New York Times

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Wolfers breaks down jobs report in NYT op-ed

Dec 3, 2021

Following the release of the November jobs report, Justin Wolfers, professor of public policy and economics, broke down what it means in an op-ed in The New York Times. "This chill in employment might lead one to conclude the economy’s too cold,...

News

Stevenson on why the economy is waiting for workers

Oct 20, 2021

As the economy recovers, workers are holding out for better compensation and benefits. “It’s like the whole country is in some kind of union renegotiation,” Betsey Stevenson told the New York Times. “I don’t know who’s going to win in this...

In the Media

Child tax credit empowers families, says Shaefer

Oct 13, 2021 The New York Times

Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) has suggested that lawmakers pick just one of the family policies in the safety net spending bill. The New York Times asked Luke Shaefer which one he would choose. "The child tax credit is elegant in that it does...

In the Media

Tompkins-Stange on "breaking up the philanthropy boys club"

Sep 30, 2021 The New York Times

Although philanthropy used to happen in a room full of men, the sector is shifting. There has been an uptick in not only women involved in philanthropy, but also the sector's support of women and girls' organizations. “Philanthropy has been a...

News

Stevenson urges lawmakers to consider value over price in economic reforms

Sep 23, 2021

Economist Betsey Stevenson is keeping a close eye on the country's economic recovery, and provides insights in a number of news outlets this week. "Recovery in the labor force requires getting people into jobs and then keeping them there,"...

Photo of Betsey Stevenson leading a class

In the Media

Stevenson explains boom in low-wage labor demand

Jul 20, 2021 The New York Times

As the economy recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for low-wage labor has spiked, and along with it, wages. Betsey Stevenson, professor of public policy and economics, laid out exactly what is happening in the economy. “What’s happening...

In the Media

Shaefer on why Child Tax Credit program will work

Jul 19, 2021 The New York Times

Last week, the first installment of the expanded Child Tax Credit program dropped into bank accounts. Many experts, including Luke Shaefer, Hermann and Amalie Kohn Professor of Social Justice and Social Policy and inaugural director of Poverty...

News

Stevenson considers how COVID-19 pandemic has changed daily lives

Jun 21, 2021

With COVID-19 restrictions being lifted across the country, what does the "other side" of the pandemic look like? Many realize that everything will not revert to pre-pandemic "normal." Betsey Stevenson, professor of public policy and economics, has...

In the Media

Watkins-Hayes and Shaefer comment in the NYT about child tax credit expansion

Apr 26, 2021 New York Times

Celeste Watkins-Hayes and Luke Shaefer comment in the New York Times about the permanent expansion of the child tax credit in President Biden's proposed American Families Plan. The simplicity of the plan cuts through old ideas of who’s...

A parent/guardian and two young children in masks walking outdoors (Credit: Shutterstock)

In the Media

Biden plan to address child poverty could be transformative, says Shaefer

Feb 3, 2021 New York Times

“To me, it’s the most transformational thing that’s under discussion, and nobody’s talking about it,” said Luke Shaefer. Read the full article in the New York Times...

In the Media

Shaefer: Biden lays out bold vision for social policy

Jan 18, 2021 The New York Times

"This is the boldest vision laid out by an American president for fighting poverty, and child poverty in particular, in at least half a century," said Luke Shaefer. Read Kristof's opinion in the New York...

In the Media

Wolfers offers advice on the most urgent economic tasks for the next four years

Nov 6, 2020 New York Times

"Think of this initial fiscal stimulus as a down payment on your most important medium-term macroeconomic goal, which must be to fortify the economy against future shocks. Another downturn could be catastrophic for many households and businesses...

In the Media

Stevenson highlights the pandemic's disproportionate toll on moms

Oct 16, 2020 New York Times

“The drop in female labor-force participation was quite dismal and not surprising with the return back to school not happening,” said Betsey Stevenson. Read the full New York Times article on school re-openings in the pandemic...

In the Media

Shaefer on the success of the CARES Act

Oct 15, 2020 New York Times

“It wasn’t perfect, but hands down it’s the most successful thing we’ve ever done in negating hardship,” said H. Luke Shaefer. Read the full New York Times article...

In the Media

Women, mothers face increasing challenges from pandemic, says Stevenson

Oct 14, 2020 New York Times

"The drop in female labor-force participation was quite dismal and not surprising with the return back to school not happening,” said Stevenson. “Sacrificing market skills to help your family comes at a really big cost... and potentially causes...

