Poverty and social policy

Murphy seeks to put a face on new suburban poverty

Jan 8, 2014

In an article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Alexandra Murphy, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Ford School's National Poverty Center, comments on the invisibility of and unique challenges facing the suburban poor. In 2009, Murphy moved to...

Legacies of the war on poverty, lessons for the future

Dec 20, 2013

January 8, 2014 marks the 50th anniversary of President Lyndon B. Johnson's declaration of "unconditional War on Poverty." Yet 15 percent of Americans live in poverty today, and no presidential administration or Congress since the Johnson era has...

State & Hill

BA alum among 'Top 35 under 35' foreigners making an impact in Africa

Dec 16, 2013

Madelynne Wager (BA '13), a first generation college student from the small town of Greenville, Mich., knew she wanted to make an impact. When she started her studies at the University of Michigan, she thought she could do that best by becoming a...

Danziger comments on what we can learn from change in poverty rate under revised census measure

Nov 7, 2013

This week, the Census Bureau released 2012 poverty numbers under the supplemental poverty measure, which calculates the number of poor people in America as 3 million higher than the official count. Based on this revised formula, 1 and 6 US...

Rising child poverty long trend in the making, says Danziger image

Danziger pens Huffington Post op-ed on persistent effects of the Great Recession

Nov 7, 2013

In a Huffington Post opinion article, "Ravages of the Great Recession," Sheldon Danziger writes that Congress's dysfunction, in particular its preoccupation with slashing the federal deficit, is prolonging economic pains. Danziger cites a new study...

Rising child poverty long trend in the making, says Danziger

Oct 22, 2013

Sheldon Danziger was quoted in a Fox News article about rising child poverty. The article covers a study by the Southern Education Foundation which found that the majority of public school students in 13 southern and four western states are living...

The power of philanthropy to transform Arkansas communities

Oct 8, 2013

"I want change now," says Sherece West-Scantlebury (MPP '89). "I want the solutions now to solve old and difficult problems that keep Arkansas in the bottom five on indicators of children and family well-being. I want us to be number one on those...

Cross-sector partnerships fuel new breakthroughs in affordable housing

Sep 30, 2013

"It's Maslow's hierarchy of needs," Paul Weech says. "Cover the basics—food and shelter—and you allow people to focus their time and energy on work, family, education, and all the rest."A self-proclaimed "houser," Weech is fervent about the need for...

Danziger comments on lack of economic growth for the poor in Michigan

Sep 19, 2013

The Detroit Free Press reports that new census data for Michigan shows an increase in households receiving retirement pay, while overall household income and poverty rates remain stagnant. Sheldon Danziger, former director of the National Poverty...

U.S. poverty has held steady, despite growing income inequality, says Sheldon Danziger in New York Times op-ed

Sep 17, 2013

Sheldon H. Danziger's New York Times op-ed, "The Mismeasure of Poverty," suggests that the recent Census Bureau report on the 2012 U.S. poverty rate—at 15 percent—is inaccurate because it doesn't reflect the value of poverty interventions like food...

No matter what: working for criminal justice reform in New Orleans

Jul 31, 2013

Lelia Gowland (MPP '11) has New Orleans' back. Born and raised in the city, she left her hometown to attend college and always planned to return. Little surprise that she has spent the last few years doing social justice advocacy for youth in the...

State & Hill

Urban policy-themed Spring edition of State & Hill published

Apr 22, 2013

Cities—in America and around the globe—remain vitally important in fueling economic growth, producing jobs, and cultivating innovation and creativity. This edition of State & Hill features insights into city policy from faculty, alumni, and friends...

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Improving urban health through the power of community

Apr 22, 2013

Ruth Browne (MPP/MPH '83) just did the happy dance. She's celebrating a gift to the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health, an institute she's directed since its founding in 1992 by the legendary African American tennis star and humanitarian. This...

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All in the game

Apr 22, 2013

An interdisciplinary approach to urban policy "Aw yeah. That golden rule." -Bunk Moreland Dirty and disheveled, Dukie rocks up to his crew in an alley somewhere off Franklin Street in West Baltimore. It's the last day of a long, hot summer,...

