Publication

What does it take to reshape society?

Oct 12, 2026

In a recent International Organization article, Ford School professor Megan Stewart examines changes to the social order during the French Revolution to show how "symbolic programs" can produce lasting and sometimes unintended effects.

Publication

Study finds Black and Hispanic communities shortchanged by nonprofit safety net

Oct 5, 2026

Counties with larger Black and Hispanic populations see significantly less spending for critical nonprofit human services—including food banks, housing assistance, and homelessness shelters—than predominantly white counties, according to new research...

Publication

A bright future for long-term care lies ahead

Sep 25, 2026

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.

Publication

Majority of Michigan’s local government leaders support regulation of data centers, per U-M survey

Sep 24, 2026

Solid majorities of Michigan's local officials say their residents would strongly oppose data center development in or near their communities, and believe governmental regulation of such centers should be a very high priority, according to CLOSUP's l...

Publication

Parthasarathy: Restoring trust in science requires public accountability, not greater industry control

Sep 18, 2026

In her fourth Expert Voices column for Science, Shobita Parthasarathy, Ford School professor of public policy and director of the Science, Technology, and Public Policy (STPP) program, discusses the Trump administration's new science policy strategy,...

Publication

U-M's HAIL Scholarship increased degree attainment, projected earnings for low-income Michigan students

Sep 9, 2026

The University of Michigan’s High-Achieving Involved Leader (HAIL) Scholarship program increased on-time bachelors’ degree attainment rates by 4%, according to research co-authored by Ford School professor Katherine Michelmore and published by the Na...

Publication

Clearing the air: Public prefers 'natural' approaches to curbing climate change

Aug 13, 2026

Public support for climate solutions isn't just about whether the technique works—it's also about whether people perceive it as a natural process.

Publication

Earned Income Tax Credit has real effect on intergenerational poverty

Aug 12, 2026

Ford School professors Katherine Michelmore and Natasha Pilkauskas find that children whose parents received the Earned Income Tax Credit were less likely to live in poverty or near poverty as adults.

Publication

How can Detroit attract more national retail chains?

Aug 10, 2026

Attracting retail brands remains a struggle for Detroit, and city leaders can take on multiple approaches to address this issue.

Publication

Who holds power? Puerto Ricans' distrust runs deep

Jul 24, 2026

New findings from U-M's Laboratorio Puertorriqueño de Opinión Pública (Puerto Rican Opinion Lab) show a profound disconnect between residents and their government.

Publication

Trump’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund” was the wrong answer to a real problem

Jun 25, 2026

Ford School doctoral candidate Timothy Arvan highlights an institutional failure in an opinion on the London School of Economics and Political Science blog.

Person smiling against a light wood slat background.

Publication

How political leaders use combat spectacles to symbolize national power and purpose

Jun 17, 2026

In an age when established political institutions and movements command diminishing loyalty, combat spectacles provide more than excitement. They create communities of feeling and, under the right conditions, powerful engines of political commitment....

Publication

Behind every overconfident leader might be a 'rational sycophant,' veteran U-M game theorists find

Jun 11, 2026

New research from veteran game theorists reveals that rational sycophants may lead to more catastrophic outcomes in an interconnected world.

Publication

Michigan’s Medicaid expansion improved both health and finances

Jun 10, 2026

U-M report shows individuals, hospitals and primary care clinics all experienced positive impacts, but raises concerns about cost-sharing provisions that all states must soon enact.

Publication

Overburdened bureaucrats, not corruption, are delaying public benefits in India

Jun 4, 2026

Yusuf Neggers co-authored an article in VoxDev about how improving access to existing government data can reduce delays in public benefit delivery and strengthen safety nets for vulnerable households.

Publication

'From STEM to earn': High school programs aimed at diversifying the field drive gains in college, salaries

Jun 4, 2026

High school students participating in pipeline programs aimed at increasing diversity in STEM fields are more likely to enroll in—and graduate from—elite colleges with a related degree, according to a study by Sarah Cohodes.

