Departments and Research Centers

Center on Finance, Law & Policy

The Center on Finance, Law & Policy at the University of Michigan is an interdisciplinary research center that draws together faculty and students from more than a dozen of Michigan's nineteen schools and colleges to work on a broad range

Showing 31 - 60 of 259 results

News

Ford School research center websites get a fresh new look

Aug 27, 2021

Seven of the Ford School’s dynamic research centers have launched new websites. Building on the Ford School’s own modern web design and technical capabilities, the new websites convey the energy and innovation of each center. Participating research...

Teaser image with screencaps of research center website homepages cascaded artfully across the board, each increasing in scale

News

Detroit’s small business owners see summer boost through entrepreneurs project

Aug 22, 2021

Working through a pandemic has been stressful enough for Detroit’s small-business community. Finding enough time, energy and talent to expand their companies through innovative programs, social media or new strategy has been doubly difficult. But a...

News

First person: Learning from Detroit businesses and fellow students

Aug 12, 2021

This article was written by Michael Willard, BBA Ross School of Business/BA LSA ’23 This summer, I am one of 31 interns working in the University of Michigan Detroit Neighborhood Entrepreneurs Project +Impact Studio for Local Business. The...

News

Central Bank of the Future project concludes with insights on technology, calls for further research

Jul 21, 2021

“The role of the central bank is undoubtedly evolving….The time is ripe for innovations that will advance financial inclusion” So concludes the final research paper of the two-year Central Bank of the Future research project, conducted by the Ford...

Central Bank of the Future teaser image featuring project name

News

Applying academic skills to real-world business challenges

Jun 29, 2021

Small businesses in Detroit, as across the country, have had to make major adjustments to survive the COVID-19 pandemic economic downturn. A cadre of students from U-M have been able to work with many of these businesses through an internship...

Publication

Barr and collaborators release third edition of Financial Regulation: Law and Policy textbook

May 24, 2021

Ford School Dean Michael S. Barr and his collaborators Howell E. Jackson of Harvard Law School and Margaret E. Tahyar from the law firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell, LLP, have released the third edition of their textbook, Financial Regulation: Law and...

In the Media

Harris analyses digital dollars

May 23, 2021 St Louis Post-Dispatch

With technology becoming more and more prevalent in our daily lives, the Federal Reserve has started researching the potential of digital dollars. Adrienne Harris, professor of practice at the Ford School, gave some insight on how different...

News

New co-directors at CFLP expand its work in financial inclusion

May 4, 2021

The Center on Finance, Law & Policy (CFLP) has expanded its leadership structure by naming Adrienne Harris and Jeremy Kress as Co-Faculty Directors to serve alongside Dean Michael S. Barr, who co-founded the center in 2013. Professors Harris and...

Headshots of Adrienne Harris and Jeremy Kress

News

Report leads to additional $5M investment in Detroit Land Bank Authority’s Rehabbed & Ready program

Apr 22, 2021

The Detroit Land Bank Authority’s (DLBA) Rehabbed & Ready program received good news recently in the form of a joint $5M new investment from the Rocket Community Fund, the philanthropic arm of Quicken Loans' Rocket Mortgage, and the City of Detroit....

In the Media

Harris discusses financial inclusion and earned wage access

Mar 22, 2021 Future of Pay Podcast

Adrienne Harris sits down with the Future of Pay podcast to discuss ways to increase financial inclusion, earned wage access, and the fixed pay cycle. "The fact that people get paid every two weeks or every month is really born of an arcane system...

News

Ford School involvement highlighted among growing U-M Detroit partnerships

Mar 8, 2021

The University of Michigan ramped up its collaborations on a multitude of projects in the city of Detroit during the pandemic, including outreach to residents on issues ranging from unemployment to the COVID-19 vaccine. Initiatives such as...

News

Ali on Michigan politics: Whitmer kidnappers and false election fraud claims

Jan 28, 2021

Michigan politics have gone through a volatile stage, from domestic terrorists accused of attempting to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer to false election fraud allegations perpetuated by state Republicans (which culminated in the failed...

News

Center on Finance, Law & Policy releases worldwide central bank charter financial inclusion dataset

Jan 25, 2021

Promoting financial inclusion is a stated political goal in many countries, including among central banks. Central banks address financial inclusion in a variety of ways – through programming, international alliances, and as part of their formal...

News

Harris joins Ford School colleagues on Biden-Harris transition

Nov 20, 2020

Ford School professor of practice and Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence Adrienne Harris has been named to a Biden-Harris transition Agency Review Team, focusing on the Federal Reserve, Banking and Securities Regulators group includes the...

