Sheldon Danziger

Emeritus faculty

Sheldon H. Danziger

Henry J. Meyer Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Public Policy

Sheldon Danziger is President of the Russell Sage Foundation and the Henry J. Meyer Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Public Policy at the Ford School. He was also Director of the National Poverty Center at the Ford School.…

State & Hill

Our new dean, Celeste Watkins-Hayes

Dec 12, 2023

State & Hill sat down with the Ford School’s new dean to reflect on her scholarship, her mentors, and Gerald Ford State & Hill: Tell us about your intellectual journey to leading the Ford School. Celeste Watkins-Hayes: What you see in my...

Dean Watkins-Hayes and ASPIRE students gathering on the balcony overlooking the Great Hall

State & Hill

An economic eye on equity in higher ed

Dec 19, 2022

As the first chief economist in the U.S. Department of Education, Ford School alumnus Jordan Matsudaira (PhD ’05), seeks to identify and implement policies that best promote student success—academically and financially—in higher education. Ford...

News

Watkins-Hayes joins Russell Sage Foundation board

Sep 13, 2022

Dean Celeste Watkins-Hayes has been appointed to the board of trustees of the Russell Sage Foundation (RSF). The Foundation was established in 1907 for “the improvement of social and living conditions in the United States. It dedicates itself to...

In the Media

Danziger joins 127 economists calling for continued COVID-19 stimulus

Nov 25, 2020 WBCK

In an open letter, Danziger joined 127 other economists calling for additional COVID-19 stimulus, stating, "While the economy continues on the path to recovery, it’s critical that we quickly implement a robust stimulus to help promote a sustained...

News

In New York Times, Luke Shaefer discusses new policy proposal on childhood poverty

Oct 19, 2016

With a forthcoming paper on childhood poverty about to be released by the Russell Sage Foundation, Luke Shaefer spoke with New York Times Economic Scene columnist Eduardo Porter for the October 18 story, “Giving Every Child a Monthly Check for an...

Luke Shaefer delivers a talk at the Ford School

NYT profiles bipartisan plan to reduce poverty, professor emeritus Sheldon Danziger

Feb 3, 2016

The New York Times this week highlights a recent development in the fight against poverty that brought together thinkers from both sides of the aisle, including professor emeritus Sheldon Danziger. "Finding Common Political Ground on Poverty," the...

Catch up on faculty news with the Ford School's fall 2015 roundup

Dec 4, 2015

This spring, Robert Axelrod was one of ten distinguished honorary degree recipients at Harvard’s 364th commencement ceremony. The Carnegie Corporation of New York has awarded John Ciorciari its prestigious Andrew Carnegie Fellowship to examine...

State & Hill

The history and future of Detroit, Ren Farley's short course on the iconic American city

Nov 24, 2015

It’s Saturday at 8:30 a.m. when Ren Farley takes a right onto State Street and pulls to the meter in his red Ford Mustang. For the past eight years, he’s been teaching a policy course at the Ford School on “The History and Future of Detroit.” Today,...

Increasing work opportunities, reducing poverty two decades after Welfare Reform

Nov 6, 2015

A research article by Sandra K. Danziger, Sheldon Danziger, Kristin S. Seefeldt, and Luke Shaefer, "Increasing work opportunities and reducing poverty two decades after Welfare Reform," was published in the November 2015 edition of the Journal of...

Inside Philanthropy profiles Russell Sage Foundation’s crucial role in "moving inequality to the center of politics and policy”

Apr 15, 2015

“The [Russell Sage Foundation’s] research has played a crucial, if subtle role in moving inequality to the center of politics and policy in recent years” writes David Callahan for Inside Philanthropy. The article, “Inside the Russell Sage...

New York Review of Books features Sheldon Danziger’s Legacies of the War on Poverty

Apr 7, 2015

This April, Christopher Jencks reviews Sheldon Danziger’s Legacies of the War on Poverty (Russell Sage, 2013) in a two-part series for The New York Review of Books. Jencks says Legacies’ chapters are “packed with evidence, make judicious judgments,...

State & Hill

The Power of Policy

Dec 17, 2014

Public policy is a principled guide to action, designed to lead to the greater good. As we celebrate our centennial as America’s first graduate-level training program in public administration, we take a moment to reflect on the powerful role policy...

State & Hill

On poverty, policy, and people: Sheldon Danziger's lasting legacy

Dec 9, 2014

Two wars dominated the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson. One was the war in Vietnam, whose escalation in 1964 triggered more than a decade of combat in Southeast Asia and discontent at home. The other was a wide-ranging package of social legislation...

On poverty, policy, and people: Sheldon Danzinger's lasting legacy

Four ways to magnify your impact on Giving Blueday

Nov 27, 2014

On Tuesday, December 2, the Ford School will participate in the University of Michigan’s first-ever day of giving. Thanks to some generous matching gifts, from midnight through 11:59 p.m. (EST) donors can magnify the impact of their gifts to the...