In the Media

Ali: More objective, nonpartisan DHS homeland threat assessment encouraging

Oct 7, 2020 Washington Post

“Given the politicization that has occurred on so many issues within the department, it’s encouraging that the homeland threat assessment takes a much more objective and nonpartisan perspective on cataloguing all these threats,” said Javed Ali to...

In the Media

Davenport argues a fixed position among racially conservative white voters

Sep 16, 2020 New York Times

"Their positions are fixed already and they would likely only see the negative manifestations which you could almost always find during extended campaigns." Read the New York Times article...

State & Hill

Discourse: Faculty in the news from the Spring 2020 issue of State & Hill

May 22, 2020

“The government needs to make sure the hardest-hit families have enough income to keep food on their tables...in a rapidly unfolding crisis, the type of aid that’s offered may matter at least as much as the quantity.” Betsey Stevenson and Justin...

Wolfers puts public health at the center of economic recovery

May 15, 2020

The current method for calculating Gross Domestic Product is missing “the immense value of the sacrifices being made by millions of people who have stayed at home to stop the spread of the coronavirus,” Ford School economics professor Justin Wolfers...

In times of crisis, electricity usage data can estimate economic damage, says Wolfers

Apr 10, 2020

With economic activity changing faster than standard statistical measures can keep up, economists are looking at other indicators to take the economy’s pulse. Justin Wolfers, professor at the Ford School, analyzed electricity usage to understand the...

Ford School economists comment on Federal response to COVID-19

Mar 27, 2020

A historic $2 trillion relief package has just been approved by Congress in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and subsequent economic crisis. Professors Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers have weighed in on the relief package and the economic...

Ford School economists: Immediate action can mitigate the economic impact of COVID-19

Mar 20, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the U.S. economy in unprecedented ways. This week, Ford School economic experts including Ford School dean Michael S. Barr, and professors Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers weigh in on what’s ahead in The New...

Trump’s revocation of the Clean Air Act’s states’ rights waiver sends a ‘chilling message’, says Rabe

Oct 10, 2019

Last month, President Trump revoked California’s waiver under the 1970 Clean Air Act, stripping California and 13 other states of their authority to set state-level standards on tailpipe emissions. Contrary to typical Republican values favoring...

News

Barry Rabe and climate change: the opinions of the 2020 Democratic hopefuls

Apr 19, 2019

While the field of 2020 Democratic presidential candidates grows and the first primaries approach, one of the top issues for the field is climate change. Since his inauguration, President Trump has reversed Obama-era environmental policies, focused...

Wolfers' take on Trump’s tariffs

Nov 28, 2018

While President Trump’s rhetoric about trade and the tariffs his administration has implemented aim to make America more protectionist, Ford School professor Justin Wolfers argues the recent and forthcoming actions still have a long way to go to...

Dynarski calls the legacy admission bump 'unconscionable'

Oct 30, 2018

As universities hone their admissions processes to reflect fairness and build a diverse student body, legacy students still have an advantage, warns Nicholas Kristof in the New York Times. Susan Dynarski, Ford School professor, agrees. “Legacy...

State & Hill

Translating research into policy: lessons from simplifying access to financial aid

May 21, 2018

One lesson that Susan Dynarski learned from her long-standing campaign to simplify financial aid is that stubbornness—and a willingness to say the same thing over and over again—is critical to moving public policy. “As academics we are not...

State & Hill

Nurturing the future: Luke Shaefer builds the case for a universal child allowance

May 9, 2018

“Raising kids is expensive!” says H. Luke Shaefer, Associate Professor of Social Work and Public Policy, and director of the University of Michigan’s Poverty Solutions Initiative. So what would be a quick, easy way to help parents and kids? Most...

Photo of a mother and her young daughter

In NYT, Susan Dynarski advises against online courses for struggling students

Jan 19, 2018

In this Sunday’s New York Times print edition, Susan Dynarski will dispute the effectiveness of online courses, particularly for less proficient students.Drawing on research Dynarski did for the Brookings Institution last October, Dynarski’s new New...

In The New York Times, Susan Dynarski describes “The wrong way to fix student debt”

May 8, 2017

In a May 6 “Economic View” column for The New York Times, "The wrong way to fix student debt," Susan Dynarski describes three recent regulatory changes that are “making student loans riskier, more expensive and more burdensome for borrowers.”The...