A Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy Student Publication at the University of Michigan
By: Shaher Zakaria Last Tuesday, all eyes were on the two Senate runoff elections in Georgia. Because the elections would decide control of the Senate, President Trump made two visits to the state to rally Republican voters for Republican Senators David Purdue and Kelly Loeffler. President-elect Joe Biden, who
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By: Trina Shanks, Phd, LMSW; Marquan Jackson, MSW; Alize Asberry Payne; and Patrick Meehan, PhD, MSW As the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines begins, it may appear that the end of the pandemic is in sight. However, vaccines alone do not save lives, vaccinations do. That is, individuals must choose to
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By: Shounak Bagchi and Eli Reilly Since March, experts have speculated wildly about the pandemic’s effects on urban life. Many argue that residents of high-demand cities, already financially squeezed from crushing rent and stagnant wages, will abandon these areas in favor of cheaper, less crowded alternatives. Telecommuting and the collapse
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By: Sophie Hart As the 2020 election bears down in the midst of a global pandemic, the precarity of our core American democratic process has become unsettlingly apparent. Across the country, early voting sites have been overwhelmed, and voters have been forced to wait up to eight hours to cast
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By: Emmanuel Akinbobola and Akinbodunde Akinbobola To secure the frontline against climate change, humanity needs to seriously confront increasing carbon emissions. The United States’ heavy reliance on fossil fuels—especially fossil fuels with high carbon emissions—challenges progress on achieving net zero carbon emissions. However, low-carbon fossil fuels like propane, specifically liquified
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By: Sophie Ordway In this time of mass incarceration and renewed focus on the carceral state, the Michigan prison system is in desperate need of profound transformation. Popular prison reform proposals address problems that contribute to mass incarceration, such as long sentences, prosecutorial discretion, the cash-bail system, and barriers to
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By: Courtney Morrison In 2014, approximately 32,000 babies were born with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), a disease which is categorized by a set of medical problems a baby experiences when withdrawing from exposure to narcotics post birth. Medicaid covers 82% of the costs for all babies born with this syndrome.
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By Justin Giannantonio East Africa’s Lake Victoria, the largest freshwater tropical lake in the world, is a valuable resource for people in Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda for fishing, irrigation, drinking water, and transportation. In Uganda specifically, the lake is also a source of hydropower. Yet extreme, variable weather
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By: Amanda Silvana Hosek Early supporters of the internet believed that it would be an equalizing global force. They believed that anyone, anywhere would have access to information at any time in order for ideas, knowledge, and human connection to flourish. However, without investment into open, uncensored, and cost-free universal
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Professor John Ciorciari applies his regional expertise to foreign policy and humanitarian challenges facing Southeast Asia. Professor John Ciorciari is an Associate Professor and Director of the Weiser Diplomacy Center and International Policy Center at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. Prior to joining the Ford School, Professor
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