Gender race and ethnicity

Publication

Talk to him: How a conversation can shape public support for women’s rights

Dec 17, 2024

A single conversation with a close family member may not change a young woman’s views on policies protecting their rights, but it can strongly influence young men’s attitudes.A University of Michigan study found that family opinions heavily shape...

Mara Ostfeld speaking at a Poverty Solutions event.

In the Media

Why Ostfeld thinks Harris isn't campaigning on her female identity

Oct 18, 2024 BBC News

Despite the potential to make history by becoming the first female president of the United States, Vice-President Kamala Harris has refrained from highlighting her gender in her campaign. Ford School's Mara Ostfeld argues this is because "[Harris]...

News

Hassan awarded U-M anti-racism grant

Sep 10, 2024

Ford School assistant professor Yousif Hassan has been chosen for a University of Michigan research grant for his work that explores how AI innovations and data can center social justice and address racial and economic inequalities in African...

State & Hill

Faculty news, spring 2024

Apr 24, 2024

Kamissa Camara chaired the Bipartisan Senior Study Group for the Sahel at the U.S. Institute of Peace. The study group’s comprehensive report critically assesses opportunities for peace, security, and economic development in the Sahel.Charlotte...

(Top row, left to right) Fullerton Rico, Hills, Holz, Jacob, and Leiser (Bottom row, left to right) Morenoff, Raimi, Shipan, Spencer, and Stevenson

Publication

NASEM committee including EPI’s Christina Weiland urges changes to preschool curricula to improve equity and support high-quality early education in the U.S.

Apr 18, 2024

A new report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) lays out a new vision for high-quality preschool curricula that support equitable early education for all children. The report recommends that in the next five...

News

Stacey Abrams, other policymakers and leading scholars to join Ford School symposium

Mar 12, 2024

The Ford School of Public Policy is happy to announce the Dean’s Symposium, which will take place April 11 and 12 at Weill Hall, with the theme, “Policy Innovation for Our Times.” The two days will feature keynote appearances by voting rights...

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

Institute Partnership Creates Pathway to Diverse Academic Leadership

Nov 15, 2023

The Academic Leadership Institute (ALI) Summer Residential Program offered by the University of Michigan (U-M) and Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) equips diverse individuals with the knowledge and management skills required to advance...

academic leadership institute earl lewis

News

Majority of Flint residents support reparations for Black Americans, CRJ survey shows

Nov 7, 2023

More than half of Flint residents favor reparations for Black Americans, although levels of support vary depending on whether the proposal refers to reparations as a broad concept or specific reparative policies like cash payments or financial...

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,...

Publication

Dean Watkins-Hayes salutes her mentor, editing the Speechifying compendium

Aug 30, 2023

Ford School Dean Celeste Watkins-Hayes is honoring one of her great mentors, Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole — noted Black feminist anthropologist, the first Black female president of Spelman College, former director of the Smithsonian Institution's...

Speechifying Book Cover featuring Dr. Cole

News

The Ford School, LSA, and Wallace House Partner for Public Discourse

Aug 25, 2023

On a Monday evening in late November, throngs of University of Michigan students, faculty, staff, and Ann Arbor residents waited expectantly outside the Michigan Theater to attend the premier showing of the film, “She Said.” The movie chronicles...

News

Meet our new faculty: Mo Torres

Aug 25, 2023

Mo Torres returns to the Ford School (he graduated with his MPP in 2015) as one of six University of Michigan Society of Fellows for a three-year appointment. He will work closely with the Center for Racial Justice. Torres is a historical...

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

PPIA students reflect on their summer of study and social life

Aug 2, 2023

What are the dynamics of inequity in labor markets? How do we determine appropriate categories for people in a multicultural society? How is the U.S. approach to ethnicity and nationality different from what they are doing in Europe? These were...

