COVID-19 insights and action

Publication

Distrust in U.S. healthcare system fuels COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy

Sep 20, 2024

New research from the University of Michigan examines how long-standing distrust in the U.S. healthcare system has significantly impacted attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccine. The research is led by Celeste Watkins-Hayes, Joan and Sanford Weill...

Headshots of Dean Celeste Watkins-Hayes and Dom Adams-Santos

State & Hill

Katherine Michelmore and Natasha Pilkauskas on policy rooted in evidence and facts

Apr 24, 2024

Ford School students take on a variety of different roles after graduation—some do research, some will engage in advocacy, others will become civil servants. As instructors of two of the core research methods courses that our students take, we have...

Publication

Pandemic pushed half-million kids into grandparents’ homes - Pilkauskas

Aug 30, 2023

Grandparents appeared to serve as an important private safety net when COVID-19 first hit the U.S., according to a new study. The pandemic’s arrival in 2020 coincided with a surge of nearly 510,000 children living in “doubled-up” households,...

Publication

Study: Young women report higher rates of forced sexual intercourse during pandemic

Aug 24, 2023

The rate of forced intercourse in early adulthood rose during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a potential increase in unintended pregnancies and many other sexual, reproductive and mental health problems, according to a University of Michigan...

News

Stevenson lauds return of women in the workforce

Jul 30, 2023

Ford School economist Betsey Stevenson has noted that in January 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic shattered labor markets, women’s participation had been at its highest level ever. Now as the U.S. economy rebuilds, she again is commenting on...

Publication

$8.2M in emergency rental assistance spent at Detroit properties where landlords still moved to evict

Jun 14, 2023

University of Michigan researchers found that at least $8.2 million in federal emergency rental assistance funds were spent at single-family properties in Detroit where landlords still moved to evict tenants within six months of payment. A new...

Publication

Declaring the “end” of the pandemic presents short- and long-term hazards - Lantz

Jun 7, 2023

The World Health Organization declared of an end to the COVID-19 pandemic’s global public health emergency status on May 5, 2023. On May 11, many of the U.S. federal pandemic-related public health and economic actions came to an end. Ford School...

News

The impact of Title 42 on disease prevention and migrants' well-being

May 17, 2023

Title 42 was implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic under the Trump administration with the aim of restricting the entry of migrants into the United States, citing concerns over potential disease spread and resource strain. However, the...

Photo of Ann Lin in her office at the U-M's Lieberthal-Rogel Center for Chinese Studies

News

Advancing Health Policy Research and Reducing Social Disparities in Health

Mar 13, 2023

Paula Lantz, PhD, joins Michigan Minds to discuss the social determinants of declining birth rates, the role of public policy in improving population health and reducing social disparities in health, and the particular importance of recognizing...

Publication

Dominguez analyzes central bank frameworks and suggests designs for future crises

Mar 5, 2023

As a result of the 2007-2009 financial crisis and the financial turmoil triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, central banks have expanded their policy frameworks to protect financial stability. In a new article published by the European Systemic Risk...

Kathryn Dominguez speaks to prospective students at the Ford School's Spring Preview

News

Wolfers optimistic on inflation and recession risks

Feb 8, 2023

The U.S. economic recovery from the significant setbacks of the pandemic has seen inflationary pressure from supply chain disruptions and the war in Ukraine, among other factors. Justin Wolfers, Ford School professor of public policy and...

In the Media

Stevenson on decreasing job churn and what it means for the economy

Feb 1, 2023 NPR Marketplace

Betsey Stevenson, NPR Marketplace: "I think it’s a reflection of an ongoing need to move back towards an economy that looks a little bit more like 2019. In terms of the mix of the types of goods and services that people buy." In other words, too...

In the Media

Udow-Phillips: politics and medicine not a good mix

Jan 26, 2023 Politico

Marianne Udow-Phillips, Politico: "Politics has always been in medicine, no question, but the pandemic really exacerbated those issues. The profession is deeply examining the issue. There is tremendous worry. There is no question the profession is...

Publication

Overcoming data collection challenges in ECE research

Jan 24, 2023

Rigorous research in early care and education requires high-quality data, often gathered through intensive in-person fieldwork. The COVID-19 pandemic upended the ECE sector, making it much more challenging to safely and successfully collect data in...

Photo of young students, each reading a book, seated around a small classroom table

In the Media

El-Sayed critiques DeSantis's COVID-19 investigation

Dec 15, 2022 The New Republic

Abdul El-Sayed, The New Republic: "The evidence is clear. Vaccines have saved and continue to save lives. A new study from the Commonwealth Fund and Yale University (one of DeSantis’s two Ivy League alma maters, by the way) showed that two years...

News

Wolfers challenges us to reimagine the social contract

Nov 30, 2022

Justin Wolfers, professor of public policy and economics, recently sat down with the International Monetary Fund, arguing that the time is now to reimagine institutions that foster social cohesion. "The COVID moment has been and still is an...

