News

Rabe insights on climate change political challenges

Jul 20, 2022

The political climate for action on climate change has become more difficult in the past few weeks, in light of a Supreme Court decision limiting the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) ability to limit greenhouse gases and the failure of a...

In the Media

Poverty Solutions report cited as Detroit City Council tackles illegal eviction

Jul 19, 2022 Michigan Radio

After weeks of hearing complaints, the Detroit City Council has begun discussing ways to stop illegal evictions in the city, Michigan Radio reports. While certificates of compliance are required to legally rent out a property and evict tenants...

In the Media

El-Sayed: "In 10 days SCOTUS took us back decades"

Jul 12, 2022 Detroit Metro Times

Ford School Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence Abdul El-Sayed opines that the Supreme Court betrayed the public trust in its final rulings released at the end of June -- overturning of Roe v. Wade, limiting gun control measures, and...

In the Media

Poverty Solutions papers on cash payments show lack of long-term impact

Jul 12, 2022 Vox

Two studies published by Poverty Solutions were cited in an article in Vox which stated that "cash transfers in the US, and those studies found the transfers did... very little." The papers by Ford School professors Brian Jacob, Natasha...

In the Media

Hausman warns of the costs of transition to "everything electric"

Jul 10, 2022 Colorado Public Radio

"A rapid energy transition could leave lower-income customers with higher gas bills, raising questions about the economic fairness of shifting homes away from fossil fuels," Colorado Public Radio warns, in part citing a recent paper co-authored by...

News

El-Sayed speaks to Sen. Stabenow about major mental health expansions in gun reform law

Jul 7, 2022

President Biden signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act into law on June 25—the first major gun reform bill in three decades. Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence Abdul El-Sayed explained it's also the biggest expansion of Medicaid since...

Publication

Poverty Solutions: Washtenaw County should consider long-term impact, implementation of ARPA allocations

Jul 7, 2022

A new policy brief from Poverty Solutions initiative offers recommendations for ways to target funding to key programs and priorities, focus on program implementation, and consider long-term impacts as Washtenaw County leaders decide how to allocate...

Publication

Local leaders' pessimism about Michigan's direction continues, eases slightly from last year

Jul 6, 2022

More than 60% of Michigan's local government leaders say the state has gotten off on the wrong track—down slightly from last year yet still among the most pessimistic responses since tracking began in 2011. According to those local leaders...

In the Media

State inflation relief checks are not a stimulus, says Hausman

Jul 6, 2022 NPR Marketplace

A dozen states are providing tax rebates to residents who qualify. Professor Joshua Hausman told NPR Marketplace they are designed to help people deal with rising prices, not stimulate the economy. “This is not a good idea if you care about...

Publication

9 in 10 Detroit eviction cases filed during pandemic came from landlords not compliant with rental codes

Jul 2, 2022

Despite pandemic-related eviction prevention measures, thousands of Detroit renters were evicted in the past two years due to loopholes in policies and enforcement. Analysis of court data by University of Michigan researchers shows nearly 90% of...

In the Media

A lost decade for federal climate policy, says Rabe

Jul 1, 2022 E&E News

This week, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the EPA overreached its authority under the Clean Air Act when it crafted the Clean Power Plan. Professor Barry Rabe said that deep political divisions have left the court to play arbiter. “The...

In the Media

Parthasarathy on how online activity is used to monitor our daily lives

Jul 1, 2022 WDET

Have you opened up your browser to see ads for a product you were just talking about with a friend? Does it seem like your electronic devices are tracking you? You are not alone, and they are, says Professor Shobita Parthasarathy on WDET's Culture...

Professor Shobita Parthasarathy leads a discussion in the Betty Ford Classroom

In the Media

Michelmore on Roe v. Wade fallout

Jul 1, 2022 University Business

Last week's reversal of Roe v. Wade will have pervasive effects on U-M's campus, said Associate Professor Katherine Michelmore to University Business. “There are going to be fewer women that are going to end up getting college degrees,” said...

News

Rabe and Haverkamp comment on Supreme Court decision on EPA limits

Jun 30, 2022

The U.S. Supreme Court limited the Environmental Protection Agency's ability to regulate carbon emissions from power plants, dealing a blow to the Biden administration's efforts to address climate change. Ford School professors Barry Rabe and...

In the Media

Ostfeld calls for equal protection as gun violence takes its toll on Black commuities

Jun 27, 2022 Parents magazine

"Black Children Are Disproportionately Hurt By Gun Violence," Parents magazine reports. Many causes are cited, including drug wars, low-income areas flooded with guns, and deeper societal attitudes about the Black community and guns. Mara...

In the Media

Poverty Solutions briefs on stimulus spending cited as "Americans face a darkening economy"

Jun 26, 2022 Washington Post

Noting that pandemic-era aid has ended just as prices are rising, the Washington Post reports that the middle class is feeling squeezed again. Two research reports by Poverty Solutions were referenced in the report. "From December 2020 to...

In the Media

Gas tax break may not reduce prices - Stevenson

Jun 26, 2022 The New York Times

As the Biden administration considers a holiday on the federal gas tax, an opinion piece in The New York Times says the move may not actually lead to a price reduction at the pump. It states, "By the iron law of supply and demand, if the demand...