Student DirectoryFaculty News
Ambassador Melyvn Levitsky appears as a guest commenter in a recent edition of the Inter-American Dialogue's Latin American Advisor, answering the question: "What Does the Future Hold for the US-Brazil Relationship?" March 25, 2009 What Does the Future Hold for the US-Brazil Relationship? Question: In a report released earlier this month entitled "A Second Chance: US Policy in the Americas," the Inter-American Dialogue said "neither Brazil nor the United States is yet ready to develop a broad, long-term partnership," but argued for identifying concrete areas for cooperation. After last weekend's meeting between Presidents Lula and Obama, how do you see the Brazil-US partnership developing? Is a strategic partnership possible in your view? Which are the most important areas for cooperation and what challenges lie ahead? Answer: Guest Comment by Melvyn Levitsky "Partnerships are built on parallel interests and common values. The US and Brazil have good reason to develop good, close relations, but not necessarily a strategic partnership. Brazil is in better economic shape and has more international influence than it has had in the past, but it would be difficult to say that the relationship is a top priority for the US. Brazil is still a developing country and both sees itself, and is, a leader among second- and third-world countries. For the US, this has positive and negative aspects. On the positive side, Brazil has helped moderate the rhetoric and actions emanating from activist leftist leaders like Chavez, Morales, Correa and Ortega. Bilateral trade is important to both countries, as is cooperation on international crime and drug trafficking, climate change and alternative energy. Joint efforts in the Caribbean to promote biofuels, for example, have been a model for doing useful work together. However, on issues such as trade, particularly in the agricultural sector, Cuba’s place in the hemisphere, and Brazil’s desire for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, along with a host of UN issues over which the Brazilian and American positions have been at odds, the two countries will find it difficult to compose their differences. My sense is that relations between the two countries are about as good as they are going to get, that the relationship is useful to both and that there is no particular reason for either to wring their hands over whether they should be better. As far as the US is concerned, it's important to pay attention to Brazil, to listen to what it says, to try to enlist it in its efforts to promote economic and political freedom in the Hemisphere and to continue to work with it in areas of common interest. There is no need to court Brazil nor defer to it at times of disagreement. It is a mature country well able to handle its own affairs without concessions from the United States." Posted with permission by Inter-American Dialogue's Latin America Advisor |
Susan Dynarski has been selected as an Editor for the Journal of Labor Economics. March 23, 2009 The Journal of Labor Economics (JOLE), published by the University of Chicago Press, is the top economics field journal that disseminates research related to the economics of education and employment. The Journal's contributors investigate various aspects of labor economics, including supply and demand of labor services, personnel economics, distribution of income, unions and collective bargaining, labor markets and demographics. Dynarski has been an Associate Editor for the Journal of Labor Economics since 2008. |
Jan Svejnar was interviewed by U-M New Services about the financial health of Europe in a piece called “Europe’s economy plays large role in global crisis.” March 16, 2009 |
An article about Kristin Seefeldt’s new book, Working after Welfare: How Women Balance Jobs and Family in the Wake of Welfare Reform, appeared in Dome Magazine. March 16, 2009 |
Robert Axelrod's research was highlighted on a recent edition of NPR's "On the Media": The Net's Mid-Life Crisis. Clay Sherkey, author of Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations, described Alexrod's research on the evolution of cooperation as a potential answer to key questions about commerce and security on the Internet. March 13, 2009 According to Sherkey, "Axelrod's answer was ... I won't rook you in a transaction today because you and I might do business again tomorrow. And so, successful regimes create the shadow of the future and then they can actually set up cooperating networks, even inside incredibly hostile environments. We start having digital signatures in one way or another that says, essentially, I trust you directly because we've done some business together, or I trust you because people I know trust you, or I don't trust you, no one I know trusts you, and then I'm either going to not do business with you or I'll do business with you at arm's length." |
Ambassador Melyvn Levitsky participated in a United Nations press conference to discuss the findings of the 2008 International Narcotics Control Board Annual Report. February 19, 2009 Levitsky, a member of the International Narcotics Control Board (ICNB), highlighted the success of multilateral drug control in recent years and discussed the need for further system improvements. According to the press release, a key report conclusion was that, globally, more attention needed to be focused on prevention strategies since gaps in preventive efforts stimulated drug trafficking, abuse, and the need for treatment. The INCB monitors and promotes the implementation of the three drug control conventions – the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, and the 1988 United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. [Read the full press conference release] |
