Liz Gerber

Core faculty

Elisabeth R. Gerber

Jack L. Walker, Jr. Collegiate Professor of Public Policy

Gerber’s research focuses on regionalism and intergovernmental cooperation, sustainable development, urban climate adaptation, transportation policy, community and economic development, local fiscal capacity, and local political accountability.

News

Electric, autonomous vehicles offer promise, but broad-based benefits elusive without public role - Gerber

Dec 7, 2023

Autonomous and electric vehicles can be a positive force for people and the planet, but widespread gains require government incentives and investment to ensure access for users across the economic spectrum. That's a key finding of research by...

News

Gerber saluted at Innovation Partnerships Bell Ringing Ceremony

Dec 3, 2023

ViewPoint founder Elisabeth Gerber was saluted for the company's launch as part of Summit Venture Studio with a bell ringing held at U-M Innovation Partnerships. Other key team members, including U-M Center for Academic Innovation Executive Director...

News

Simulation software ViewPoint ready for next chapter after licensing agreement with ed tech firm Summit Venture Studio

Sep 13, 2023

In partnership with CAI, Ford School professor Liz Gerber was able to take an idea scribbled on a napkin and turn it into a powerful simulation tool for teachers and students. Following more than 100 simulations involving more than 4,000 users...

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

Gerber creates XR-enhanced online course on Future of Mobility

Feb 9, 2023

The University of Michigan's Center for Academic Innovation and Coursera have launched the first three in a set of 10 planned online learning opportunities that integrate extended reality technologies into the learning experience. This launch is...

Elisabeth Gerber and the Future of Mobility

News

Michigan maritime: Ports set to grow economy throughout the state

Dec 22, 2022

A new law that gives the state's 32 ports tools to expand and grow the maritime economy started out as a community project for a handful of University of Michigan students. U-M students first worked with the Port of Monroe in 2012 and over the...

News

Unique integrated policy exercise to examine the State of the Union

Dec 14, 2022

How does a president decide what to put into the annual State of the Union (SOTU) address? Which priorities should be first? How partisan or bipartisan can it be? How many applause lines could they seek? And would they ever admit that the state of...

Photo of President Ford delivering the State of the Union to a joint session of Congress in 1976

News

Ford School to expand anti-racism faculty, address environment and health disparities

May 26, 2022

The Ford School will participate in a cross-campus University of Michigan initiative to address environmental racism and promote health equity. Three tenure track faculty positions will be hired, one each in the Ford School, the School for...

News

Majority of Detroiters report stable, improved financial situation compared to year ago

May 16, 2022

Two years into the pandemic, 72% of Detroit residents say their financial situation has stabilized or improved compared to a year ago, and there's evidence that stimulus checks and the expanded Child Tax Credit played a role in reducing Detroiters'...

News

How a bill becomes law: BIG 10 students dive into process in policy simulation

Feb 4, 2022

After a few hours of spirited discussion, the U.S. Senate passed the Vote at Home Act of 2021. Now, all eligible American voters will be able to cast a ballot by mail without having to provide a reason. At least that's what happened in three of...

B1G Democracy in the 20th Century simulation

News

Detroit unemployment rate sits at 20%

Feb 3, 2022

Detroit’s unemployment rate—the proportion of adults who are in the labor force but not currently employed—remains at 20%, virtually unchanged over the course of 2021, according to a new University of Michigan survey. This is less than half the...

News

Achieving comprehensive immigration reform in 48 hours!

Jan 23, 2022

Excitement was in the air as some 150 senators, ambassadors and representatives of national and international interest groups eyed each other at an eventing meeting, anxious, suspicious, hopeful that a comprehensive immigration reform package, so...

Publication

Gerber and Agrawal examine effects of human and social capital in disaster recovery

Dec 8, 2021

Human capital refers to individual-specific skills, knowledge and expertise to undertake and accomplish tasks. Social capital is the social connections and relationships of individuals and communities. How do these forms of capital affect people in...

Photo of the aftermath of an earthquake in Nepal and the rebuilding of a large retaining wall

News

Big Ten policy schools collaborate on civic involvement

Nov 1, 2021

The University of Michigan is joining with other policy schools across the Big Ten to launch Democracy in the 21st Century, a conferencewide collaboration to develop educational programming that promotes active civic education and...

