Ethics | Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
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State & Hill

Quantum leap

May 3, 2023
When City of Flint CFO Rob Widigan looks at his required annual financial reporting to the state of Michigan, he sighs. His department needs to compile the accounts, which are saved as a PDF document, and separately copy certain numbers into at...
Photo of a large metal arch with a sign reading "Flint: Vehicle city" at a gateway to Flint, Michigan
Publication

Ethical implications of defense funding in social science

Mar 22, 2023
Since World War I, defense funding has been a driver of social science’s growth. The dense ties between social science and defense agencies benefitted social research but also attracted decades of heavy criticism. This long and entangled history has...
Joy Rohde
In the Media

Parthasarathy weighs in on implications of ChatGPT

Feb 6, 2023 Nature
Shobita Parthasarathy, Nature: "Besides directly producing toxic content, there are concerns that AI chatbots will embed historical biases or ideas about the world from their training data, such as the superiority of particular cultures, says...
Shobita Parthasarathy
In the Media

Hanson considers George Santos's future

Feb 3, 2023 USA Today
Jonathan Hanson, USA Today: "I think Republicans feel like they can't afford to lose any more seats. They already have a very tenuous situation where they can't afford barely any defections on a vote if they want something to pass. This is a...
Jonathan Hanson
Publication

Green discusses "substantive algorithmic fairness"

Oct 19, 2022
Ford School assistant professor Ben Green, and an affiliate of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, says that if algorithms are to improve society, focusing only on whether they’re mathematically “fair” won’t get us...
Ben Green
In the Media

Parthasarathy raises ethical questions in Henrietta Lacks lawsuit

May 18, 2022 GBH News
Shobita Parthasarathy, professor of public policy and director of the Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program, discussed the ethical concerns surrounding the lawsuit filed against Thermo Fisher Scientific by the family of Henrietta Lacks...
Professor Shobita Parthasarathy leads a discussion in the Betty Ford Classroom
News

Ralph pens article on corruption and Russian invasion

Apr 10, 2022
Alex Ralph, a writing instructor at the Ford School, recently sat down with Frank Vogl, co-founder of Transparency International, the chairman of the Partnership for Transparency Fund and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, to discuss...
Alex Ralph
Publication

Green explores tech ethics and its boundaries in new paper

Feb 4, 2022
Who gets to define the ethics behind the use of technology in society? The discussion has become more pressing amid controversies related to misinformation, privacy, and algorithmic bias.  Ben Green explores this question as editor of a special...
Ben Green
Publication

Green’s paper receives Privacy Papers for Policymakers Award

Jan 13, 2022
The Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) recently awarded Ben Green, assistant professor and postdoctoral scholar, the Privacy Papers for Policymakers Award. The award is for Green’s paper, “The Flaws of Policies Requiring Human Oversight of Government...
Ben Green
In the Media

Tompkins-Stange discusses "hazy rules" of donating

Jan 5, 2022 The Chronicle of Philanthropy
Debating the hazy rules of donating to charities, Megan Tompkins-Stange, assistant professor of public policy, discussed how the rules and donations affect politics. “We don’t know exactly what company and what special interest or high net-worth...
Megan Tompkins-Stange
State & Hill

An evolving humanitarian crisis

Dec 13, 2021
By Rebecca Cohen (MPP '09) Thousands of Afghans holding pro-democracy values—some with ties to the U-M community—were left behind in the wake of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. In August, Taliban forces rapidly took control and formed a new...
Landscape in rural Afghanistan
News

CLOSUP and Ivacko applauded for partnering with city of Flint

Dec 8, 2021
News outlets are applauding Tom Ivacko and the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy's announcement about a project with the city of Flint that will examine whether a new fiscal reporting mechanism can help create transparency in local fiscal...
Tom Ivacko
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...
Robert Axelrod teaching
In the Media

Parthasarathy on the racial reckoning in science and medicine

Oct 4, 2021 AP News
The family of Henrietta Lacks, a Black woman whose cells have been used to develop numerous scientific and medical innovations, is suing a biotechnology company for selling her cells. Shobita Parthasarathy provided insight into the lawsuit. “We...
Professor Shobita Parthasarathy leads a discussion in the Betty Ford Classroom
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....
Jennifer Haverkamp
In the Media

Ciorciari comments on Afghanistan evacuations

Aug 31, 2021 WXYZ Detroit
The United States has finally left Afghanistan, leaving behind thousands of Afghans fearing for their lives due to connections with the U.S. John Ciorciari, associate professor of public policy and director of the Weiser Diplomacy Center and...
John Ciorciari in Washington DC
News

Ciorciari and Ali analyze Afghanistan withdrawal

Aug 16, 2021
With stunning speed, the Taliban has overthrown the Western-backed government of Afghanistan, bringing a chaotic end to a two-decade effort by the United States and others to remake the country. More than 3,500 U.S. and allied troops and tens of...
Headshots of John Ciorciari and Ali
In the Media

Parthasarathy calls for legislative action on privacy

Aug 11, 2021 MLive
As police increasingly use social media for surveillance and monitoring, Shobita Parthasarathy, professor of public policy and director of the Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program, calls for legislative action to protect citizens' online...
Shobita Parthasarathy
In the Media

Ciorciari defends Cambodian human rights lawyer charged with treason

Aug 10, 2021 The New York Times
Theary Seng, a human rights lawyer, has been charged with treason in Cambodia for attempting to build a democratic system and defending human rights.   “Theary has been a courageous champion for democracy and social justice in Cambodia for many...
John Ciorciari
In the Media

Parthasarathy discusses bias of facial recognition technology

Aug 5, 2021 MLive
The ethics surrounding the use of facial recognition technology are under increasing scrutiny as more law enforcement agencies utilize it. Shobita Parthasarathy, professor of public policy and director of the Science, Technology, and Public Policy...
Professor Shobita Parthasarathy leads a discussion in the Betty Ford Classroom
In the Media

Hall breaks down gubernatorial election controversy

Aug 1, 2021 Bridge Michigan
Amidst claims that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is using a campaign finance loophole illegally to collect donations for the next gubernatorial election, Richard Hall, professor of public policy and political science, says that Whitmer needs to be careful....
Rick Hall
In the Media

Shipan explains Michigan GOP divide

Jul 19, 2021 Detroit Free Press
The Michigan Republican Party is struggling to define itself in the shadow of former President Donald Trump. Some members want to cling to Trump and his rhetoric, while others are trying to distance themselves. Charles Shipan, the J. Ira and Nicki...
Michigan capitol