Ford School economics professor Justin Wolfers is one of the most prolific “public” scholars at the school. His analyses about current economic events regularly appear on the pages of The New York Times (among others), on the screens at Bloomberg...
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...
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...
Former Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo shared his positive outlook for the future of transatlantic relations, despite stirred uncertainty from the Trump Administration in a community-wide discussion at the Ford School on April 15th, 2025,...
In a conversation with Fox News, Javed Ali, professor at the Ford School, offered insights on Israel's current military strategy. Ali stated, "Now that we're almost a full month into the resumption of high-intensity IDF operations in the Gaza Strip...
"The fact that both sides [Iran and the U.S.] are meeting in the same location, this is a major development. Both sides have not sat down for decades since the last nuclear deal that was agreed to under President Obama," said the Ford School's Javed...
Ford School professor Pamela Herd explained how Trump's agenda of using AI and making cuts to federal staff will damage Social Security. She said, “We’re talking about an agency that manages one-fifth of the federal budget—AI alone won’t cut it.” By...
Jason Owen-Smith, Ford School professor (by courtesy) and director of Institute for Research on Innovation and Science, in a piece for The Chronicle of Higher Education, explained the illogic of cutting indirect-cost (IDC) rates. Owen-Smith wrote,...
Don Moynihan, Ford School professor, said “Money is a an aggressive growing tumor at the heart of American democracy. The 2023 Wisconsin state supreme court race cost $56 million, a national record at the time. The 2025 version blasted that out of...
Javed Ali, Ford School professor, talked about the message the administration is sending by striking the Houthis in Yemen, saying, “He approved those military operations and that is also a signal to Iran that ‘whatever we're doing to the Houthis, we...
Javed Ali, Ford School professor, discussed with USA Today the signal groupchat that was publicly released. He said, "you certainly don't want those details being revealed in any kind of public form because you are putting the force at risk." More...
Professor Javed Ali from the Ford School spoke with WWL regarding the recent security breach in the National Security Council, as texts in a "Principals council" group chat included a journalist on the thread. When asked for his opinion on the...
Javed Ali, Ford School professor, analyzed the situation in Gaza saying, “The only thing that brings back the ceasefire is Hamas relents and at least releases some of the hostages they still have in their possession or Trump, through (Middle East...
The Ford School's Jeff Morenoff advocated for legislation that would reduce long sentences for incarcerated people in Michigan. In an opinion piece published in the Detroit Free Press, Morenoff explained that Michigan's average prison sentence...
“Civility is the bedrock of our free and democratic society,” Tonya Schuitmaker, a former Republican member of the Michigan Senate, told the recent panel on Promoting Civic Discourse - Democratic and Republican politicians on bridging the political...
"The air is thick with recession talk, and stocks are cratering. But it just may be a mirage, a refraction of partisan distortions" wrote Ford School professor, Justin Wolfers, in a recent guest essay for The New York Times."It started with a...
In a discussion with ABC News, the Ford School's Javed Ali spoke with the network about recent changes in Israel's combat tactics. "It looks like we are back to the type of operations that Israel conducted in the aftermath of October 7th, until...
"At this point, I'd argue they've collapsed completely [ceasefire talks], so right now it doesn't look like there's much incentive for either side to come back to the table," said the Ford School's Javed Ali in a conversation with ABC News. ABC News...
As the economy prepares for the Trump administration's proposed tariff plan, U.S. goods are becoming less competitive than those from foreign countries. Speaking with Marketplace, the Ford School's Kathryn Dominguez claims this isn't the only...
"We are living through a massive assault on basic premises of our constitutional system" said Ford School Professor Samuel Bagenstos, in a question-and-answer article for The New Yorker magazine. He said, "I really hate the significance that’s being...
Javed Ali, Ford School professor, said "Hezbollah is trying to take advantage of the new government’s weakness in Syria, but the group itself is in a precarious position." At the same time he says, "The U.S. is navigating a complex landscape in...
Shobita Parthasarathy, Ford School professor, says "These workers have real expertise and a nuanced understanding of the issues, which AI does not. AI does not, in fact, ‘understand’ anything." So, she says, “It’s a very bad idea" to use AI to run...
If Trump's proposed 200% tariffs on alcohol coming from the EU are enacted, “it means your liquor store probably won’t stock it." Noted Justin Wolfers, an economics professor at the Ford School. He told CNN that he believes the tariff “would drive...
Justin Wolfers, Ford School professor talked with ABC Australia about Trump's trade war and how other countries like Australia have yet to retaliate. Wolfers said "we haven't seen any action of non-US countries imposing tariffs on each other so its...
Ford School professor Justin Wolfers tried to explain Donald Trump's thinking on the economy. He said, "There is an underlying economics of trump, and you won't be surprised I think it's dead wrong." Wolfers said, "There's the zero sum thinking and...
Following President Trump's recently imposed tariffs on Canada and Mexico, the Ford School's Betsey Stevenson spoke with Yahoo! Finance to discuss her view on the policy. Stevenson argued, "Not trading with your neighbors is not a recipe for higher...
Betsey Stevenson, Ford School professor and economists, talked about the continuing uncertainty around tariffs. She said, "Uncertainty is terrible but certainty that we have huge tariffs is also terrible." Stevenson added, "Trump can't guarantee how...
