Poverty and social policy

Showing 241 - 270 of 320 results

News

Research supported by Poverty Solutions shows Michigan eviction filings dropped 65% in 2020 compared to pre-pandemic

Jun 8, 2021

New research, supported by Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan offers insights into how Michigan can maintain the low eviction rates achieved during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Michigan Eviction Project, led by U-M faculty and housing...

In the Media

Erb-Downward cites negative outcomes of school discipline on homeless children

Jun 6, 2021 WXYZ Detroit

Research done by Poverty Solutions at U-M has found negative outcomes in children resulting from school suspensions and expulsions, especially when those children have unstable housing. Jennifer Erb-Downward, senior research associate at Poverty...

News

"Stimulus Checks Substantially Reduced Hardship," NYT and Newsweek report, citing Poverty Solutions study

Jun 5, 2021

The New York Times highlighted a recent study by Luke Shaefer and Patrick Cooney, released by Poverty Solutions, which shows, "that sharp declines in food shortages, financial instability and anxiety coincided with the two most recent rounds of...

Publication

Task force featuring Lantz issues report assessing pandemic's trajectory and implications for Medicare, Social Security

Jun 3, 2021

A report by the National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI) looks at the direct effects and outcomes of COVID-19—hospitalizations, deaths, disability, unemployment, and racial and ethnic disparities—and how they will impact social insurance...

News

Examining Detroit students' college pathways

May 26, 2021

Academic and non-academic barriers are preventing Detroit high school students from enrolling and succeeding in college. Detroit Students’ College Pathways and Outcomes, a policy brief released by the Youth Policy Lab (YPL) at the University of...

News

Congratulations to Natasha Pilkauskas and Kaitlin Raimi, both now associate professors, with tenure

May 21, 2021

Professors Natasha Pilkauskas and Kaitlin Raimi have received promotions to associate professor, with tenure, at the Ford School. Their status was approved by the U-M Board of Regents at their meeting on May 20. "Natasha Pilkauskas is deepening...

Headshots of Kaitlin Raimi and Natasha Pilkauskas

News

Erb-Downward testifies at U.S. House hearing on student homelessness

May 19, 2021 Watch the hearing

Jennifer Erb-Downward, senior research associate at Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan, testified before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education on Wednesday, May 19. The hearing was...

In the Media

Cooney comments on minimum wage debate

May 19, 2021 WXYZ Detroit

McDonald's workers are striking for better wages all across the country, including in Michigan. Many argue against a higher minimum wage, saying that it would cause job loss. Patrick Cooney, assistant director of economic mobility at U-M Poverty...

News

Shaefer lauds the potential impact of the child tax credit

May 14, 2021

"The expanded, fully refundable child tax credit sounds complicated, but the ideas behind it are simple, and its design has been tested in many other countries. It’s based on the principles that children deserve the opportunity to thrive, and that...

Publication

Vaccine hesitancy, rooted in institutional mistrust, could stand in way of COVID-19 herd immunity, STPP study finds

May 12, 2021

The global effort to develop and distribute COVID-19 vaccines has progressed despite myriad challenges. Yet the final step—shots in arms—meets resistance among some that can't easily be overcome by science and supply chains. Vaccine hesitancy—a...

A nurse administers the COVID-19 vaccine to a teacher in Iowa (Credit: Phil Roeder / CC BY)

News

Biden's plan for universal preschool, explained - Weiland

May 12, 2021

On April 28, the Biden Administration announced the American Families Plan, which includes universal preschool for all three- and four-year-olds. Christina Weiland, associate professor of education at the Ford School, weighed in on the plan and...

In the Media

Cooney comments on surge in home remodeling and effect on low-income households

May 10, 2021 WDET Detroit Today

More people around the country are looking to remodel their homes, but because of disruptions in the global supply chain, the price of remodeling has spiked. Pat Cooney, assistant director of economic mobility at U-M Poverty Solutions, pointed out...

News

Stevenson comments widely on COVID-19 recovery, minimum wage

May 10, 2021

Ford School economics professor Betsey Stevenson has been commenting on the debate about raising the minimum wage and the contours of the COVID-19 recovery. When the April jobs report was released, with significantly fewer jobs created than were...

In the Media

Shaefer: Deeply unfair for Michigan to expect Pandemic Unemployment Assistance to be paid back

Apr 21, 2021 Detroit Free Press

"It's one thing to tell someone 'You're not eligible for the benefits,' " said Shaefer. "It's another thing to approve someone, let them use the support, and then expect them to pay it back.". Read the full story in the Detroit Free...

News

U-M's Ford School to expand social policy, equity work, thanks to Kohn Charitable Trust

Apr 9, 2021

A set of gifts totaling $17 million from the Kohn Charitable Trust will establish a resource hub at the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy to catalyze interdisciplinary research on policy that promotes social equity and...

