Policy Topics

Poverty and social policy

Showing 391 - 420 of 1263 results

In the Media

Poverty Solutions works with City of Detroit and other groups to expand Child Tax Credit information

Jun 20, 2021 Detroit Free Press

U-M Poverty Solutions is teaming up with the City of Detroit and other organizations to ensure that families are aware that they can qualify for an expansion of the Child Tax Credit program. The campaign, led by United Way for Southeastern Michigan,...

News

New policy brief reviews evidence of the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on young children's learning and ECE programs, highlighting inequities, and points to solutions

Jun 18, 2021

How has COVID-19 impacted young children's educational experiences and learning outcomes? How has the pandemic impacted early childhood education (ECE) programs and the ECE workforce? A new report from the Education Policy Initiative (EPI) at the...

News

Watkins-Hayes earns ASA’s Distinguished Scholarly Book Award

Jun 18, 2021

Congratulations to Dr. Celeste Watkins-Hayes, Jean E. Fairfax Collegiate Professor of Public Policy and incoming associate dean for academic affairs, for receiving the Distinguished Scholarly Book Award from the American Sociological Association....

In the Media

Erb-Downward analyzes trend between homeless students and school discipline

Jun 15, 2021 Bridge Michigan

According to U-M Poverty Solutions, homeless students face more disciplinary action at school than their housed counterparts. Jennifer Erb-Downward, senior research associate at Povery Solutions, explained the effects school discipline can have on...

In the Media

Cooney breaks down Whitmer's labor force revival plan

Jun 15, 2021 WXYZ Detroit

In order to get more people back into the labor force, Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently proposed the idea of paying people who go back to work. Patrick Cooney, assistant director of economic mobility at Poverty Solutions, explained that...

News

Otzen publishes land contract brief, says they could pave way for community stability

Jun 15, 2021

In a recent brief, Karen Otzen, senior strategic projects manager at Poverty Solutions, and co-author Evelyn Zwiebach, state and local policy director for Enterprise Community Partners, explored the practice of land contracts. They broke down the...

News

Shaefer fields continuing media interest in COVID stimulus study

Jun 10, 2021

Following the release of his study crunching numbers from the U.S Census Bureau's Household Pulse Data, Luke Shaefer, the Hermann and Amalie Kohn Professor of Social Justice and Social Policy, associate dean for research and policy engagement, and...

News

‘Transportation is a form of freedom’: How to make it more equitable

Jun 9, 2021

The routes and schedules of public transit, the presence or absence of sidewalks, the availability of different transportation options, and the design of highways that have divided cities—these are examples of aspects of transportation systems that...

News

Research supported by Poverty Solutions shows Michigan eviction filings dropped 65% in 2020 compared to pre-pandemic

Jun 8, 2021

New research, supported by Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan offers insights into how Michigan can maintain the low eviction rates achieved during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Michigan Eviction Project, led by U-M faculty and housing...

In the Media

Erb-Downward cites negative outcomes of school discipline on homeless children

Jun 6, 2021 WXYZ Detroit

Research done by Poverty Solutions at U-M has found negative outcomes in children resulting from school suspensions and expulsions, especially when those children have unstable housing. Jennifer Erb-Downward, senior research associate at Poverty...

News

"Stimulus Checks Substantially Reduced Hardship," NYT and Newsweek report, citing Poverty Solutions study

Jun 5, 2021

The New York Times highlighted a recent study by Luke Shaefer and Patrick Cooney, released by Poverty Solutions, which shows, "that sharp declines in food shortages, financial instability and anxiety coincided with the two most recent rounds of...

Publication

Task force featuring Lantz issues report assessing pandemic's trajectory and implications for Medicare, Social Security

Jun 3, 2021

A report by the National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI) looks at the direct effects and outcomes of COVID-19—hospitalizations, deaths, disability, unemployment, and racial and ethnic disparities—and how they will impact social insurance...

News

Examining Detroit students' college pathways

May 26, 2021

Academic and non-academic barriers are preventing Detroit high school students from enrolling and succeeding in college. Detroit Students’ College Pathways and Outcomes, a policy brief released by the Youth Policy Lab (YPL) at the University of...

News

COVID-19 and unemployment's affects on future health - Burgard

May 25, 2021

In a recent opinion piece published in The Conversation, co-authored with with Jennie Brand, Sarah Burgard, professor of sociology, public policy and epidemiology, called attention to the long-term health effects of COVID-19 — but not just effects...

News

Ford alum secures Peter Harbage Fellowship

May 21, 2021

For the first time ever, the Peter Harbage Fellowship has chosen a Ford School or University of Michigan alumni. Named in honor of Peter Harbage (MPP ‘93), the one-year fellowship provides fellows with “a year-long experience to deepen learning and...

