Policy Topics

Domestic policy

Showing 1291 - 1320 of 3108 results

News

Making up for lost time for millions of children, U.S. education needs a major rescue effort

May 8, 2020

For most students, the school year ended in March, according to a New York Times commentary by Ford School professor Susan Dynarski. She outlines both the education lost for American students from school closures and what will need to be done to...

Ali calls for expanded intelligence community infectious disease response capacity

May 4, 2020

The U.S. intelligence community needs to enhance the size and expertise of the relatively small team working on infectious diseases, according to Ford School’s Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence, Javed Ali. In a May 4th article in New...

Healthcare sector takes a hit amidst the broader economic downturn

May 1, 2020

The news released on April 30 that the U.S. economy had shrunk 4.8 percent in the first quarter of 2020 confirmed that the country is poised to experience a deep recession. The analyses of Ford School economists Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers...

News

Detroit Metro Area Communities Study on COVID-19 draws national attention

Apr 28, 2020

A rapid-response Detroit Metro Area Communities Study (DMACS) survey found that 1 in 5 Detroiters will run out of money due to the COVID-19 crisis within the next three months. The DMACS survey asked wide-ranging questions from economic, social,...

News

Ann Arbor may repurpose streets to accommodate pedestrian and cyclist social distancing

Apr 28, 2020

Since the implementation of the governor’s stay at home order, Ann Arbor’s vehicle traffic has declined markedly. Ann Arbor city council members may consider vehicle street closures in an effort to expand space available for pedestrians and cyclists...

Wolfers challenges U.S. business who seek immunity from coronavirus lawsuits

Apr 27, 2020

In a recent article published in Quartz, “U.S. businesses are seeking immunity from coronavirus lawsuits,” Ford School professor, Justin Wolfers, pushes back on calls by U.S. businesses for COVID-19 related immunity from liability. As some states...

News

CLOSUP helps local governments navigate fiscal challenges during global pandemic

Apr 23, 2020

New research from the Center for Local State and Urban Policy (CLOSUP)’s Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS) measures the impact that the COVID-19 crisis will have on local fiscal health. CLOSUP anticipates local governments will be...

People sharing a public space with greenery, tables, umbrellas, and open space

Dean Barr on the need to do more for communities and small businesses

Apr 23, 2020

Hundreds of billions of dollars have been allocated to help small businesses and individuals in response to the COVID-19 financial crisis. Yet for low-income households and small businesses, accessing those funds has proved to be a challenge,...

Philanthropist, entrepreneur discusses U-M fellowship that aims to help students, major cities

Apr 21, 2020

Entrepreneur and philanthropist David Bohnett sees big cities as laboratories for humanity, and seized upon an idea that could help them as well as budding civic leaders by putting the latter in service to the...

Former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill leaves legacy at the Ford School

Apr 20, 2020

The Ford School mourns the passing of Paul O’Neill, Treasury Secretary in the George W. Bush administration, and a long-time supporter of the school and its mission. O’Neill died April 18, 2020, at the age of 84. He served for several years on the...

Research team takes on food insecurity in Detroit in the face of coronavirus limitations

Apr 17, 2020

Access to food is a critical measure of societal disparity that has been brought into sharp relief by the COVID-19 pandemic. School lunch programs that previously helped bridge a gap for low income families are unavailable during school closures,...

Beyond imitation and competition: how states can implement effective COVID-19 policies

Apr 17, 2020

To contain the spread of COVID-19, state and local governments are looking to their neighbors, often replicating and applying their policies to their own jurisdiction. It started with all 50 states calling for a state of emergency within days of...

U-M helping Detroit’s small businesses locate, navigate coronavirus-related financial aid

Apr 15, 2020

The University of Michigan is working with Detroit’s small businesses to help them find sources of federal financial aid amid the COVID-19 pandemic and assist them in navigating the rules and regulations they will encounter in the application...

Tompkins-Stange talks COVID-19 relief trade-offs

Apr 10, 2020

Ford School professor Megan Tompkins Stange is asking: What should the role be of philanthropy during the COVID-19 crisis? She studies the power and influence of philanthropy on public policy and politics. In a recent Vox article, “These are the...

Dr. Villavicencio (MPP’20) balances increasing demands of medical field with completing her MPP

Apr 9, 2020

Medical professionals like Dr. Jen Villavicencio (MPP ‘20) are enduring grueling professional and personal circumstances to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. VIllavicencio is a practicing OB-GYN and abortion provider, a lecturer at the University of...