In the Media

Cooney and Shaefer: Pandemic shows government matters

Apr 4, 2021 Bridge Michigan

Patrick Cooney and Luke Shaefer write an opinion for Bridge Michigan. "While a lot of people are hurting right now, we have also found the data tell a pretty simple story: when government acts to buffer families by stabilizing their finances,...

News

NYT cites Shaefer’s poverty research as laying the groundwork for the American Rescue Plan

Mar 25, 2021 The New York Times

A recent New York Times article cites Luke Shaefer and Kathryn Edin’s 2015 award-winning book, $2.00 a Day as a marker that led to the passage of important elements of the $1.9 trillion “American Rescue Plan” which includes temporary measures to...

In the Media

Harris discusses financial inclusion and earned wage access

Mar 22, 2021 Future of Pay Podcast

Adrienne Harris sits down with the Future of Pay podcast to discuss ways to increase financial inclusion, earned wage access, and the fixed pay cycle. "The fact that people get paid every two weeks or every month is really born of an arcane system...

In the Media

Stevenson: Pandemic raises questions about inequality

Mar 21, 2021 Bloomberg News

“We’re going to get some gains coming out of this pandemic, but we want to make sure that those gains are more evenly shared, and that we’re supporting workers at the bottom and not just workers at the top," said Betsey Stevenson, also noting the...

News

Erb-Downward Q&A: What the American Rescue Plan means for children experiencing homelessness

Mar 15, 2021 University of Michigan Poverty Solutions

The American Rescue Plan Act, the latest $1.9 trillion pandemic stimulus plan, includes $800 million to support children and youth experiencing homelessness. Jennifer Erb-Downward, a senior research associate at the University of Michigan’s...

Publication

Policy memo: Pilkauskas and Michelmore on "The anti-poverty policy of the American Rescue Plan that no one is really talking about"

Mar 15, 2021

As the Biden administration embarks on its first hundred days, experts from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy have produced a series of policy briefs on key issues. Download the PDF of this brief or read the web-formatted version...

Natasha Pilkauskas and Katherine Michelmore

In the Media

Shaefer: Child benefit in stimulus is transformational, aligns with industrialized countries

Mar 10, 2021 PRI's The World

“There are a lot of countries that [provide a monthly child tax benefit] already; some for decades: Canada, Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Australia. These countries have decided, 'hey, raising kids is expensive, and the government has a reason...

News

Cavaillé's fairness model aims to boost understanding of politics of income redistribution

Mar 8, 2021

How popular is Robin Hood, anyway? With rising global income inequality, Charlotte Cavaillé asks why society isn’t doing more to redistribute income. Cavaillé, assistant professor of public policy at the University of Michigan’s Ford School of...

Alumni spotlight

Interview with MPP, STPP alum Melvin Washington II

Mar 4, 2021

Melvin Washington is an alumnus of the Ford School’s Master of Public Policy Program and the Science, Technology, & Public Policy Graduate Certificate Program. In his role as a Program Associate at the Vera Institute of Justice, he puts this passion...

News

Ford School expert tells lawmakers: Equity needs to go hand-in-hand with innovation in energy, climate

Mar 3, 2021

Pursuing energy and climate innovations grows ever more critical, but must include the involvement and participation of marginalized, vulnerable communities from the beginning. That's the message Ford School professor and director of the Science,...

Professor Shobita Parthasarathy leads a discussion in the Betty Ford Classroom

News

Addressing structural inequity during Black History Month at the Ford School

Mar 1, 2021

The Ford School marked Black History Month by lifting up Black voices with a series of discussions about identifying inequities in society and seeking policy solutions to address them. Research centers, student groups, faculty, staff, and alumni all...

News

Stevenson tapped for analysis on deficit spending, disparate effect of the “shecession” and the divorce rate

Feb 28, 2021

The Biden administration’s $1.9 trillion relief package raises many questions. CNN quoted Stevenson supporting the package's temporary provisions lifting low-income families which are "really the foundation of setting up a fairer society." She...

News

Parthasarathy testifies about equity in innovation before key Congressional subcommittee

Feb 25, 2021

On February 25, Shobita Parthasarathy testified before the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies. The hearing included four invited experts to speak about energy and climate innovation issues....

Screen cap of Shobita Parthasarathy testimony

Publication

Dynarski’s research shows default options key to student loan repayment

Feb 13, 2021

Susan Dynarski’s recent research, “Designed to fail: Effects of the default option and information complexity on student loan repayment,” shows the powerful effects of default options and how making an income driven repayment (IDR) plan the default...

News

U-M research on material hardship in 2020 offers guidance for next economic relief package

Feb 9, 2021 Michigan News

Material hardship in the United States rose significantly in the final months of 2020 and was particularly high for households with children, according to new research from Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan. The rise in hardship...