Publication

Parthasarathy proposes people-first technology regulation

May 21, 2026

Shobita Parthasarathy publishes her third column in Science, “'Sacrifice subjects' and a proposal for people-first technology regulation."

A person gesturing while speaking at a podium in front of a blackboard, in a lecture hall.

Publication

Immigration enforcement fears are reshaping daily life for Michigan immigrants, U-M study finds

May 19, 2026

A new report documents widespread immigration enforcement fears among immigrant Michiganders in Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids and Ypsilanti.

A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement badge with the words 'ICE' in the background

Publication

Large, profitable oil and gas companies pass environmental risks to smaller, undercapitalized firms

May 11, 2026

Oil and gas companies use wells to extract the raw materials eventually sold to consumers as everyday goods. But what happens when wells begin to yield less product? Large oil and gas companies transfer low-value wells to companies with smaller po...

Publication

U-M and MSU team partner to study impact of prenatal and infant cash prescription program in Flint, Michigan

May 11, 2026

A new peer-reviewed study published in JAMA Pediatrics provides rigorous, population-level evidence that the Rx Kids program, the nation’s first community-wide prenatal and infant cash prescription program, is associated with substantial reductions i...

Publication

Lockable phone pouches in schools improve student well-being over time, not test scores or bullying

May 8, 2026

A popular device for restricting cell phone use in middle and high schools is effective at achieving that aim, leading to short-term disruption but ultimately positive effects on student well-being, new research finds.

Publication

Michigan's local governments make progress on budgeting, but many lag on long-term planning

May 6, 2026

In a time of economic volatility, relatively few local governments in Michigan report they are doing long-term financial planning—though many say they'd like to be doing more—according to the latest Michigan Public Policy Survey report.

Illustration with a house and money symbols balanced on a scale

Publication

What really wins wars? Atran weighs in

Apr 30, 2026

In a recent opinion essay, anthropologist Scott Atran argues that the decisive factor is often not superior firepower, but the presence of “devoted actors,” people whose personal identity is fused with a group’s collective identity and anchored in no...

Publication

Sharing a family photo helps migrant workers elicit employer empathy

Apr 29, 2026

Researchers studying Filipino domestic workers, in collaboration with the Philippine government through the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, found that small gestures—providing a small gift of dried mangos and showing a family photo to new em...

Publication

Medicaid expansion helped enrollees’ long-term financial health, study finds

Apr 28, 2026

New research from Ford School courtesy professors John Ayanian and Helen Levy shows that enrollment in the Michigan Medicaid expansion program improves participants' long-term financial health.

Graphic with stylized images of a blue pig in a lightning storm with an umbrella being held over it on a yellow background

News

Community water fluoridation has no negative impact on cognitive function, new study shows

Apr 21, 2026

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.

Publication

International migration drives long-run economic development back home

Apr 1, 2026

In “Abundance from Abroad: Migrant Income and Long-Run Economic Development,” published in the American Economic Review, University of Michigan economist Dean Yang and co-authors Gaurav Khanna (UC San Diego), Emir Murathanoglu (Oberlin College), and ...

Publication

Lantz: Despite technical challenges, Section 1115 Medicaid waivers can improve health-related social outcomes

Mar 27, 2026

New research from demographer Paula Lantz analyzes the challenges and opportunities state policymakers experience when using Section 1115 Medicaid waivers. The study was co-authored by Ford School student Sofia Hiltner and published in Health Affairs...

Publication

Power beyond realpolitik

Mar 4, 2026

While international affairs are often reduced to contests of strength and strategic interests, anthropologist Scott Atran’s recent Quillette contribution challenges this assumption, arguing that moral culture and shared values are the true foundation...

Publication

Hausman: Electricity producers have financial incentives to block regional market integration despite cost reductions

Feb 27, 2026

New research on electricity market integration from Ford School professor and economist Catherine Hausman has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).