Dean Celeste Watkins-Hayes reflects on highlights from the Ford School's inaugural Kohn Social Policy Conference and the role of universities to bridge expertise and experience so that better solutions emerge.
BGL will help state agencies analyze payment-error patterns and prioritize quality-assurance efforts while supporting timely access for eligible people.
Pamela Herd's review of long-term care policy approaches and their impact on access provides insights for state lawmakers hoping to help elderly residents.
Pamela Herd, Carol Kakalec Kohn Professor of Social Policy at the Ford School of Public Policy, has been named the 19th National Institutes of Health (NIH) Matilda White Riley Distinguished Lecturer.
Organized around the question "What can a city do to promote human thriving?," the conference will bring together scholars, practitioners, policymakers, civic leaders and community partners to examine practical, evidence-informed approaches to challe...
The University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy is establishing the Kohn Social Policy Conference, a biennial convening designed to examine emerging social policy challenges and practical, evidence-informed solutions.
Pam Herd and Donald Moynihan have been recognized with the 2026 Riccucci-O'Leary Award for the best article on diversity in public management, conferred by the Public Management Research Association (PRMA).
After decades as a renowned poverty scholar at U-M and president of the Russell Sage Foundation, Sheldon Danziger, the Henry J. Meyer Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Public Policy, began his ‘third act’ last fall, taking the helm as p...
Administrative barriers are burdening the already disadvantaged Americans seeking life-saving benefits and aid, Ford School professor Pam Herd asserted in her Carol Kakalec Kohn Professor of Social Policy lecture.
New research from Pamela Herd, the Ford School's Carol Kakalec Kohn Professor of Social Policy, shows no negative relationship between community water fluoridation (CWF) and adolescent or adult cognitive function.
Ford School professor Pamela Herd comments on the current status of the MAHA movement after Trump signed an executive order promoting the production of glyphosate, a chemical that has long been one of the main targets of the MAHA movement
A recent evaluation led by University of Michigan professors Pamela Herd and Don Moynihan found that reducing administrative burdens by automating Medicaid renewals helps eligible beneficiaries remain in the program and increases Medicaid coverage fo...
Ford School Professor Pamela Herd addressed barriers to families accessing health benefits at a recent conference. Herd, the Carol Kakalec Kohn Professor of Social Policy, was speaking a forum organized by the Tax Policy Center, a collaboration betwe...
EXPERTS ADVISORY University of Michigan experts are available to discuss the impact of a potential halt in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funding due to the federal government shutdown. A directive from the U.S. Department of Agriculture h...
In August, Arnold Ventures awarded the Better Government Lab (BGL) an $800,000 grant to fund the completion of five studies that assess the causal effects of social policies meant to improve economic mobility in the United States. The project will be...
"It’s almost certainly going to be a huge problem. There’s already some evidence that people who know about these new work requirements don't realize it will apply to them, anecdotal evidence. 'Well, I'm not on Medicaid. I'm on BadgerCare or [HUSKY H...
That problem — becoming just successful enough to suddenly lose Medicaid — is common. It's called a benefit cliff, said Pamela Herd, who researches government aid at the University of Michigan. "It just doesn't make any sense that someone gets a doll...
The "Big Beautiful Bill" passed by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump will cause low-income Americans to lose health coverage and government food assistance, mostly because of new administrative burdens put in place. Ford School ...
Jasdeep Kler (MPP ‘26) has won the Ford School’s Ali Family Memorial Writing Prize for his work, “Michigan’s Re-entry Healthcare Waiver is a Start, Now it Needs Real Reform.” The student writing prize recognizes written work that researches, analyzes...
As the U.S. Senate debates the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025, University of Michigan experts are available to discuss elements of the proposed spending plan that stand to leave a mark on health, health care and public health.
The U.S. House narrowly passed a bill early Thursday that would slash taxes and cut Medicaid, a health care program that provides comprehensive health care services to low income adults and children. It now heads to the Senate. While major changes ma...
As the Trump administration seeks to reclassify tens of thousands of civil service jobs into political appointments, Ford School professors Pamela Herd and Donald Moynihan note assert that “politicization of public services generally worsens public-s...
If you ask Vincent Pinti (MPP/JD '27) why he entered the dual degree master’s of public policy and law program at the University of Michigan, he’ll tell you that he didn’t have a choice.
Dean Watkins-Hayes, at the Congressional Breakfast in DC, with Michigan in Washington undergraduates Ajay Morelli, Malinda Brunk, Rachel Ellisen, and Isaac Davis, and Riecker Fellow Hope Wang (MPP ’25).
In the first 100 days of his second term, President Donald Trump has unleashed a whirlwind of policy shifts that have sent ripples across the globe. The responses to his administration's actions have ranged from applause to skepticism. Ford School fa...