Marina Whitman featured in a U-M video news release, "Economic policy must balance short-term gains with long-term stability." February 16, 2009 |
Susan Dynarski was quoted in a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review article, "Kindergartners 'redshirted' to gain edge." February 13, 2009 |
Marina Whitman published an op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal about post-bailout policy options for the Obama administration, "Economic Policy Will Have to Be Very Agile." January 27, 2009 |
Ford School visiting professor Scott Atran wrote a New York Times op-ed piece, “How Words Could End a War,” about peace negotiations in the Middle East. January 24, 2009 [Read the op-ed] |
John Chamberlin featured in U-M podcast, "Do the right thing: Public trust, economy wanes from unethical behavior." January 11, 2009 |
Susan Dynarski was quoted in a Detroit Free Press article, "More aid and debt relief set for cash-strapped college students." January 17, 2009 |
Susan Dynarski was featured in the New York Times Magazine's "8th Annual Year in Ideas" for research presented in her paper, "The Lengthening of Childhood." December 14, 2008 The New York Times 8th Annual Year in Ideas features the research and issues that have shaped the past 12 months. Dynarski's paper explored "academic redshirting" -- the idea of holding children, especially those in Kindergarten, back one grade-level. A brief summary of Dynarski's research can be found here: |
Kristin S. Seefeldt was interviewed for a France 24 article, "Americans have bought too many foreign cars." December 7, 2008 |
Kristin S. Seefeldt was quoted in a New York Times article, "Working Poor and Young Hit Hard in Downturn." November 9, 2008 |
New book, The Fifth Freedom: Jobs, Politics, and Civil Rights in the United States, 1941-1972, by Anthony S. Chen receives 2008 President's Book Award. October 29, 2008 The Fifth Freedom: Jobs, Politics, and Civil Rights in the United States, 1941-1972 (Princeton University Press, forthcoming), a book authored by Anthony S. Chen, Associate Professor of Public Policy at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, has been selected as the 2008 President's Book Award winner by the Social Science History Association (SSHA). The award is given each year to mark a meritorious first work by a scholar, according to SSHA. Tony received the award during the SSHA Annual Conference, held Oct. 23-28 in Miami. Entries were judged based on scholarly significance, interdisciplinary reach and methodological innovativeness. Manuscripts from beginning scholars—those who have not previously published a book— are considered for the President's Book Award. "I feel really fortunate to be have been given this award," Tony said. "There are many talented authors and terrific books out there that are equally deserving of recognition." The Fifth Freedom, an expansion on Tony's doctoral dissertation, chronicles the forgotten origins of affirmative action. It connects the advent of affirmative action with battles over fair employment practices legislation from the 1940s to the 1970s, highlighting the ironic and often overlooked role played by conservatives. "This book takes a second look at where affirmative action came from and searches further in the past for the answers," Tony said. "I wanted to rethink the political history of affirmative action with this book." The Fifth Freedom: Jobs, Politics and Civil Rights in America, 1941-1972 will be released early next year. Tony will continue to build on his work examining affirmative action with future publications, including a collaborative book that examines the policy's use in undergraduate college admissions practices. Tony, also an Associate Professor of Sociology in the College of Literature Science and the Arts, teaches Special Topics in Race and Civil Rights Policy at the Ford School and will serve as Interim Director of the school's PhD program in 2009. |
Dean of Libraries and Ford School professor Paul Courant involved with legal settlement between major universities, Google. October 28, 2008 The University of California, University of Michigan, and Stanford University announced today their joint support for the outstanding public benefits made possible through the proposed settlement agreement submitted to the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York by Google Inc. and plaintiffs the Authors Guild, Inc. et al. The proposed settlement will expand access to books in the Google Book Search project. Google Book Search is an ambitious project to digitize the print collections of the world's greatest libraries and make them searchable via the Internet. The project will make it possible for libraries to preserve millions of books and assure numerous other public and academic benefits. "It will now be possible, even easy, for anyone to access these great collections from anywhere in the United States," said University of Michigan's Paul Courant, university librarian and Harold T. Shapiro Collegiate Professor of Public Policy. "This is an extraordinary accomplishment." |
