Policy Topics

Economics and finance

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Alumni spotlight

Alan Cohen (MPP ‘75) improves U.S. social security under 7 administrations

Jul 27, 2020

Alan Cohen (MPP '75) has led an impressive career in social security policy, means-tested programs, and federal budget policy. Working for both the executive and legislative branches, Cohen has transformed aspects of social security, means-tested...

Alumni spotlight

DiGiovanni (MPP ‘00) emphasizes the critical role of budgeting in policymaking

Jul 21, 2020

After being awarded a Presidential Management Fellowship with the State Department, Antony DiGiovanni (MPP '00) didn’t expect his career trajectory would focus on federal budgeting. When explaining to a prospective employer he was interested in...

Alumni spotlight

Steve Tobocman (MPP/JD ‘97) advocates for immigrant economic inclusion

Jul 20, 2020

Steve Tobocman (MPP/JD '97) has been a leading advocate for immigrant inclusion in Detroit over the past two decades. After serving in Michigan’s House of Representatives for six years–his final term as the second highest ranking legislator–he...

News

“Promise Kept” on Trump tariff threat - Deardorff

Jul 20, 2020

Alan Deardorff, Ford School professor and one of the world’s leading experts on international trade policy, was referenced in a Politifact “Trump-O-Meter” fact-check of Trump Administration policy promises. The stated policy: “Any country that...

News

Local leaders' mixed messages and fading outlook in annual Michigan Public Policy Survey

Jul 20, 2020

Michigan local government officials’ attitudes about the direction of the state, and the performances of the governor and the legislature have improved from last year, but remain more negative than positive. The 2020 Michigan Public Policy Survey...

News

Combating poverty and inequality amidst a pandemic

Jul 19, 2020

Ford School Dean Michael S. Barr, Associate Dean and Poverty Solutions Director Luke Shaefer and Alford A. Young Jr., Professor of Sociology and African and African American Studies and courtesy faculty at the Ford School, discussed some of the ways...

Luke Shaefer, Michael Barr, and Al Young

News

Making sense of the complex unemployment numbers

Jul 10, 2020

On July 2nd, the Labor Department reported that 4.8 million jobs had been added, and unemployment stood at 11% - still higher than it was at the peak of the Great Recession in 2008 — with 17.8 million Americans still out of work. Ford School...

News

U-M awards grants to address poverty, impact of COVID-19 across Midwest

Jul 9, 2020

The Midwest Mobility from Poverty Network, led by Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan, awarded six grants totaling $150,000 for projects to improve economic mobility and address the impact of COVID-19 throughout the Midwest. The grant...

News

"Planet Money Summer School " features Stevenson and Wolfers

Jul 7, 2020

Planet Money, the irreverent and informative NPR podcast, is convening a Summer School starting on July 8, “turning it's podcast feed into a classroom for the masses, for anyone who wants to see the world through the lens of an economist.” Ford...

News

Dodd-Frank achievements assessed on its 10th anniversary

Jul 2, 2020

The Center on Finance, Law and Policy co-hosted a day-long conference with the Brookings Institution on June 30 to mark the Dodd-Frank Act 10th Anniversary. Former Senator Chris Dodd and former Representative Barney Frank participated, as did...

Politicians gather around President Obama as he signs the Dodd Frank Act

News

Democracy & Debate Theme Semester launches

Jul 2, 2020

This week marks the launch of the Democracy & Debate Theme Semester, a unique opportunity for teaching and learning about free speech and the exchange of ideas, democratic engagement from a global perspective and what it means to be a member of a...

News

Stevenson comments on lagging summer job creation lags, effect of expanded earned income tax credit

Jul 1, 2020

Ford School economics professor Betsey Stevenson was featured on NPR’s Marketplace, which noted that, “Summer has arrived; lots of summer jobs have not.” This year is going to be tough on people who work in travel, tourism and restaurants, which...

News

Unemployment remains steadily high in Detroit

Jun 30, 2020

As everyday activities in Detroit begin to resume, four out of 10 working Detroiters remain temporarily or permanently laid off, and many residents say they feel the state is reopening too soon. According to the third rapid response COVID-19...

News

Federal Reserve stress test results “backward-looking” - Barr

Jun 30, 2020

The Federal Reserve undertook its annual stress tests for the 34 largest US banks on Thursday, June 25, and determined to require big banks to suspend share repurchases during the third quarter and limit dividend distributions to the levels banks...

News

Ford students assist Detroit small business owners with re-opening challenges

Jun 29, 2020

The economic havoc caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has been especially disruptive to small businesses, which often depend on foot traffic and operate on smaller profit margins than their larger counterparts. As Michigan prepares to reopen its...

