Mara Ostfeld

Research faculty

Mara Ostfeld

Research Associate Professor, Public Policy, Gerald R Ford School of Public Policy and Faculty Associate, Center for Political Studies, Institute for Social Research

Dr. Mara Cecilia Ostfeld is the research director at the Center for Racial Justice, and an associate research professor in the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. In addition, Mara is a faculty lead at the Detroit Metro Area…

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]...

In the Media

Ostfeld highlights attitudes in cities with high-immigrant populations

Oct 14, 2024 Michigan Public

Speaking with Michigan Public, the Ford School's Mara Ostfeld discusses results from her recent research on public opinion in Michigan on immigration policy. Ostfeld stated, “U.S.-born residents living in cities with a higher proportion of...

News

Survey shows Detroiters’ top priorities for city officials going into election

Sep 30, 2024

Crime and safety tops the list of priority issues that Detroit residents want to see city officials address going into the November 2024 election, according to a survey conducted by the University of Michigan in partnership with Outlier...

Word cloud with issues most important to Detroiters

News

Racial and gender bias in U.S. crime victim compensation programs highlighted in new report

Sep 18, 2024

Significant racial and gender disparities exist in U.S. crime victim compensation programs, revealing Black and Indigenous people as well as survivors of gender-based violence face unique challenges in obtaining financial support, according to a new...

News

Ford School panel examines immigration on the ballot

Sep 17, 2024

The Ford School’s fall event series kicked off with more than 115 people in attendance for Immigration on the Ballot, a panel discussion about the policy landscape and implications for the upcoming election, hosted by the Center for Racial...

mara ostfeld, angela garcía, kristina fullerton rico, william lopez

Publication

Lack of trust in political system main reason some Detroiters won't vote

Jul 31, 2024

Distrust in the political system is the most commonly cited reason that eligible voters in Detroit say they don't plan to vote in November, according to a University of Michigan survey.The survey, fielded by U-M's Detroit Metro Area Communities...

American Flags and Pins on White Background

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...

News

Michigan metro areas divided on views on legal immigration, U-M survey shows

Jun 27, 2024

Immigration consistently shows up as the most important problem facing the U.S. in national public opinion polls, but less information has been available to understand how Michiganders view immigration.With Michigan poised to be one of the most...

Photo of an American flag backed by a gray sky

News

Flint high school students glimpse college life with 23Express

Jan 16, 2024

Michael Williams describes himself as a “closeted nerd.” Growing up in Flint, Michigan, he felt like he had to disguise his love of learning in order to blend in with his peers. “It wasn’t ‘cool’ to like school,” he explains. “You could be smart,...

23Express students visit University of Michigan football stadium

State & Hill

Faculty news, fall 2023

Dec 12, 2023

Axelrod's adventures Robert Axelrod, William D. Hamilton Distinguished University Professor Emeritus, writes about the difficulties and rewards of interdisciplinary collaboration in his new autobiography, A Passion for Cooperation: Adventures...

Headshots of Axelrod, Cavaillé, Michelmore, Neggers, Ostfeld, Parthasarathy, Pilkauskas, Stange, Torres, and Weiss

State & Hill

Injustice of place: Learning from history

Dec 12, 2023

A place-based view of the legacy of poverty in the U.S. At first glance, there's not much in common among the spinach fields of Crystal City, Texas; the cotton mills near Greenwood, Mississippi; and the historic salt works in Manchester,...

News

CLOSUP and Poverty Solutions to examine Michigan’s approach to criminal justice reform

Jul 20, 2023

In the wake of racial justice movements across the country, the State of Michigan and some of its communities have been implementing new public safety and criminal justice policies. The perspective of Michigan's local government, public safety, and...

News

DMACS to study impact of Strategic Neighborhood Fund in Detroit

Jun 12, 2023

The University of Michigan’s Detroit Metro Area Communities Study (DMACS) was recently contracted by Invest Detroit, a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution, to look at the relationship between community investment and overall trends...

Photo of homes in Detroit's Chaldean Town neighborhood

State & Hill

Amplifying the voices of Puerto Rican communities

May 3, 2023

To say that Puerto Rico has faced profound and dramatic challenges over the past two decades is an...

Mara Ostfeld visits the University of Puerto Rico.