Key decisions hurt Financial Stability Oversight Council in COVID-19 response, says Barr

Apr 2, 2020

In the aftermath of the 2008 recession, the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) was established in Title I of the Dodd-Frank Act, tasked to identify and monitor future threats before the next crisis. Now, during the current crisis brought...

Shaefer discusses jump in joblessness that strains safety nets

Mar 27, 2020

With widespread shutdowns of businesses across the country due to COVID-19, states have seen a dramatic rise in the number of unemployed and those seeking unemployment benefits. This week, unemployment claims jumped 2000% in Michigan, putting the...

Luke Shaefer delivers a talk at the Ford School

Ford School economists comment on Federal response to COVID-19

Mar 27, 2020

A historic $2 trillion relief package has just been approved by Congress in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and subsequent economic crisis. Professors Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers have weighed in on the relief package and the economic...

News

Poverty Solutions releases Michigan COVID-19 pandemic resource guide

Mar 27, 2020

March 27 press release from Poverty Solutions: A new Michigan COVID-19 Pandemic Resource Guide provides information on how to access various resources aimed at supporting Michiganders through the coronavirus pandemic and related economic...

News

H. Luke Shaefer appointed as the Ford School’s inaugural Kohn Professor of Social Justice and Social Policy

Mar 26, 2020

Today the Regents of the University of Michigan approved H. Luke Shaefer’s appointment as the inaugural Hermann and Amalie Kohn Professor of Social Justice and Social Policy at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, for a five-year term,...

Michael S. Barr encourages the Federal Reserve to reform money-market funds

Mar 24, 2020

With the economy reeling from the effects of the COVID-19 crisis, the Federal Reserve has taken steps to shore up money-market funds, securing billions to lend as part of a broader effort to try and stabilize the markets. Ford School Dean Michael S....

News

Coronavirus response suffers when local government is starved

Mar 20, 2020

Local governments are on the front lines of the response to the coronavirus crisis. Their actions will ultimately shape how well the U.S. can survive COVID-19 and its economic aftermath, according to an opinion contribution in The Hill written by...

Ford School economists: Immediate action can mitigate the economic impact of COVID-19

Mar 20, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the U.S. economy in unprecedented ways. This week, Ford School economic experts including Ford School dean Michael S. Barr, and professors Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers weigh in on what’s ahead in The New...

Ali warns of national security implications of COVID-19 response

Mar 20, 2020

The response to the spread of COVID-19 has not only “revealed deep shortcomings in America’s emergency preparedness and national medical response systems,” but also has broader implications for national security, according to Ford School Towsley...

Luke Shaefer on the impact of COVID-19 on hourly workers

Mar 20, 2020

With a state-wide prohibition on gatherings greater than 50 people, events canceled, stores closed, and many residents staying home, businesses are feeling the economic effects of the COVID-19 health crisis. Professor Luke Shaefer commented on the...

Javed Ali on leadership change at the National Counterterrorism Center

Mar 18, 2020

On March 16, President Trump announced his intention to nominate Christopher Miller, currently Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Combating Terrorism, as head of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC). Javed Ali...

Medicaid expansion does not discourage job-seeking among the unemployed

Mar 16, 2020

Although some worry that Medicaid expansion could discourage unemployed workers from seeking employment, a University of Michigan study found that Medicaid expansion did not affect whether unemployed workers found jobs. In fact, the study found...

News

Rabe explores taxing methane emissions

Mar 16, 2020

Representing a new line of research, Ford School professor Barry Rabe explores the politics around taxing methane gas releases. Rabe argues that consensus among economists is “the best way to reduce climate risks linked to carbon dioxide emissions...

News

Rabe addresses the feasibility of Democratic electric vehicle proposals

Mar 9, 2020

Throughout the Democratic primary process, candidates have released climate change plans calling for the full electrification of vehicles within the next two decades. Professor Barry Rabe weighed in recently on how these proposals could impact...

News

Farmers harvesting the benefits of wind energy

Mar 5, 2020

With U.S. farm bankruptcy rates rising, farmers have been turning to the wind energy to make ends meet. Sarah Mills, senior project manager at the Ford School's Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) was featured in a USA Today article...