Better Government Lab

Ford School Professor Don Moynihan, an expert in the inner workings of the federal government and how government programs affect the public, was widely sought-after in the first days of the Trump administration, as it laid out its plans to...

EXPERT ADVISORY—Two Ford School experts are available to discuss the Trump administration's efforts to freeze federal loans and grants, firing special employees involved in prosecutions of the president and other actions. Donald Moynihan, is a...

Don Moynihan, Ford School professor, described how the current administration is changing rules on Schedule F employees, "officials who played PR or advocacy roles at the request of the prior administration," who are now subject to possible "adverse...

Pamela Herd is the Carol Kakalec Kohn professor of social policy at the Ford School of Public Policy and a faculty associate at the Institute for Social Research’s Population Studies Center. Her research focuses on inequality and how it intersects...

As Donald Trump prepares to take office, news outlets are turning to the Ford School's Don Moynihan about what's on the horizon for civil servant jobs, and the validity of Elon Musk's claims to cut government spending by 2 trillion. “How the civil...

Sociologist Pamela Herd joined the Ford School faculty in September 2024 as the Carol Kakalec Kohn Professor of Social Policy. Her research focuses on inequality and how it interacts with policy issues including health, aging, and administrative...

Donald Moynihan joined the Ford School this year as the next J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Professor of Public Policy. His research seeks to improve how government works by studying the administrative burdens people encounter in government, and he...

Recently in the media, the Ford School's Don Moynihan has commented on Elon Musk's plan for his position as lead of the new Department of Government Efficiency. Speaking with The New York Times, Moynihan argued, “Part of Musk’s M.O. historically has...

The New York Times spoke with the Ford School's Don Moynihan on what can be expected from the Republican Party following the 2024 election. Moynihan shared that, "Authoritarians tend to target certain institutions to cement their control: typically...

Donald Moynihan, a professor of public policy at the University of Michigan who has studied Schedule F, said Trump’s move may go beyond the scope of the law governing the civil service and rests on a novel reading of its powers.“I don’t believe the...

Pamela Herd, Ford School professor, says that disability benefits are "a category of benefits that’s most difficult to access and most misaligned with the population it’s trying to serve." Additionally, she says the system is "designed in ways that...

The Ford School’s Donald Moynihan has been quoted by many networks for an outlook on the upcoming Trump administration. Moynihan focuses on how the election outcome will likely impact many civil servants and warns of a transition to politically...

There’s ample evidence that U.S. government programs improve food security, health and economic mobility. Yet confusing, complicated applications and interview processes often stand in the way of eligible people getting the help they need.The Better...

On October 17 the Regents of the University of Michigan approved the appointment of Donald P. Moynihan as the J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Professor of Public Policy for a five-year renewable term, effective January 1, 2025. Barry Rabe, the...

An executive order called "Schedule F," seeking to fill federal jobs with political appointees, is on the horizon under a Trump presidency. Donald Moynihan warns that Schedule F "will reduce the capacity and performance of the federal government......

Recent efforts to alleviate consumer burden have been made within states by enhancing their digital systems used to distribute government benefits. With these efforts, Donald Moynihan argues for a system that focuses on reducing "administrative...

Don Moynihan, Ford School professor told NPR that if Donald Trump wins the White House, he expects him to bring back many policies like Schedule F. He added, "If you are a federal career employee, you should be nervous right now," because Trump may...

Ford School professors Pamela Herd and Don Moynihan coauthored an article with Amy Widman for The Regulatory Review on why people are often unable to access what they are entitled to from the government and how to solve this problem. "Tens of...