Policy Topics

Economics and finance

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News

Stevenson on why the economy is waiting for workers

Oct 20, 2021

As the economy recovers, workers are holding out for better compensation and benefits. “It’s like the whole country is in some kind of union renegotiation,” Betsey Stevenson told the New York Times. “I don’t know who’s going to win in this...

Publication

Latino Michiganders: Key findings from U-M Poverty Solutions

Oct 15, 2021

ANN ARBOR—As National Hispanic Heritage Month, which celebrates the culture and contributions of Latinos in the U.S., comes to a close, Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan highlights key data from its research that relates to Latinos...

News

Stevenson breaks down September jobs report

Oct 14, 2021

The September jobs report did not reveal things that economists, including Betsey Stevenson, were hoping to see. "If you look at this report, it’s very clear that it’s delta that’s holding it back. We saw the highest number of people working...

In the Media

Stevenson dissects September Jobs Report

Oct 8, 2021 Moody's Talks

Today, Betsey Stevenson, professor of public policy and economics, appeared on Moody's Talks: Inside Economics to discuss the September jobs report. "If you turn to the employment report, it wasn’t that stark, but you still see the same pattern....

Publication

Child Tax Credit providing critical help, but not reaching more than 1 in 10 eligible families

Oct 6, 2021

In March, Congress expanded the Child Tax Credit (CTC) to provide low- and middle-income families with monthly payments of $300 per child under 6 and $250 per child ages 6-17. The expanded CTC is already estimated to have reduced child poverty by...

News

Stevenson debates the debt ceiling, weighs in on financial literacy education

Oct 5, 2021

As Congress continued to debate the debt ceiling this week, Betsey Stevenson weighed in. "I want to clarify that the debt ceiling fight is not a fight over how much debt we should have. When we debate how much we're going to spend and how much...

News

John Leahy elected as an Econometric Society Fellow

Oct 5, 2021

This fall, John Leahy was elected as one of 51 new fellows to the Econometric Society, an international society for the advancement of economic theory and its relationship to statistics and mathematics. Leahy was nominated by his peers, and is only...

Publication

Michelmore and Pilkauskas find EITC boosts employment, with decreasing impact as children age

Oct 4, 2021

Existing research has largely overlooked the variation in maternal employment effects of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) depending on the age of their children. In a new study, Katherine Michelmore and Natasha Pilkauskas, both associate...

Natasha Pilkauskas and Katherine Michelmore

In the Media

Axelrod discusses strategy, real-world implications of game theory

Oct 4, 2021 Freakonomics podcast

Robert Axelrod, William D. Hamilton Distinguished University Professor Emeritus, recently broke down game theory strategy on the People I (Mostly) Admire podcast with Freakonomics author Steven Levitt. He explains how game theory and the prisoner's...

Publication

Michigan local economies still struggling with the pandemic effects

Sep 29, 2021

Michigan's local economies are still struggling with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic but at a much lower rate than at the start of the crisis in spring 2020, according to a University of Michigan statewide survey of local government...

Two post-it notes on a business' front door, reading "Sorry we're closed" and "COVID-19"

News

Owen selected for NASPAA Dissertation Award

Sep 29, 2021

The Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA) has chosen Stephanie Owen, a 2021 PhD alum of the Ford School and assistant professor at Colby College, as the recipient of the 2021 NASPAA Dissertation Award. Her...

News

Stevenson on pandemic effects and opportunities

Sep 29, 2021

This week, Betsey Stevenson spoke to NPR and PBS about the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, from supply chains around the world, to a changing workforce, and U.S. government debt. "COVID's affecting the entire world. There are entire...

In the Media

Psaki mentions Wolfers in press briefing

Sep 29, 2021 The White House

In a recent press briefing, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki quoted Justin Wolfers, in regards to the Biden administration's recent vaccine and testing mandate for companies. "Viewing Biden’s vaccine mandate as simply economic policy, it’s...

News

Penny Naas on trade, resilience, equity and the environment

Sep 27, 2021

Penny Naas (MPP '93) is President, International Affairs and Sustainability, at UPS. She spoke with Economics professor Betsey Stevenson in a policy talk, Business and government: Diversity, regulation, and sustainability, about a range of issues,...

Photo of Betsey Stevenson and Penny Naas during a Ford School virtual event

News

Stevenson urges lawmakers to consider value over price in economic reforms

Sep 23, 2021

Economist Betsey Stevenson is keeping a close eye on the country's economic recovery, and provides insights in a number of news outlets this week. "Recovery in the labor force requires getting people into jobs and then keeping them there,"...

