Letter from the Editors for Volume 21 (2025)

Dear Readers,

The Michigan Journal of Public Affairs presents its twenty-first annual volume. This volume features a selection of articles offering insights into contemporary policy debates on local, national, and international stages.

In the pages of Volume 21, you will find entries by graduate students and professionals wrestling with ongoing philosophical and operative debates in the policy realms of technology, finance, higher education, public safety, and agriculture. These works come in the form of three full-length articles and four notes, some of which are polished versions of MJPA blog posts. The perspectives and thoughtful analyses presented here contribute to an improved discourse on topics that affect our daily lives; MJPA is proud to continue a tradition of weighing in on policy issues in support of a more fair, just, and equitable society.

The Journal is entirely organized and operated by graduate students at the University of Michigan Gerald R. Ford School of Public policy. I extend my sincerest gratitude to all MJPA staff and editors who dedicated their time, energy, and intellect to the completion of this volume. From the solicitation of nearly 400 institutions and individuals and the sprint of Reading Weekend to the 15 weeks of developmental editing with our authors, it has been a privilege to work alongside this crew of steadfast believers in the power of the well-crafted word.

On behalf of myself and all here at MJPA, I hope this volume cultivates new and higher understandings of public life, and the mechanisms by which we can build a better future for ourselves—and for those who come after.

Sincerely,

Tyler Baird
Editor-in-Chief, Volume 21
Michigan Journal of Public Affairs