Sheldon Danziger to retire from the University of Michigan

May 1, 2014

This year, Sheldon H. Danziger took a leave of absence to serve as the tenth president of the Russell Sage Foundation, the premier foundation devoted exclusively to social science research. With great happiness for him, and an equal measure of...

Danziger speaks with Al Jazeera America on the U.S. poverty rate

Feb 24, 2014

On February 20, Professor Sheldon Danziger was interviewed in an Al Jazeera America article about the relationship between poverty and inequality. Danziger discussed his research on how factors such as the racial composition of the U.S., shifts in...

Rising child poverty long trend in the making, says Danziger image

Greetings from the Dean - Feed January 2014

Jan 28, 2014

A new year begins, and I write with the warmest wishes that 2014 will bring health, peace, and prosperity to you and yours, and to the many wonderful communities you serve. For the Ford School, 2014 is a very special year: our centennial anniversary...

Danziger comments on what we can learn from change in poverty rate under revised census measure

Nov 7, 2013

This week, the Census Bureau released 2012 poverty numbers under the supplemental poverty measure, which calculates the number of poor people in America as 3 million higher than the official count. Based on this revised formula, 1 and 6 US...

Danziger pens Huffington Post op-ed on persistent effects of the Great Recession

Nov 7, 2013

In a Huffington Post opinion article, "Ravages of the Great Recession," Sheldon Danziger writes that Congress's dysfunction, in particular its preoccupation with slashing the federal deficit, is prolonging economic pains. Danziger cites a new study...

Rising child poverty long trend in the making, says Danziger

Oct 22, 2013

Sheldon Danziger was quoted in a Fox News article about rising child poverty. The article covers a study by the Southern Education Foundation which found that the majority of public school students in 13 southern and four western states are living...

U.S. poverty has held steady, despite growing income inequality, says Sheldon Danziger in New York Times op-ed

Sep 17, 2013

Sheldon H. Danziger's New York Times op-ed, "The Mismeasure of Poverty," suggests that the recent Census Bureau report on the 2012 U.S. poverty rate—at 15 percent—is inaccurate because it doesn't reflect the value of poverty interventions like food...

Sheldon Danziger named new president of Russell Sage Foundation

Feb 8, 2013

Sheldon Danziger, the Henry J. Meyer Distinguished University Professor of Public Policy and director of the National Poverty Center, has been appointed the tenth president of the Russell Sage Foundation.Russell Sage is the premier foundation...

A fair day in court: how one alumna works toward an impartial judicial system

Feb 7, 2013

Many Americans believe that justice is for sale—that judges, and their rulings, can be bought by special interests. It's a cynical view of the American judiciary, sure. But according to statistics compiled by Justice at Stake (JAS), a nonpartisan...

State & Hill

BA alum works to ensure prisoners' civil rights

Dec 18, 2012

For Gary Graca (BA '09), a degree in public policy was about seeing what happens out of public view. As a paralegal in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Graca visits the inner workings of state-funded prisons and...

Gary Graca standing with arms crossed, smiling.

News

Community is an intervention: NPC panel on recession and recovery emphasizes collaboration across sectors

Dec 4, 2012

On November 19 at the U-M Detroit Center, the National Poverty Center (NPC) in conjunction with the C.S. Mott Foundation, hosted the panel discussion, "Michigan's Recession and Recovery: Opportunities for the Research, Non-profit, and Civic...

Sheldon Danziger opinion featured in New York Times forum addressing the question: "Shrink Inequality to Grow the Economy?"

Oct 19, 2012

In response to the New York Times' Room for Debate forum question, "Shrink Inequality to Grow the Economy?," Sheldon Danziger crafted the op-ed "All Growth is not Created Equal," Sheldon Danziger, which argued that reducing inequality in America can...

Sheldon Danziger appointed to U.S. Census Bureau advisory committee

Oct 12, 2012

Sheldon Danziger was appointed to the National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic, and Other Populations.The new advisory committee, whose members are appointed by the director of the Census Bureau, will provide expertise and knowledge on issues...

Census report on poverty rate shows stimulus worked, Sheldon Danziger says

Sep 12, 2012

National Poverty Center director Sheldon Danziger had an optimistic view of the U.S. Census Bureau's report on the poverty rate, which remained at an all-time high but did not increase as many anticipated."This is good news and a surprise," Danziger...

'The Great Recession was not an equal disemployer,' Danziger tells CNBC

Aug 27, 2012

National Poverty Center director Sheldon Danziger told CNBC that "the Great Recession was not an equal disemployer."The CNBC.com article cited a poll released Monday by the Pew Research Center that found a majority of Americans are concerned about...