U-M to explore policy changes on poverty through new research center

October 2, 2002
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ANN ARBOR—Researchers at the University of Michigan hope to make a contribution to the understanding and reduction in U.S. poverty through a new $5 million, federally-funded research center announced Tuesday. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) presented the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy with a five-year cooperative agreement for the National Poverty Research Center. The research agenda to be developed at U-M will explore the long-term effects of policy changes, looking particularly at the well-being of families living in or moving out of poverty. The center will involve faculty from across the University in its research.

Rebecca M. Blank

 

Rebecca M. Blank, dean of the Ford School and co-director of the Poverty Center with Professor Sheldon H. Danziger, noted that U-M’s strong social science and professional programs make Michigan a good location for such a program. “It’s truly an honor to become the location of the National Poverty Research Center,” Blank said. “All of the researchers involved hope that the work will make a real difference, improving the well-being of those who live in poverty. “The work of the center will involve research, including people from around Michigan as well as from other universities,” she said. “Faculty involved includes those with expertise in economics, public policy, sociology, psychology, demography and medicine. We are also committed to training and mentoring younger policy researchers and to finding ways to interact this research work with the world of policy and practice.” HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson said the U-M team will bring significant cross-disciplinary expertise to bear in the study of poverty. “So much of the progress we have made in the country on issues related to reducing poverty and reforming welfare was through careful research,” Thompson said. “The National Poverty Center plays a critical role not only in contributing to this body of research but also in preparing researchers to meet this challenge in the future.”

Sheldon H. Danziger

 

The U-M National Poverty Research Center will conduct research projects focused on the causes of poverty and the impact of policies to alleviate poverty, hold annual conferences and regular seminars, conduct a summer training program for poverty researchers, hold policy briefings in Washington, D.C. and publish working papers for public dissemination. HHS has a long history of funding national poverty research centers and has used these centers to provide research and analysis needed to develop and evaluate anti-poverty policy. Activities of concern include: examining behavioral dynamics such as family formation and fertility; examining the overall well-being of children, families, and communities by exploring the effects of other social policies (health, education, etc.) on poverty; and differentiating between disadvantaged populations to better understand how policies impact different groups. U-M experts who will be part of the center include: · Rebecca Blank – Dean of the Ford School and Henry Carter Adams Collegiate Professor of Public Policy and Economics, former member, President’s Council of Economic Advisers (labor force, labor market) (734) 763-2258 or blank@umich.edu · Sheldon Danziger — Henry J. Meyer Collegiate Professor of Public Policy and director of the Ford Foundation Program on Poverty and Public Policy (income disparities) (734) 998-8505or sheldond@umich.edu · Mary Corcoran — Professor of public policy and political science (women and welfare) (734) 764-9517 or marycor@umich.edu · Sandra Danziger — Associate professor of social work and director, Michigan Program on Poverty and Social Welfare Policy (women and welfare, barriers to employment) (734) 998-8504 or sandrakd@umich.edu · David Harris — Assistant professor of sociology (race and income) (734) 647-6867 or drharris@umich.edu · Ann Lin — Associate professor of public policy and political science (policy implementation and qualitative research) (734) 764-7507 or annlin@umich.edu · Harold Pollack — Associate professor of public health (health insurance, health care) (734) 936-1298 or haroldp@umich.edu · Robert Schoeni — Associate professor of economics, associate director, Panel Study of Income Dynamics (income, aging) (734) 763-5131 or bschoeni@umich.edu · Kristin Seefeldt–Senior Research Associate, Ford School of Public Policy (welfare programs and services) 734-998-8514 or kseef@umich.edu · Pamela Smock — Associate professor of sociology and associate director of the Institute for Social Research (family formation, fertility) (734) 998-8691 or pjsmock@umich.edu For more information about the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, visit http://www.fordschool.umich.edu/. Information about the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services can be found at http://www.os.dhhs.gov/.  

blank@umich.edusheldond@umich.edumarycor@umich.edusandrakd@umich.edudrharris@umich.eduannlin@umich.eduharoldp@umich.edu