New research from Brian Jacob investigates the relationship between gun shows and gun-related deaths. October 7, 2008 Brian Jacob, director of the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy, and researchers from the University of Maryland investigated the correlation between gun shows and gun-related deaths. Their research showed no evidence that gun shows lead to substantial increases in either gun-related homicides or suicides. The study also shows that tighter regulation of gun shows does not appear to reduce the number of firearms-related deaths. Jacob states, "We believe that this analysis makes an important contribution to understanding the influence of gun shows, the regulation of which is arguably the most active area of federal, state, and local firearms policy." [Read the full paper] Recent media coverage: |
Brian Jacob earns prestigious David N. Kershaw Award and Prize. October 7, 2008 Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy Professor Brian Jacob will be presented the David N. Kershaw Award and Prize in November for his contributions to the field of public policy analysis and management. Jacob, the Walter H. Annenberg Professor of Education Policy, Professor of Economics and Director of the Center for Local, State and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) at the Ford School, will receive the award from the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM) at its Fall Research Conference on November 7, in Los Angeles. |
James House has been appointed a Distinguished University Professor, the U-M's highest faculty honor. October 7, 2008 Distinguished University Professorships recognize full or associate professors for exceptional scholarly and/or creative achievement, national and international reputation, and superior teaching skills. Created in 1947, each professorship bears a name determined by the appointive professor in consultation with her or his dean. The Ford School is now home to three Distinguished University Professors: James House, Bob Axelrod, and Sheldon Danziger. |
Scientific journal Nature names Robert Axelrod's The Evolution of Cooperation one of 6 science books the next U.S. president should read first. October 3, 2008 This list of six science books, compiled by Nature, an international weekly journal of science, includes Axelrod's book, The Evolution of Cooperation—a book that explores how "cooperation can emerge in a world of self-seeking egoists-whether superpowers, businesses, or individuals-when there is no central authority to police their actions." [See full list of recommended books.] |
Mel Levitsky published an op-ed piece in the Detroit News about the Columbia-U.S. trade agreement, "Free trade pact would help fight drug abuse." October 3, 2008 |
"Bush Signs Loan Package For Troubled Automakers" October 1, 2008 President Bush signed into law Tuesday a mammoth spending bill to keep the government running until early March 2009. The measure includes a $25 billion loan package for troubled automakers. Marina Whitman, professor of business administration and public policy at the University of Michigan, tells Steve Inskeep the loan package should help the automakers hang on through the economic recovery. |
"Fulfilling the Commitment: Recommendations for Reforming Federal Student Aid." September 25, 2008 Susan Dynarski has spent the last two years with a group investigating the federal financial aid system in order to improve its service and support of students. The Rethinking Student Aid Study Group, sponsored by the College Board, set forth recommendations to streamline the financial aid application process and loan repayment arrangements to ensure the greater success of less privileged students. The rising cost of attending college is out-pacing inflation and making the loan repayment process difficult for some students and their families; the report reminds policy makers that "the most important purpose of student aid is to expand the educational opportunities available to those young people and adults who face financial barriers to college enrollment and success." Recent Media Coverage: |
Dean Yang works to increase the economic benefits of migrant earnings for their families in El Salvador September 2008 Dean Yang has been an Assistant Professor at the Ford School and an Assistant Professor of Economics since 2003. His research deals with the economic problems of developing countries, including international migration, microfinance, disasters and risk, and human capital. |
John R. Chamberlin was quoted in two New York Times articles about the scandal involving Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick:
Chamberlin is the founding director of the University of Michigan Center for Ethics in Public Life. |