In the Media

El-Sayed discusses "tripledemic"

Nov 15, 2022 America Dissected

Abdul El-Sayed, America Dissected: "If you talk to any pediatrician, there’s one big thing on their mind, RSV. Short for respiratory syncytial virus, RSV is a common virus that can cause serious illness and even death in young children. And that’s...

Photo of Abdul El-Sayed in front of a classroom of Ford School PPIA fellows

News

Detroit eviction filings on track to return to pre-pandemic level as COVID-19 protections expire

Nov 14, 2022

With pandemic-era protections expiring, eviction filings in Detroit rose from historic lows to 75% of the pre-pandemic rate as of June. At the current filing rate, 21% of Detroit renters—61,000 tenants—will face the threat of eviction this...

News

Shaefer says United States is 'at a crossroads' with poverty

Oct 20, 2022

Attention on government safety net programs and their effects on overall poverty has increased in the run-up to the midterm elections. Associate dean Luke Shaefer, who is also director of Poverty Solutions, has recently appeared in the media...

Photo of Luke Shaefer in the Ford School's Towsley Reading Room

Publication

COVID-19 remote learning policy: public health or political preference?

Oct 16, 2022

A new study by Ford School professor Brian Jacob looks into whether decisions about extending virtual learning were led more by political preference or public health guidance. The working paper, Assessing School District Decision-Making: Evidence...

Photo of Brian Jacob standing at the Annenberg Auditorium podium, delivering remarks at a public event

In the Media

Stevenson predicts what a no-COVID economy would look like

Oct 7, 2022 NPR Marketplace

What would the economy look like if the COVID-19 pandemic didn't happen? Betsey Stevenson, professor of public policy and economics, weighed in on the question. "We would have had 5 million more jobs, not 500,000 more jobs," Stevenson said. "A...

News

2021 Child Tax Credit reduced hardship for families in poverty, had no significant impact on employment

Oct 5, 2022

New research from the University of Michigan focuses on the effect of the 2021 Child Tax Credit on families living in poverty, noting that the monthly payments reduced certain types of hardship and had little to no impact on parents’ employment...

Photo of jars of money, one each labeled for travel, education, car, health, and house.

In the Media

Shaefer on why federal spending for children should continue

Oct 3, 2022 The New York Times

Associate Dean and Kohn Professor Luke Shaefer spoke to The New York Times about the positive impact of increased spending on children during the pandemic. “In my career, I’ve never seen anything so dramatic as the shift in resources to families...

In the Media

Children living with grandparents may be underestimated, says Pilkauskas

Sep 30, 2022 The New York Times

According to an analysis by associate professor Natasha Pilkauskas, about 10 percent of Black children lived with grandparents from birth to age 18. The numbers are lower among Latino, Asian and white children. “Given the pandemic, these figures...

In the Media

Stevenson contextualizes women returning to labor force

Sep 29, 2022 NPR

Two and a half years later, women are returning to work at pre-pandemic levels. Betsey Stevenson, professor of public policy and economics, commented on what that means for the economy. "Women had a very tough road to haul with kids working from...

News

El-Sayed comments on Western interference, the pandemic, health equity

Sep 28, 2022

Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence, provides analysis on health policy in the month of September: Detroit's Community Health Corps forges forward, Axios Detroit, September 6, 2022 "When we think about all the...

In the Media

Udow-Phillips discusses lackluster response to latest COVID-19 booster

Sep 21, 2022 Axios

Few people are running to get an additional COVID-19 booster shot. Marianne Udow-Phillips, lecturer in public policy, attributes this to a lack of campaigning by health officials, politicians, and employers. "You heard President Biden say what...

News

Ford School experts hail reduction in child poverty, call for expansion of Child Tax Credit

Sep 16, 2022

As the U.S. economy stagnated during the pandemic, a surprising by-product of government assistance was the rapid decline in child poverty rates. Ford School experts Luke Shaefer, Patrick Cooney, and Betsey Stevenson celebrate this “triumph of...

Headshots of Luke Shaefer, Patrick Cooney, and Betsey Stevenson

News

El-Sayed comments on climate, elections and democracy

Sep 4, 2022

Abdul El-Sayed, Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence, has been sought out by the media to discuss a plethora of issues, from climate policy to the upcoming midterm elections. Additionally, El-Sayed regularly contributes to political discourse...

Publication

CLOSUP survey reveals Michigan communities' priorities for spending COVID-related federal relief funds

Jul 28, 2022

A survey of Michigan local government leaders on the federal American Rescue Plan Act funding and uses finds the top spending priorities are on capital improvements, infrastructure and public safety. Further, the state's largest jurisdictions...

Photo of a "Road Work Ahead" sign in the foreground with cars driving along the road beside it