Policy Topics

Economics and finance

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News

Congratulations, Catherine and Joshua Hausman, both now associate professors, with tenure

May 21, 2020

It’s a great week in the Hausman household, with news that both professor Catherine Hausman and professor Joshua Hausman will receive promotions to associate professors of public policy, with tenure, at the Ford School. “Both Catie and Josh are...

Photo of Joshua and Catherine Hausman in Weill Hall's 2nd floor hallway

Michigan's unemployed struggle to access state system

May 20, 2020

Kristin Seefeldt, associate professor of social work and public policy and faculty by courtesy at the Ford School, says Michigan’s unemployment system was never set up to handle severe drops in unemployment. In an article on Mlive May 15, she was...

Parsing the unemployment statistics, Stevenson finds reason for optimism even amidst a higher-than-reported rate

May 15, 2020

The rate of unemployment was recently recorded as 14.7%. Ford School economist Betsey Stevenson, who was Chief Economist of the U.S. Department of Labor 2010-2011, says the real rate is actually higher. In a tweet quoted in an article in Forbes May...

Wolfers puts public health at the center of economic recovery

May 15, 2020

The current method for calculating Gross Domestic Product is missing “the immense value of the sacrifices being made by millions of people who have stayed at home to stop the spread of the coronavirus,” Ford School economics professor Justin Wolfers...

Trump’s focus on economic recovery a risky political calculation for election, says Hanson

May 12, 2020

President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign would be taking a risk by focusing on what was once his hallmark issue: a booming economy. In a recent BBC Brasil article, Ford School professor Jonathan Hanson evaluated the changing political climate...

In the Media

Dominguez on the post-COVID economy

May 12, 2020 NPR Marketplace

Ford School professor of public policy and economics Kathryn Dominguez tells NPR's Marketplace that consumer goods consumption may well change in the post-COVID economy, making current measures of inflation less relevant. “There will be lots of...

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

Ford School alum supports efforts to tackle COVID-19 in developing Asia

May 12, 2020

In mid-April, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced an enormous $20 billion aid package to help Asian and Pacific developing countries address the negative economic and social impacts of COVID-19. ADB’s point person in North America, Ford...

News

COVID-19 Fiscal Strategy and Resource Guides for Local Governments produced by CLOSUP and partners

May 11, 2020

The COVID-19 crisis is having a dramatic impact on Michigan's local governments, and the fiscal implications — including emergency spending, revenue losses, and budget cuts — are already being felt. The Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy...

News

TANF left out of coronavirus relief efforts

May 8, 2020

Temporary Assistance For Needy Families, or TANF, was created as part of the 1996 Welfare Reform bill as a way to give cash assistance to those most vulnerable. Yet at a time when millions of Americans are in dire need of cash assistance, the...

Luke Shaefer delivers a talk at the Ford School

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,...

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...

Dramatic drop in remittances puts struggling communities around the world at risk

Apr 23, 2020

As the toll of the COVID-19 economic shutdown reverberates around the world, money sent home by foreign workers is drying up. Hundreds of billions of dollars are sent every year from countries where immigrants work to countries they call home or...

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,...

Fintech can speed recovery payments to businesses and individuals

Apr 22, 2020

Financial technology, commonly known as fintech, is the intersection of financial services and technology. Fintech services that have become popular in recent years include mobile payments, online lending, and digital currency.Adrienne Harris, a...

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...

In times of crisis, electricity usage data can estimate economic damage, says Wolfers

Apr 10, 2020

With economic activity changing faster than standard statistical measures can keep up, economists are looking at other indicators to take the economy’s pulse. Justin Wolfers, professor at the Ford School, analyzed electricity usage to understand the...

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...

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...

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....

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...

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...

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 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...

Annual DC career trip fosters connections between students and alumni

Feb 11, 2020

On February 6 and 7, 2020, the Ford School held its annual DC career trip with record student attendance (55 graduate students) and alumni participation (140). A Ford School tradition, this year’s Washington, DC experience provided students with...

James VanSteel (MPP/MURP '21) co-authors electric vehicle report for The Ecology Center

Jan 31, 2020

With research conducted during his summer 2019 internship with The Ecology Center, Ford School student James VanSteel (MPP/MURP '21) co-authored “EV Report: Paying Their Fair Share,” published on January 13, 2020. In the report, VanSteel and his...

News

Fiscal health: Mixed signals for Michigan’s local governments

Dec 11, 2019

ANN ARBOR—More than two-thirds of Michigan’s local government leaders rate their jurisdictions’ current fiscal stress as relatively low, according to a new survey by the University of Michigan’s Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy. On the...

New BA minor opens policy education to more U-M students

Dec 10, 2019

Starting fall 2020, the Ford School will offer University of Michigan undergraduates a 16-credit minor in public policy. The minor will have a competitive application process that will go live in April 2020. The school expects to enroll around...