Economics and finance

News

Former Dean and Boston Fed President Susan M. Collins Reports Vibrant Economy, Growth Opportunities

Nov 25, 2024

Just a few years after the peak of a global pandemic that significantly disrupted supply chains and catapulted millions of Americans into unemployment, the U.S. economy has made a startlingly strong and fast recovery. Boston Federal Reserve Bank...

In the Media

With weak hiring this summer, Wolfers has difficulty anticipating the Fed rate cuts

Sep 6, 2024 The Wall Street Journal

Recent job reports have not offered a definitive answer on how much the Fed is expected to cut interest rates. Justin Wolfers of the Ford School mentioned, "There’s nothing in this report that would turn optimists pessimistic... Would it turn...

News

Cost of living tops Detroiters’ priorities for US government

Jul 8, 2024

With Michigan poised to be a pivotal state in the 2024 presidential election, Detroiters have weighed in on their priorities for the U.S. government.Cost of living and inflation is the issue Detroiters mentioned most when asked about the top issues...

Word cloud with issues most important to Detroiters

News

U-M experts explore ramifications of housing crisis on economy, emotional well-being and more

Jun 10, 2024

ANN ARBOR—The need for affordable and accessible housing is an issue that transcends political affiliation—even as it rises in significance to voters—and matters as much to our emotional and mental health as our financial well-being.Two University...

Illustration with a house and money symbols balanced on a scale

News

Ford school faculty available to weigh in on 2024 elections

Jan 28, 2024

The University of Michigan has published an experts guide to the 2024 elections. Ford School faculty are available to offer insights on relevant issues impacting the elections, including the following: Economics Betsey Stevenson, professor of...

Red, white, and blue balloons and stars with a large white checkmark

News

Lyft Welcomes Betsey Stevenson to Board of Directors

Nov 17, 2023

Today, Lyft announced that Ford School economics professor Betsey Stevenson has joined Lyft’s Board of Directors, effective November 16, 2023. She will also serve as a member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. “Betsey is a...

News

Owen-Smith gets grant to help measure public investments in emerging industries

Nov 6, 2023

The Institute for Research on Innovation and Science (IRIS) has received a $4.5 million federal grant to study how public investments in emerging industries can impact economic development in key technological areas. Jason Owen-Smith, executive...

News

Raimondo addresses labor market changes

Oct 24, 2023

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo addressed labor market challenges in a conversation with Ford School economics professor Betsey Stevenson. She noted the vast number of people and agencies within the Department of Commerce – nearly 47,000...

In the Media

Global warming and the green transition pose the world's greatest challenge - Wolfers

Oct 20, 2023 The Economic Times

Justin Wolfers, The Economic Times: Q. What do you consider the world’s greatest economic challenge today? A. The most immediate one encompasses the tremendous disruptions of global warming and trying to transition to a greener economy. These...

News

Stevenson salutes her mentor, Economics Nobel Prize winner Claudia Goldin

Oct 10, 2023

Noting that the field of economics is still a male-dominated profession with women comprising only 1 in 8 full professors in 2022, Ford School economics professor Betsey Stevenson hailed the ”revolutionary work” of her mentor and dissertation...

In the Media

Wolfers on the significance of Claudia Goldin's Nobel Prize

Oct 10, 2023 Axios

Justin Wolfers, Axios: Women were "barely thought of, if at all," in economists' past labor market empirical analysis says Justin Wolfers, an economist at the University of Michigan. Plus, where it was standard for men to study men in the labor...

News

Inflation and the labor market since 2020: A successful soft landing?

Oct 10, 2023

The threat of inflation seems to be receding and the possibility of a 'soft landing' is improving, according to a panel of economists at the Ford School. Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy Brad DeLong, and Ford...

DeLong, Stevenson, Wolfers, and Hausman headshots

In the Media

Luke Shaefer praises Minnesota child tax credit

Oct 9, 2023 Minneapolis Star Tribune

Luke Shaefer, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Minnesota's initiative appears to be one of the most ambitious child tax credits in the nation. It covers one of the broadest age ranges — through age 17 — and the $1,750 maximum credit may be one of the...

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

News

Michelmore and Pilkauskas discuss the benefits of tax credits

Oct 9, 2023

Over the past few months, Ford School associate professors Katherine Michelmore and Natasha Pilkauskas have been discussing their research and insights on the 2021 Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit in a wide array of outlets. Here...