News

Congratulations to Natasha Pilkauskas and Kaitlin Raimi, both now associate professors, with tenure

May 21, 2021

Professors Natasha Pilkauskas and Kaitlin Raimi have received promotions to associate professor, with tenure, at the Ford School. Their status was approved by the U-M Board of Regents at their meeting on May 20. "Natasha Pilkauskas is deepening...

Headshots of Kaitlin Raimi and Natasha Pilkauskas

In the Media

Cooney comments on minimum wage debate

May 19, 2021 WXYZ Detroit

McDonald's workers are striking for better wages all across the country, including in Michigan. Many argue against a higher minimum wage, saying that it would cause job loss. Patrick Cooney, assistant director of economic mobility at U-M Poverty...

News

Erb-Downward testifies at U.S. House hearing on student homelessness

May 19, 2021 Watch the hearing

Jennifer Erb-Downward, senior research associate at Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan, testified before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education on Wednesday, May 19. The hearing was...

News

Anti-Asian hate: Poverty Solutions supports U-M chronicle of location, nature of more than 1,000 incidents last year

May 17, 2021

New research from the University of Michigan offers insights into the location, nature and perpetrators of anti-Asian hate incidents that occurred in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Virulent Hate Project, which is supported by U-M’s...

Map of anti-Asian racist incidents during COVID-19, as of May 19, 2021

News

Shaefer lauds the potential impact of the child tax credit

May 14, 2021

"The expanded, fully refundable child tax credit sounds complicated, but the ideas behind it are simple, and its design has been tested in many other countries. It’s based on the principles that children deserve the opportunity to thrive, and that...

Publication

Vaccine hesitancy, rooted in institutional mistrust, could stand in way of COVID-19 herd immunity, STPP study finds

May 12, 2021

The global effort to develop and distribute COVID-19 vaccines has progressed despite myriad challenges. Yet the final step—shots in arms—meets resistance among some that can't easily be overcome by science and supply chains. Vaccine hesitancy—a...

A nurse administers the COVID-19 vaccine to a teacher in Iowa (Credit: Phil Roeder / CC BY)

News

Biden's plan for universal preschool, explained - Weiland

May 12, 2021

On April 28, the Biden Administration announced the American Families Plan, which includes universal preschool for all three- and four-year-olds. Christina Weiland, associate professor of education at the Ford School, weighed in on the plan and...

News

Kalena Thomhave (MPP ‘21) awarded the Peter Eckstein Prize

May 10, 2021

Recent Ford School graduate Kalena Thomhave (MPP ‘21) is the 2021 winner of the Peter Eckstein Prize for Interdisciplinary Research for her comprehensive analysis of the challenges faced by the U.S. Unemployment Insurance (UI) system during the...

In the Media

Cooney comments on surge in home remodeling and effect on low-income households

May 10, 2021 WDET Detroit Today

More people around the country are looking to remodel their homes, but because of disruptions in the global supply chain, the price of remodeling has spiked. Pat Cooney, assistant director of economic mobility at U-M Poverty Solutions, pointed out...

News

Stevenson comments widely on COVID-19 recovery, minimum wage

May 10, 2021

Ford School economics professor Betsey Stevenson has been commenting on the debate about raising the minimum wage and the contours of the COVID-19 recovery. When the April jobs report was released, with significantly fewer jobs created than were...

In the Media

Stevenson says policies should impact long-term growth and our well-being

Apr 29, 2021 Washington Post

"Everybody was running around in 2008 trying to save the banking system. Now there's a very different effort this time to save the day-care centers," said Betsey Stevenson. "We shouldn't just be asking what policies will do for long-run growth. We...

News

Pilkauskas wins 2020 IPUMS Research Award

Apr 28, 2021

Natasha Pilkauskas' research on "Historical Trends in Children Living in Multigenerational Households in the United States: 1870–2018" has been selected as the 2020 winner of the IPUMS Research Award. Pilkauskas and her co-authors used decennial...

News

New website answers Michiganders’ questions about expanded Child Tax Credit

Apr 26, 2021

A new website from Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan offers step-by-step guidance for parents to ensure they receive the expanded Child Tax Credit, which is worth up to $3,600 per child, per year. The American Rescue Plan Act of...

Poverty Solutions Child Tax Credit portal

In the Media

Watkins-Hayes and Shaefer comment in the NYT about child tax credit expansion

Apr 26, 2021 New York Times

Celeste Watkins-Hayes and Luke Shaefer comment in the New York Times about the permanent expansion of the child tax credit in President Biden's proposed American Families Plan. The simplicity of the plan cuts through old ideas of who’s...

A parent/guardian and two young children in masks walking outdoors (Credit: Shutterstock)

News

Dynarski’s research and advocacy for a simplified FAFSA becomes reality

Apr 23, 2021

Professor Sue Dynarski laid out the reality of pursuing higher education for many students in a 2015 NYT op-ed. “Many smart students forgo college in the mistaken belief that they cannot afford it,” she wrote. “The financial aid system, which is...