Recent Paper by Susan Dynarski Explores the Increased Trend of "Academic Redshirting" August 7, 2008 A new paper by Susan Dynarski, "The Lengthening of Childhood," has received attention from a number of media outlets. The paper documents the historical shift in the percentage of six-year old children who are enrolled in first grade or above and explores the long-term consequences of "academic redshirting," or the practice of holding school-aged children back one grade-level from what they are eligible. Dynarski and Deming find that academic redshirting provides at least a partial explanation for a number of long-term outcomes, including stagnation in the high school and college completion rates, rising gender gaps in high school graduation and college completion, and intensification of socioeconomic differences in educational attainment, since lower-income children are at greater risk of dropping out of school when they reach the legal age of school exit. The paper will be published in the Summer 2008 issue of the Journal of Economic Perspectives. Dynarski has joined the Ford School and the University of Michigan School of Education as an Associate Professor of Public Policy and Education. Recent Media Coverage: |
Sheldon Danziger testifies at a hearing held by the Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support, U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means, "Establishing a Modern Poverty Measure." July 17, 2008 |
Matthew Davis was quoted in a USA Today article, "Child health care varies widely among states." May 28, 2008 |
Susan Waltz receives Human Rights Fellowship May 7, 2008 The University of Michigan Center for International and Comparative Studies has awarded Human Rights Fellowships to two Michigan faculty members. Waltz will use her Fellowship to develop a course on human rights for the International Studies minor and present a public lecture in the Fall 2008 semester. |
Barry Rabe was interviewed by The Washington Times for the article "‘Green' promises from Hill fall flat with activists." April 22, 2008 Though Democrats took control of Congress in January 2007, they have yet to push any bill that addresses the issues surrounding global-warming. |
Rebecca Blank interviewed by the Economic Research Initiative on the Uninsured (ERIU). April 22, 2008 In a recent "On My Mind: Conversations with Economists" forum interview, Blank discussed the need for a change in the measure of poverty in the U.S. that would include, among other things, the addition of health care costs into the calculation. The definition of poverty has not changed since it was first created in 1963 based on data from the 1950s. |
Leaders and best: Seven U-M faculty including Sheldon Danziger named Guggenheim Fellows. April 3, 2008 Seven University of Michigan faculty members will receive a Guggenheim Fellowship, a coveted national award recognizing distinguished achievement in many fields. U-M's total is the highest by any university in the United States or Canada this year. |
John Chamberlin named founding director of new Center for Ethics in Public Life. March 25, 2008 |
New report by Barry Rabe shows that Michigan residents are willing to pay extra for renewable energy production. February 14, 2008 Rabe co-authored the "Survey of Michigan Residents on the Issue of Global Warming and Climate Policy Options" with Christopher Borick, a professor of political science at Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania. It is the first known survey of its kind to ask Michigan residents about global warming issues and climate policy options. These issues have moved rapidly from the back-burner toward the front of the American public policy agenda. |
Sheldon Danziger's new co-edited volume featured in a Washington Post article, "Bringing Up Babies, And Defying the Norm." January 28, 2008 [Read article] |
"Behind the Curve: Governments versus Criminal Networks." January 14, 2008 Melvyn Levitsky reviewed Michael Kenney's book, "From Pablo to Osama: Trafficking Networks, Government Bureaucracies, and Competitive Adaptation" in the fall 2007 edition of International Studies Review (2007) 9, 498-500. |
Parents want teachers who make children happy. December 7, 2007 When requesting a teacher for their elementary school children, parents are more likely to choose teachers who receive high student satisfaction ratings than teachers with strong achievement ratings, said Brian Jacob, co-author of a new study and director of the CLOSUP. [Read more]. |
Matt Davis published an op-ed piece in the Detroit News about the SCHIP debate, "Expanding kids care won't socialize medicine." October 8, 2007 [U-M Affiliates can read the full, archived article through the U-M library system] |
The Seattle Times interviewed Shobita Parthasarathy for "Protesters demand new cancer drugs" September 21, 2007 |
Jan Svejnar was interviewed by the Detroit News, "Manufacturing job losses put at 170,000." September 14, 2007 [U-M Affiliates can read the full, archived article through the U-M library system] |
Sheldon Danziger was interviewed by ABC World News for a story about the 2006 poverty report. August 28, 2007 |
Sheldon Danziger was cited in an AP story about the 2006 poverty rate. August 28, 2007 |
Tensions in the Israeli-Palestinian dispute could be eased if peace deals involve compromise and symbolic concessions, such as an apology, according to new research by Scott Atran and Bob Axelrod. August 28, 2007 [Read release] The research was featured in the August 24 edition of Science, "Sacred Barriers to Conflict Resolution." [Read article]. |
USA Today article features research by Barry Rabe, "More states harness power of renewable energy." August 23, 2007 |
Rebecca Blank was quoted in a Salt Lake Tribune article, "Utahns give mixed review to welfare reforms, question if they truly help the poor." August 22, 2007 [U-M Affiliates can read the full, archived article through the U-M library system] |