Group of PPIA students posing in front of Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy courtyard

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

Engaged Learning Student Projects Catalog: Preparing Ford School students for leadership

Jun 29, 2023

During the Winter Term 2023, Ford School students were involved in projects with federal, state, county, city, and township governments, school districts, non-profit organizations, and commissions. They worked with the school’s numerous research...

Weill Hall entrance with "Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy" etched into the glass

News

Beatty Blunt honored by Columbus YWCA

May 14, 2023

Ohio Court of Appeals Judge Laurel Beatty Blunt, who will be returning to the Ford School as a Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence, was saluted by her hometown YWCA as a 2023 Woman of Achievement. Beatty Blunt, the first Black woman to serve...

In the Media

Young: The list of things to warn Black children about keeps getting longer

May 11, 2023

Alford Young Jr., The New York Times: Black parents contacted by NBC News said they are infused with heightened fear and rage that safe spaces outside the home are shrinking. “This young man was trying to find his siblings,” said Alford Young Jr.,...

News

U-M expert: Change won’t happen overnight to improve race relations

May 4, 2023

It has been a topic that many Black parents in the United States have discussed with their children in recent decades—staying safe from harm or being killed by law enforcement. But in recent months, the conversation now extends to Black youths...

News

U-M report on Detroiters’ opinions of reparations gains traction in media

Apr 18, 2023

The Center for Racial Justice, the Detroit Metro Area Communities Study, and Poverty Solutions released a new report detailing Detroiters’ opinions on reparations and racial inequity in March 2023. Since its release, multiple news outlets picked up...

News

Mo Torres to join Ford School as Michigan Society of Fellows scholar

Apr 17, 2023

Sociologist Mo Torres (MPP ‘15) will join the Ford School faculty for a three-year appointment as a postdoctoral scholar with the Michigan Society of Fellows, serving as an assistant professor of public policy and sociology. He will work closely...

In the Media

Bednar critiques Florida Republicans' approach to 2024 elections

Apr 14, 2023 Sentinel & Enterprise

Jenna Bednar, Sentinel & Enterprise: "We had moderate voters crossing over what would be stereotypical party-line votes to support positions that they believe are the right policy choice for themselves and for their families. I don’t understand what...

News

Detroiters' views on reparations connected to perception of racial wealth gap, other inequality

Mar 29, 2023

Detroiters' perceptions of the racial wealth gap, the legacy of slavery and other forms of racial inequity are strongly connected to their support for reparations and policies that address racial inequity. Overall, 63% of Detroit residents...

Detroiters Reparations Racial Inequality March 2023 policy brief image

News

U-M’s Earl Lewis to receive National Humanities Medal

Mar 20, 2023

University of Michigan professor Earl Lewis, founding director of the Center for Social Solutions and Ford School faculty, will be awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Joe Biden during a White House ceremony March 21. The National...

News

We must change hearts to achieve equality - Alemu

Mar 19, 2023

What is the best way to combat racism -- change policies or change hearts? That is the question Matthew Alemu (MPP '09, PhD) contends with in an essay for Bridge Detroit. "Racism resides where society and policy have yet to tackle it directly,...

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...

News

Michigan Minds podcast: Addressing Systemic Inequities and Educational Disparities

Mar 1, 2023

Katherine Michelmore, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Public Policy at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, and core faculty of the Education Policy Initiative (EPI). Her research examines the social safety net, education policy, labor...

News

Governor Gretchen Whitmer to speak at the University of Michigan, in conversation with CNN Anchor Chris Wallace

Feb 26, 2023

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer will visit the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor on Wednesday, March 8, for a special event alongside CNN Anchor Chris Wallace. Beginning at 6:00pm at Rackham Auditorium, the hour-long fireside chat...

News

Ford School welcomes local and state elected officials to boost collaborative work

Feb 16, 2023

Elected officials from local, county, and state government came to the Ford School to hear about the potential for collaborations with their offices and the School’s faculty, research centers, and students. Fifteen members of the Michigan State...

Local Public Officials at the Ford School