Danziger receives School of Social Work faculty award

Apr 12, 2013

The Distinguished Faculty Committee of the University of Michigan's School of Social Work has unanimously selected Sandra Danziger as the recipient of the school's 2013 Distinguished Faculty Award.As described by the U-M Center for Research on...

Stevenson opinion article on minimum wage in Washington Post

Apr 5, 2013

The Washington Post published an op-ed by Betsey Stevenson, entitled "Five Myths about the Minimum Wage." The topic has been widely discussed since President Obama proposed increasing the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $9 per hour in his...

Sheldon Danziger opinion featured in New York Times forum addressing the question: "Shrink Inequality to Grow the Economy?"

Oct 19, 2012

In response to the New York Times' Room for Debate forum question, "Shrink Inequality to Grow the Economy?," Sheldon Danziger crafted the op-ed "All Growth is not Created Equal," Sheldon Danziger, which argued that reducing inequality in America can...

Danziger: "We live in the gilded age of inequality"

Jul 12, 2012

Sheldon Danziger joined Michigan Radio's first live call-in show for its State of Opportunity project to discuss perceptions of poverty within the state.Danziger, director of the Ford School-based National Poverty Center, said long-held perceptions...

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Waiting for Superman, the sequel

Jan 5, 2012

Whether we believe in charter schools or harbor our reservations, the fact remains that they're a vital part of our nation's education landscape. Today, some 5,000 charters across America enroll 1.6 million children, and those numbers are increasing...

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A thinner blue line, David Thacher on the growing gulf in public safety

Apr 26, 2011

David Thacher explores the growing gulf in public safety between haves, have-nots. Flint and Ann Arbor, Mich., are roughly equal in size. But that's where the comparison ends. Ann Arbor is home to a rapidly growing tech industry, a highly...

Sheldon Danziger comments on the latest U.S. poverty levels

Sep 17, 2010

Sheldon Danziger spoke to a variety of media outlets about the release of a U.S. Census Bureau report on the nation’s poverty level. According the report, poverty in the U.S. reached a 51-year high with 14.3% of the population falling below the...

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The right place at the right time, unfortunately

Sep 16, 2009

National Poverty Center surveying effects of recession and federal stimulus on Southeast Michigan workers and families Long affected by the loss of well-paid manufacturing jobs, workers and families in Southeast Michigan have been hit especially...

Jazz musician Etienne Charles examines the effects of climate change on vulnerable communities

Jan 17, 2025, 2:30-3:30 pm EST

Joan and Sanford Weill Hall Annenberg Auditorium

Jazz musician Etienne Charles explores the effects of climate change on vulnerable communities. We are excited about his appearance as the Ford School of Public Policy’s annual Martin Luther King Day speaker on January 17.

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Real-World Perspectives on Poverty Solutions

From surviving to thriving: The importance of engaging people with lived expertise

Nov 8, 2024, 12:00-1:30 pm EST

SSW ECC 1840

Real World Perspectives on Poverty Solutions introduces key issues regarding the causes and consequences of poverty through an in-person lecture series featuring experts in policy and practice from across the nation.

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Real-World Perspectives on Poverty Solutions

Empowering Communities to Reduce Violence and Improve Economic Mobility

Nov 1, 2024, 12:00-1:30 pm EDT

SSW ECC 1840

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Real-World Perspectives on Poverty Solutions

Living on the Edge: How economic insecurity harms children and families

Oct 25, 2024, 12:00-1:30 pm EDT

SSW ECC 1840

Watch live from this page

Real-World Perspectives on Poverty Solutions Speaker Series. "Living on the Edge: How Economic Insecurity Harms Children and Families," byTrina Shanks, October 25, noon ET. SSW ECC 1840 or watch online

Racial Foundations of Public Policy

Disillusioned: Five Families and the Unraveling of America's Suburbs

Oct 23, 2024, 4:00-6:00 pm EDT

Weill Hall, Fisher Classroom (Room 1220)

Join the Center for Racial Justice in welcoming author and journalist Benjamin Herold for a conversation about his latest book Disillusioned: Five Families and the Unraveling of America's Suburbs. Through the stories of five American families, Disillusioned a masterful and timely exploration of how hope, history, and racial denial collide in the suburbs and their schools.