Publication

Detroiters living in 'substandard conditions,' DMACS study finds

Oct 27, 2021

Almost 40,000 Detroiters live in housing with ongoing and often hazardous maintenance issues, according to a new Detroit Metropolitan Area Community Study issue brief. "Unsurprisingly, the rate of residents living in inadequate or poor-quality...

Photo of homes in Detroit's Chaldean Town neighborhood

News

Gerber named Center for Academic Innovation Faculty Innovator in Residence

Sep 9, 2021

Ford School professor Elisabeth Gerber and director of the Michigan Center for Interprofessional Education Rajesh Mangrulkar are joining the Center for Academic Innovation as CAI Faculty Innovators in Residence, working with CAI experts and with...

News

Concern about safety is main reason many Detroiters are not getting vaccinated, U-M survey finds

Jul 22, 2021

About half of adults living in Detroit are not yet fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data just released from a University of Michigan survey. Among Detroiters who have not received any doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, nearly 8 out of...

News

From Arctic research to promoting the Port of Monroe, P3E students get real-world policy experience

May 27, 2021

Ford School students again went beyond the classroom, even though just virtually, to engage with communities across Michigan and the U.S. The graduate and undergraduate students took part in eight projects around racial justice, economic...

News

Ford School involvement highlighted among growing U-M Detroit partnerships

Mar 8, 2021

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...

News

Students address climate change migration at the U.N. in Integrated Policy Exercise

Feb 6, 2021

The United Nations General Assembly recently agreed to three resolutions addressing the rights of climate migrants and refugees. It was a landmark moment for international cooperation on an issue that will become more urgent as the effects of...

News

Students highlight their practical policy engagements

Dec 17, 2020

Ford School students engaged in real problem-solving in the fall 2020 semester, tackling some of the most important issues facing Michigan. The undergraduate and graduate students participated in research and analysis projects as a part of the...

News

PPIA innovates as it heads to its 40th year

Nov 9, 2020

The Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Junior Summer Institute (JSI) is entering its 40th year after a summer of adjustment and innovation. The intensive seven-week summer program focuses on preparing diverse undergraduate students for...

State & Hill

Spotlights – Spring 2020 State & Hill

May 22, 2020

All hands on deck Ford School faculty and research centers have been actively involved with the policy response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Luke Shaefer is advising the state on how to reduce the impact on low-income families. Michael Barr, Betsey...

News

Gerber recognized for innovation in the classroom

Apr 29, 2019

Elisabeth Gerber, the Ford School’s associate dean for research and policy engagement, has earned a Teaching Innovation Prize for her development of ViewPoint. The simulation software enables educators to create a simulation activity in their...

Global Detroit, U-M release study: Refugees infuse up to $295M/year in SE Michigan

Oct 17, 2017

Every year, refugees to southeast Michigan contribute up to $295 million to the region's economy, according to a new study led by Global Detroit and researchers at the University of Michigan Ford School of Public Policy.The economic contributions...

State & Hill

Recent Ford School "Faculty Findings" in energy and environmental policy

Dec 30, 2016

Elisabeth Gerber on the dangers of extrinsic motivation Organizations around the world hope to prove that natural resource conservation and economic development can go hand in hand—that we can preserve our forests, fish, and waterways while...

State & Hill

Fall 2015 State & Hill magazine, “Motor City Remix, an iconic American city races forward”

Dec 10, 2015

The fall 2015 issue of State & Hill magazine was mailed to alumni and friends of the Ford School on November 18, 2015. This edition of the magazine, titled “Motor City Remix,” highlighted stories about some of the work Ford School faculty,...

Applied Policy Seminar project cited in MLive story on economic potential of Kalamazoo River

Apr 6, 2015

An MLive story published this weekend on the economic potential of the long-polluted Kalamazoo River cited the work of a six-member team in Elisabeth Gerber’s 2012 Applied Policy Seminar (APS) course, now called Strategic Public Policy Consulting or...

News

Prepared to lead: Jeff S. Barnes (MPP '09)

May 12, 2012

It's a sure bet that running a political campaign isn't as difficult or dangerous as leading 500 soldiers into combat during two tours in Iraq. But when former army captain Jeff Barnes was offered the chance to join Rick Snyder's Michigan...

Jeff Barnes applauds U-M Board of Regents for new tuition policy image