State & Hill

Faculty News, spring 2023

May 3, 2023

Dominique Adams-Santos, Celeste Watkins-Hayes, and PhD candidate Kayonne Christy contributed a chapter, "Narratives in Context: Locating Racism and Sexism in Black Women's Health Experiences," to The Routledge Companion to...

Headshots of Kathryn M. Dominguez, Rusty Hills, Morela Hernandez, Brian Jacob, Barry Rabe, Megan Stewart, David Thacher, Christina Weiland

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

News

Poverty Solutions report on police reform widely referenced in wake of recent alleged police abuse

Jan 31, 2023

Following the death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of the Memphis police, national attention is once again focused on the use of force by police. The Detroit Free Press, among other outlets, turned to a report written by Trevor Bechtel, Mara C....

News

Gun control measures associated with reduced police use of force

Jan 24, 2023

As police departments and activists look for strategies to reduce excessive use of force by police, new research from the University of Michigan shows limited data, lack of transparency and irregular implementation of reforms make it difficult to...

News

Puerto Rican Opinion Lab: Understanding how U.S. policies affect islanders

Jan 5, 2023

Mara Ostfeld, PhD, associate faculty director at Poverty Solutions, assistant research scientist at the Ford School of Public Policy, research director at the Center for Racial Justice, and faculty lead for the Detroit Metro Area Community Study,...

News

Ostfeld partners with University of Puerto Rico to create stronger survey data

Dec 7, 2022

Collaborating with the University of Puerto Rico and acting as primary investigator, Ford School professor Mara Ostfeld, helped launch the Puerto Rican Public Opinion Laboratory (LabPOP). LabPOP aims to be the first to obtain data about the...

News

Ostfeld appointed research director of the Center for Racial Justice

Dec 5, 2022

Political scientist Dr. Mara Celicia Ostfeld has been named the inaugural research director of the Center for Racial Justice (CRJ) at the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy. In this role, Ostfeld will lead the development of the...

Mara Ostfeld speaking at a Poverty Solutions event.

News

Ford School faculty flex expertise in analysis of midterm elections

Nov 11, 2022

Leading up to and following the midterm elections, Ford School faculty provided their expertise on pertinent issues, ranging from redistricting to the economy to voter priorities. Justin Wolfers discussed the logic behind betting on elections in...

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

In the Media

Ostfeld analyzes views of Latino Republican voters

Nov 9, 2022 NBC News

Mara Ostfeld, NBC News: "Latino Republican voters appear more progressive than white Republican voters on key issues like abortion and climate change, according to NBC News exit polls. While they are like-minded on some issues, there are significant...

News

Detroiters say quality K-12 schools is top policy priority for November elections

Nov 3, 2022

Detroit residents say the quality of K-12 schools is their top priority for the November elections, followed closely by inflation, affordable housing, affordable health care, and crime. That's according to a new representative survey of...

News

Ostfeld awarded U-M Anti-Racism Grant

Sep 14, 2022

Mara Ostfeld, associate faculty director and director of communications at Poverty Solutions, has been awarded one of eight Anti-Racism Grants from the U-M Office of the Vice President for Research for her collaboration with the University of Puerto...

In the Media

Ostfeld calls for equal protection as gun violence takes its toll on Black commuities

Jun 27, 2022 Parents magazine

"Black Children Are Disproportionately Hurt By Gun Violence," Parents magazine reports. Many causes are cited, including drug wars, low-income areas flooded with guns, and deeper societal attitudes about the Black community and guns. Mara...

News

U-M virtual series to explore racialized health, economic disparities stemming from COVID-19

Mar 29, 2022

The University of Michigan's Ford School of Public Policy is kicking off a virtual event series this week with a discussion about the local impact of safety nets on communities of color during the COVID-19 pandemic. Panelists at Friday's event,...

Lightly styled graphic with text that says "COVID-19 reflections: A series on race, health, and economic justice"

News

Poverty Solutions marks five years of research, policy impact

Mar 21, 2022

Since its launch in 2016, Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan has built an action-based research program that has informed efforts to prevent and alleviate poverty in Michigan and across the country. As the universitywide initiative...

News

Poverty Solutions study: Homeless teens face significant health risks, lack access to shelter

Feb 23, 2022

High school-aged youth who are homeless report higher rates of attempted suicide, prescription drug misuse, pregnancy and being forced to have sex. Transgender youth are especially at risk of experiencing homelessness and being estranged from a...