News

Barr, Stevenson, Harris and McQuade to assist Biden-Harris transition

Nov 12, 2020

President-elect Joe Biden has tapped three University of Michigan faculty members to help review the operations of federal agencies as part of his transition team. Michael Barr, dean of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, and Betsey...

Michael Barr, Betsey Stevenson, Adrienne Harris teaser image

News

Ford School Dean Barr shares insights on election, economy and Supreme Court

Oct 29, 2020

For Ford School dean Michael S. Barr insights into the executive and judicial branches of the U.S. government are more than academic: He served in two presidential administrations and was a law clerk for a Supreme Court justice. Barr, a key...

News

Barr and Harris call for more inclusive payments systems

Oct 26, 2020

Ford School Dean Michael Barr and professor of practice Adrienne Harris say the technologies of the “payments revolution,” which enable people to make payments and access bank accounts more easily, can also lead to greater financial...

News

Barr seeks financial inclusion for underserved communities

Aug 12, 2020

Throughout his career in academia and in government, Ford School Dean Michael S. Barr has sought ways to help low-income people get better access to the financial system, and to change the financial system to work better for low-income...

News

Dodd-Frank achievements assessed on its 10th anniversary

Jul 2, 2020

The Center on Finance, Law and Policy co-hosted a day-long conference with the Brookings Institution on June 30 to mark the Dodd-Frank Act 10th Anniversary. Former Senator Chris Dodd and former Representative Barney Frank participated, as did...

Politicians gather around President Obama as he signs the Dodd Frank Act

News

Ford students assist Detroit small business owners with re-opening challenges

Jun 29, 2020

The economic havoc caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has been especially disruptive to small businesses, which often depend on foot traffic and operate on smaller profit margins than their larger counterparts. As Michigan prepares to reopen its...

News

Barr: Dodd-Frank strong foundation, more financial reforms needed post-pandemic

Jun 26, 2020

Political and policy leaders will examine the impact one decade later of the Dodd-Frank Act, the legislation that aimed to reform Wall Street and protect consumers in the wake of the Great Recession. The Federal Reserve’s latest stress tests, one of...

Harris sees changing role for fintech companies in response to COVID-19 economic crisis

May 29, 2020

Since its inception, the fintech industry has seen consistent change and evolution. An article on Finovate published May 28, says the past few months have seen even more rapid change in this “extraordinary time”. In the article, Adrienne Harris Ford...

Toward a more fair and inclusive financial system

May 22, 2020

New FinTech collaborations boost Ford School’s financial policy offerings The Ford School is expanding its offerings of financial policy courses with FinTech (financial technology) Policy and FinTech Entrepreneurship classes. Taught by professor...

Dean Barr on the need to do more for communities and small businesses

Apr 23, 2020

Hundreds of billions of dollars have been allocated to help small businesses and individuals in response to the COVID-19 financial crisis. Yet for low-income households and small businesses, accessing those funds has proved to be a challenge,...

Fintech can speed recovery payments to businesses and individuals

Apr 22, 2020

Financial technology, commonly known as fintech, is the intersection of financial services and technology. Fintech services that have become popular in recent years include mobile payments, online lending, and digital currency.Adrienne Harris, a...

U-M helping Detroit’s small businesses locate, navigate coronavirus-related financial aid

Apr 15, 2020

The University of Michigan is working with Detroit’s small businesses to help them find sources of federal financial aid amid the COVID-19 pandemic and assist them in navigating the rules and regulations they will encounter in the application...

In times of crisis, electricity usage data can estimate economic damage, says Wolfers

Apr 10, 2020

With economic activity changing faster than standard statistical measures can keep up, economists are looking at other indicators to take the economy’s pulse. Justin Wolfers, professor at the Ford School, analyzed electricity usage to understand the...

Key decisions hurt Financial Stability Oversight Council in COVID-19 response, says Barr

Apr 2, 2020

In the aftermath of the 2008 recession, the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) was established in Title I of the Dodd-Frank Act, tasked to identify and monitor future threats before the next crisis. Now, during the current crisis brought...

Michael S. Barr encourages the Federal Reserve to reform money-market funds

Mar 24, 2020

With the economy reeling from the effects of the COVID-19 crisis, the Federal Reserve has taken steps to shore up money-market funds, securing billions to lend as part of a broader effort to try and stabilize the markets. Ford School Dean Michael S....

Barr discusses fate of CFPB with CNBC

Aug 19, 2019

The fate of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is currently at the discretion of the Supreme Court. Hearing the case and a subsequent ruling would have big ramifications for consumers (i.e. all Americans), and likely on Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s...