Photo of Betsey Stevenson leading a class

News

Shaefer testifies about the impact of the Child Tax Credit before the U.S. House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis

Sep 22, 2021

On September 22, Luke Shaefer, the Hermann and Amalie Kohn Professor of Social Justice and Social Policy, testified before the U.S. House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis. The hearing also included four other invited experts to speak...

Photo of Luke Shaefer testifying before the U.S. House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis

In the Media

Wolfers among economists highlighting how lack of abortion access affects women

Sep 22, 2021 Financial Times

Following the passing of Texas law ending abortion access after six weeks of pregnancy, more than 150 economists, Justin Wolfers among them, submitted a brief in a court case in Mississippi that is seeking to overturn Roe v. Wade. "Ample evidence...

In the Media

Government interventions buffered families against pandemic hardships -Seefeldt

Sep 22, 2021 Michigan Radio

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the amount of Michiganders living in poverty dropped. Kristin Seefeldt, associate professor of public policy, attributes this to the economic support the government offered. "What we're seeing is really...

In the Media

Haverkamp defends corporate climate pledges

Sep 22, 2021 Marketplace

As more and more corporations commit to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions, some are skeptical that these pledges are simply performative. But, Jennifer Haverkamp, professor of practice, says otherwise. "It’s a very important signal....

In the Media

Raising aspirations for poor entrepreneurs may backfire - Yang

Sep 21, 2021 VoxDev

Can setting larger, more ambitious goals and financial self-help books aid poor entrepreneurs in decision-making? In a new study, Dean Yang, professor of economics and public policy, and Aakash Mohpal, a U-M PhD alum, found that the two variables...

News

Ivacko: Challenges abound as leaders assemble for Mackinac Policy Conference

Sep 20, 2021

Many of Michigan's business, political and academic movers and shakers are gathering this week for the annual Mackinac Policy Conference after the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of last year's event. While the number of people...

In the Media

Vaccine mandate good for business, says Wolfers

Sep 17, 2021 NBC News

Some of America's top business executives met with President Biden on Wednesday to discuss the new vaccine and testing mandate for large businesses. Justin Wolfers, professor of public policy and economics, explained why executive support for the...

In the Media

Johnson criticizes poverty data during pandemic

Sep 15, 2021 Bloomberg Equality

During the pandemic, median real income dropped 2.9%, signaling a rise in poverty. But, according to David Johnson, director of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics and professor of public policy, "the data shows that the official poverty measure is...

In the Media

Stevenson and Wolfers among economists who sent childcare letter to Dems

Sep 15, 2021 Business Insider

Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers, both professors of public policy and economics, were among the 127 economists demanding Democrats in Congress to invest in quality childcare. "Childcare is an economic problem," Stevenson said. "It is part of...

In the Media

Stevenson discusses trade-off of ending unemployment benefits

Sep 14, 2021 Stateside

Millions have lost a source of income with the federal pandemic unemployment benefits ending. Betsey Stevenson, professor of public policy and economics, says that while some people will return to work, not all will. "I do not think that......

In the Media

Baer considers long-term challenges for downtown businesses

Sep 14, 2021 AP News

According to Christie Baer, assistant executive director for the University of Michigan's Center on Finance, Law and Policy, downtown businesses face a big decision as the pandemic continues. "Businesses that thought that they just had to weather...

In the Media

Raimi describes hardships of renewables transition

Sep 8, 2021 Casper Star Tribune

The transition towards renewable energy is necessary, but that doesn't mean it comes without hardships. In Wyoming, where the fossil fuel industry has thrived for many years, the state must find a new area for revenue according to Daniel Raimi,...

News

U-M awarded grant to support Detroit entrepreneurs in bridging digital divide

Sep 7, 2021

An interdisciplinary team from the University of Michigan was awarded $300,000 from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation to train local residents and U-M students to provide one-on-one technology support to Detroit entrepreneurs. The project aims to...

In the Media

Cooney sees impact of expanded child tax credit

Sep 3, 2021 The Detroit News

The federal COVID-19 unemployment benefits are ending, but the expanded child tax credit plan was rolled out in July. After those first deposits, the U.S. Census Bureau reported a decline in food insecurity. "It’s heartening to see that expanded...

News

Stevenson predicts employment changes ahead

Sep 3, 2021

Change is inevitable when it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rising infection rates have caused an otherwise recovering economy to slow, and Betsey Stevenson predicts there may be more change ahead. “I think we are going to see some of the great...