Natasha Pilkauskas and Katherine Michelmore

In the Media

Dominguez: Yen appreciation not a threat to U.S. economy

Sep 21, 2023 Marketplace

Kathryn Dominguez, Marketplace: If the yen jumps around too much, anyone that wants to trade with Japan might hold off. Supply chains could seize up. Kathryn Dominguez, a professor at the University of Michigan, said this is not the time for that to...

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

Publication

Housing shortages across Michigan alarming local leaders - Michigan survey

Sep 14, 2023

Michigan local officials are reporting alarm at the lack of housing options across the state. Those concerns include single-family homes and multi-family units, and cut across affordable, entry-level and mid-level housing availability. The...

News

Applications open Oct. 2-13 for Ann Arbor’s guaranteed income for low-income entrepreneurs

Sep 8, 2023

Entrepreneurs, self-employed people, owners of formal or informal small businesses, gig workers and people with side hustles who have low incomes can apply Oct. 2-13 to receive monthly payments from Guaranteed Income to Grow Ann Arbor (GIG...

News

Ford School teams receive Boost support from U-M Bold Challenges Initiative

Sep 6, 2023

Three research teams with Ford School affiliations have been selected among eight programs across the U-M campus to participate in the first cycle of the Bold Challenges Initiative's newly-launched Boost program. The Boost program supports new...

In the Media

Women's workforce participation encouraging - Stevenson

Sep 4, 2023 Marketplace

Betsey Stevenson, Marketplace: “Men’s labor force participation has been growing, but women’s has been growing by just a tiny bit more,” noted Betsey Stevenson, an economist at the University of Michigan. That’s been a happy surprise, she said,...

In the Media

Wolfers: ‘It’s Almost Pointless’ to Poll Republicans on the Economy

Sep 4, 2023 CNN

Justin Wolfers, CNN: “So I will tell you as an economist, I believe the hard numbers. The hard numbers tell us that the economy’s growing and it’s growing at a healthy rate. If you’d fallen asleep in 2019 and you woke up in 2023, you would discover...

Publication

Mapping poverty in America: Shaefer’s new book explores “The Injustice of Place”

Aug 3, 2023

America is rife with "internal colonies," where systemic violence, resource extraction, and corruption among decision makers have contributed to generations of poverty and disadvantage. These communities suffer from environmental degradation, lack...

News

Wolfers blames politicians for credit rating downgrade

Aug 3, 2023

Ford School economics professor Justin Wolfers says U.S. politicians are responsible for the recent downgrading of the country's long-term foreign-currency issuer default rating by Fitch Ratings, from AAA to AA+. Wolfers told International...

In the Media

Michigan auto insurance rates should not be affected by high court ruling - Nothaft

Aug 3, 2023 Detroit News

Amanda Nothaft, Detroit News: It's difficult to imagine how the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association would suddenly come up short for individuals it had been tasked with paying for years ahead of the 2019 law change, said Amanda Nothaft,...

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...

News

Leiser and Shaefer comment on Detroit bankruptcy anniversary

Jul 18, 2023

As the city of Detroit marked the 10th anniversary of its declaration of bankruptcy, publications took stock of the progress the city has made. Bloomberg quoted the Center for Local, State and Urban Policy’s (CLOSUP) Stephanie Leiser, who leads...

News

Stevenson’s economic analysis in demand

Jul 3, 2023

Ford School economist Betsey Stevenson’s analysis of the volatile U.S. economy is in high demand. When the June jobs numbers were released at the beginning of July, Stevenson was quoted in the Associated Press. AP reported, “Friday’s jobs...

News

Stevenson and Wolfers on “The Joy of Economics”

Jun 30, 2023

Ford School economics professors Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers shared their “joyous” take on economics in a recent McKinsey Global Institute Forward Thinking podcast. Here are some excerpts from their wide-ranging discussion: Betsey...

News

Stevenson’s expertise on the debt ceiling and global economy

Jun 26, 2023

Ford School economics professor Betsey Stevenson is widely tapped for her comprehensive knowledge of the state of the U.S. economy. When the debt ceiling deal was reached between President Biden and the GOP in Congress, she told NPR that the...

News

Stevenson: Debt ceiling nonsense has long-term costs

Jun 5, 2023

Though the debt ceiling crisis was averted by a deal in Congress to raise the ceiling and cut some spending, Ford School economics professor Betsey Stevenson argues that there will be long-term costs for the U.S. economy. In a guest column in The...

News

The debt limit and avoiding a recession – Wolfers comments across the media

May 31, 2023

Ford School economics professor Justin Wolfers has been saying that a recession does not seem likely, given continuing strong employment numbers. The threat of a default, on the other hand, could have been disastrous. Here are some excerpts of his...