Research, learning, and impact
The Ford School is home to or co-sponsor of a growing number of active, multi-disciplinary research centers and initiatives leveraging the knowledge and expertise across the University of Michigan. They serve as a...
The New York State Senate recently approved Adrienne Harris, professor of practice at the Ford School, as Superintendent of the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS).
“I thank Governor Hochul for my nomination. I thank the New...
The Detroit Neighborhood Entrepreneurs Project (DNEP), which brings together small businesses with University of Michigan students, faculty and staff to solve business owners’ legal, financial, marketing, operational, and design challenges, was...
Michael S. Barr, Joan and Sanford Weill Dean of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, will join the National Academy of Public Administration's 2021 Class of Academy Fellows—a group of 39 leaders in the field of public administration dedicated...
According to Christie Baer, assistant executive director for the University of Michigan's Center on Finance, Law and Policy, downtown businesses face a big decision as the pandemic continues.
"Businesses that thought that they just had to weather...
An interdisciplinary team from the University of Michigan was awarded $300,000 from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation to train local residents and U-M students to provide one-on-one technology support to Detroit entrepreneurs. The project aims to...
Financial expert and Ford School Professor of Practice Adrienne Harris has been nominated to serve as the Superintendent of the Department of Financial Services by New York Governor Kathy Hochul.
In her new role, Harris will oversee the...
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...
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...
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...
“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...
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...
Betsey Stevenson, professor of public policy and economics, explained why the U.S. isn't seeing the economic recovery that everyone hoped for in a recent commentary for The New York Times.
"Finding work is harder than returning to work. Job...
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...
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...
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...
Professor Betsey Stevenson commented that the industries where many women work—like hospitality, for example—have been most impacted by the pandemic: "The businesses might have shut down. The entire industry or sector may have...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
The University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy has received a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to identify opportunities for how a central bank of the future might build a financial system that serves the needs of...
Service History
Assistant secretary for financial institutions, U.S. Treasury Department (2009-10)
Special advisor, President of the United States (1999-01)
Deputy assistant secretary for community development, U.S. Treasury Department...
Policy Talks @ the Ford School,
Conversations Across Differences
Inflation and labor market fluctuations are threatening the fragile economic recovery. Increasingly, Americans are worried about their financial future. Join Ford School economists for a discussion of these crucial issues.
Join us for an important discussion between University of Michigan Ford School Dean Michael Barr with Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves, to discuss his work to revive the economy while combating the racist systems embedded within it.