Sheldon Danziger and Bob Schoeni were featured in a U-M video about the Census Bureau's annual poverty report. August 22, 2007 |
Matthew Davis's research was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and featured in Forbes and USA Today, "System Leaves Some Children Unvaccinated." August 7, 2007 |
The Urban Institute hosted a panel discussion last week about Ford School professor Ned Gramlich's new book, "Subprime Lending: America's Latest Boom and Bust." August 7, 2007 In addition to Ned, panelists included Robert Reischauer, Craig Torres, Kurt Pfotenhauer, Michael Calhoun, and Sandra Braunstein. BookTV on CSPAN2 will be playing the panel starting this Saturday. [More details] |
Rick Hall cited in Washington Post column on legislative lobbying, "Campaign Contributions Change Priorities, Not Beliefs." July 16, 2007 |
A new report from CLOSUP's Tom Ivacko warns that the state's negative self-image may be doing more harm than its very real economic challenges. June 22, 2007 [U of M press release] [U-M Affiliates can read the full, archived article through the U-M library system] |
The National Academy of Sciences announced the election of two University of Michigan professors: Dr. David Ginsburg and James S. House. May 2, 2007 |
Shobita Parthasarathy, Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Co-Director of the Science, Technology and Public Policy Program at the Ford School, has been awarded two prestigious research fellowships for the upcoming academic year. April 16, 2007 [Details] |
The United States and Great Britain have taken profoundly different approaches in developing genetic testing for breast cancer which has serious implications for users of health care, says University of Michigan professor Shobita Parthasarathy. April 12, 2007 |
Sheldon Danziger was quoted this week in a New York Times article, "The End of the Line as Detroit Workers Know It" (registration required) and in a commentary in the Christian Science Monitor, "The war on poverty is winnable." April 4, 2007 |
Op-ed from Richard L. Hall in Tuesday Detroit Free Press. April 3, 2007 A war tax would help clarify debate [U-M Affiliates can read the full, archived article through the U-M library system] |
Barry Rabe cited in USA Today story, "States work to reduce global warming." March 25, 2007 |
Scott Atran was featured prominently by the New York Times Magazine in a cover article titled, "Darwin's God." March 4, 2007 |
Barry Rabe was quoted by the Chicago Tribune in a March 2 article titled "Big business sweats climate change laws." March 2, 2007 [U-M Affiliates can read the full, archived article through the U-M library system] |
Barry Rabe was interviewed on NPR's Talk of the Nation for the story, "What Will it Cost to Fight Global Warming?" February 22, 2007 |
Rebecca Blank testified at the House Financial Services Committee hearing, "The State of the Economy, the State of the Labor Market, and the Conduct of Monetary Policy" February 16, 2007 Read press release. Read Blank's full testimony. Her testimony was cited in a story on NPR's Marketplace. [Listen online] |
Barry Rabe was quoted in the Columbus Dispatch article, "Too many people, not enough earth: scientists debate how much population the world can sustain." February 13, 2007 |
Justin McCrary's work was featured in the Slate.com article, "The Irrational 18-Year-Old Criminal: Evidence that prison doesn't deter crime." January 30, 2007 |
Barry Rabe discusses the Supreme Court case, Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at an AEI panel. November 21, 2006 |
Dean Rebecca Blank's comments on Proposal 2 and the Ford School. November 8, 2006 |
Op-ed from Anthony S. Chen in Sunday Detroit Free Press. October 2, 2006 Vote No: Affirmative action aims for healthy, fair diversity, not quotas [U-M Affiliates can read the full, archived article through the U-M library system] |
Sheldon Danziger gave a keynote address at the European Low-Wage Employment Research Network's annual conference in Denmark April 2006 Held in April at the University of Aarhus, in the Southern part of Jutland. Danziger's talk was titled, "Assessing Welfare Reform in the U.S.: From Cash Assistance to Low Wage Employment." In March, Danziger served as one of four panelists at a webcast conference at the American Enterprise Institute called "Helping America's Low-Income Workers." |
Jan Svejnar interviewed on Czech Republic home page. July 3, 2006 The Czech Republic's economy is doing well, but could be better - as compared with other countries - if the government implements reforms, said Jan Svejnar, director of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy's International Policy Center. Read the interview. |
Rebecca Blank was elected a Fellow of the Society of Labor Economics. May 2006 Blank recently authored an op-ed in the Sunday Detroit Free Press in March 2006, entitled "Should Michigan Raise the Minimum Wage?" |
Edie Goldenberg is serving on a National Academy of Public Administration panel to assess the human resources system of the University of California system. She is also directing the Michigan in Washington Program, which brought 23 U-M undergraduates to DC this winter term. |
Carl Simon and coauthors were awarded the Kenneth Rothman Epidemiology Prize—signifying the paper of the year in the journal Epidemiology—for their paper "When to Control Endemic Infections by Focusing on High-Risk Groups." |
Research in Action