News

Barr: Dodd-Frank strong foundation, more financial reforms needed post-pandemic

Jun 26, 2020

Political and policy leaders will examine the impact one decade later of the Dodd-Frank Act, the legislation that aimed to reform Wall Street and protect consumers in the wake of the Great Recession. The Federal Reserve’s latest stress tests, one of...

In the Media

Dominguez shares insight on big bank stress testing under Fed supervision

Jun 25, 2020 NPR Marketplace

Stress testing is "a very time-consuming process because you’ve got to figure out how every single asset and liability is likely to be affected by this scenario,” said Kathryn Dominguez. Read or listen to the full segment on NPR...

Kathryn Dominguez speaks to prospective students at the Ford School's Spring Preview

CLOSUP finds Michigan local government leaders report widespread crisis-level impacts from COVID-19 pandemic

Jun 24, 2020

Leaders across Michigan have reported problems supporting their communities in the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic—with many saying they failed to get needed health or financial help in one of the hardest-hit states, according to a survey by...

Deardorff fact-checks President Trump on USMCA trade deal

Jun 22, 2020

A June 19 CNN story looked at recent public statements made by President Trump regarding the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement known as USMCA, among other issues. Ford School economics professor Alan Deardorff commented on Trump’s claim that “USMCA is...

Four Ford School students honored with Institute for Social Research Next Generation Awards

Jun 17, 2020

Ford School students were honored by the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research’s (ISR) Next Generation Awards. The donor-funded awards propel recipients forward in their careers and catalyze impactful research projects. ISR says...

Stevenson and Wolfers explain COVID-19 economic and financial turmoil

Jun 12, 2020

Last week’s surprising employment report, stock market recovery and loss, a statement from the Fed chair and a search for context marked the week ending June 12. Ford School economists Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers were called upon by the...

Burgard says calculating benefits of a lockdown is “ethically complex.”

Jun 12, 2020

An article written by Agence France Press June 12 and distributed to publications around the world states that “lockdowns undoubtedly prevented large numbers of deaths from the new coronavirus, [yet] the repercussions of the pandemic response are...

News

As COVID-19 Fiscal Strategy and Resource Guides expand, Ford School research centers launch a new program to support local governments and nonprofits

Jun 11, 2020

The guides have been helping local governments through the impacts COVID-19 will have on budgets and operations. The new COVID-19 Consulting Corps will provide individualized research and data support. Ann Arbor, MI, June 11, 2020 – The...

Was the drop in unemployment predictable? It depends who you ask...

Jun 5, 2020

An article in Vox.com on June 5, reacting to the surprising drop in the unemplyment rate, quoted Ford School economists Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers : "Betsey Stevenson, the former chief economist at the US Department of Labor and a...

Stevenson says “pandemic could scar a generation of working mothers”

Jun 3, 2020

An article in The New York Times June 3, noted that as the pandemic upends work and home life, women have carried an outsized share of the burden, are more likely to lose a job and more likely to shoulder the load of closed schools and day care....

Wolfers says coronavirus-led economic recession reveals gaps in U.S. safety net

Jun 1, 2020

Against the backdrop of the severe U.S. economic downturn caused by the coronavirus, Ford School economics professor Justin Wolfers told ABC News Australia May 31 that the country was ill-prepared to provide a safety net for its citizens. The...

Business can balance PPP loan forgiveness and worker benefits

May 29, 2020

Ford School public policy and economics professor Betsey Stevenson sees a way for business owners who got a forgivable federal loan to avoid the choice between getting a loan discharged or allowing workers to collect enhanced unemployment...

Harris sees changing role for fintech companies in response to COVID-19 economic crisis

May 29, 2020

Since its inception, the fintech industry has seen consistent change and evolution. An article on Finovate published May 28, says the past few months have seen even more rapid change in this “extraordinary time”. In the article, Adrienne Harris Ford...

News

More than 4 in 10 Detroiters have lost jobs during pandemic

May 26, 2020

DETROIT—Forty-three percent of Detroiters who were working before the COVID-19 pandemic have since lost their jobs, either on a temporary or permanent basis, according to a new University of Michigan survey. The latest rapid-response COVID-19...

State & Hill

Discourse: Faculty in the news from the Spring 2020 issue of State & Hill

May 22, 2020

“The government needs to make sure the hardest-hit families have enough income to keep food on their tables...in a rapidly unfolding crisis, the type of aid that’s offered may matter at least as much as the quantity.” Betsey Stevenson and Justin...