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Robert M. La Follette
School of Public Affairs
1225 Observatory Drive
Madison, WI 53706

Telephone:  608.262.3581
Fax: 608.265.3233


Last updated:
October 25, 2007

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News

Campus news for University of Wisconsin-Madison Clipsheet: University of Wisconsin-Madison in the news

No Child Left Behind education law to be subject of conference

Two La Follette School professors will speak at a February conference that will examine the No Child Left Behind Act, the politics and practices behind it, and what it means for the future of education.

Andrew Reschovsky will discuss whether the act is an unfunded federal mandate, with specific attention to the law's effects in Texas. John Witte will explore issues of accountability and regulation.

The conference, The No Child Left Behind Act and the Federal Role in Education: Accountability and Equity in Americas Public Schools, is Feb. 2-4 in the Pyle Center. It is sponsored by the Department of Educational Policy Studies, and co-sponsored by the La Follette School of Public Affairs and the Department of Sociology.

It opens Wednesday, Feb. 2, with a 7 p.m. lecture by Kati Haycock, director of the Education Trust in Washington, D.C. She will address Achievement in America: The Need for a Strong Federal Role.

The conference continues at 8:45 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 3, with registration and continental breakfast at 8:45 a.m., followed by an examination of historical and contemporary perspectives. The morning speakers, all from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, are:

The afternoon session will look at politics and practices. The speakers, all from UW-Madison, are:

At 7 p.m., Elizabeth Burmaster, Wisconsin state superintendent of public instruction, will discuss "The New Wisconsin Promise: Closing the Achievement Gap by Doing What We Know is Best."

The morning of Friday, Feb. 4, features a session starting at 9:15 a.m. on debates and directions for the future. The speakers, all from UW-Madison unless otherwise noted, are:

The conference is free, and there is no advance registration. Information: (608) 265-5956.

Resources related to the No Child Left Behind Act.

-- posted Dec. 28, 2004; updated Jan. 18, Jan. 23, 2005

Conference to examine taxing and spending limits in Wisconsin

Experts on local and state spending will gather Wednesday, Jan. 19, in Madison for Taxing and Spending Limits in Wisconsin," a conference sponsored by the Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs to consider alternative ways to limit public spending in Wisconsin and the consequences of doing so. Registration (with no lunch) is available at the door for $20.

For more information
The La Follette School's public service and outreach program has more information about the Taxing and Spending Limits in Wisconsin conference, and links to resources and news stories about proposals to limit government spending. Information: shelton@lafollette.wisc.edu.

Agenda

Conference speakers

The conference comes at a time when Wisconsin officials are debating the so-called Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) and other strategies to restrict government spending.

"This year will see a major public debate about taxing and spending in Wisconsin," says Donald Nichols, the La Follette School's director. The conference will provide policy-makers and the public with the facts for an informed debate and provide a framework for thinking about whether and how to change the levels of publicly provided services in Wisconsin.

The conference will open at 8:30 a.m. with a session that puts Wisconsin taxing and spending in perspective. Speakers include Nichols, who will compare Wisconsin spending and taxes to other states, and Audra Brennan, administrator of the state Department of Revenue's Research and Policy Division, will talk about the value to Wisconsin of the deductibility of state income and property taxes when computing federal taxes. Todd Berry, executive director of the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance, will be the discussant, and La Follette School outreach director Terry Shelton with moderate.

The second session will examine the consequences of spending limits for public services in Wisconsin. Speakers are James Knickman, vice president of research and evaluation for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; William Testa, vice president and director of regional programs in the research department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago; and Andrew Reschovsky, La Follette School professor of public affairs and applied economics. Knickman will discuss the growth in health-care costs. Testa will address taxes and economic development. Reschovsky will talk about constitutional limits on government revenue and spending. La Follette School professor Maria Cancian will moderate, and the audience will be able to ask questions.

Constitutional approaches to spending limits will be addressed in a luncheon speech by William Niskanen, chairman of the Cato Institute, a libertarian research center in Washington, D.C. La Follette School professor David Weimer will moderate.

Three speakers will explore ways to confront Wisconsin's budget problem in the afternoon session. Nichols will discuss property taxes. Thomas Hefty, an attorney with Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren SC, and former chair and chief executive officer of Cobalt Corp., and its subsidiary, Blue Cross and Blue Shield United of Wisconsin, will look at Medicaid in Wisconsin. Iris Lav, deputy director for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington, D.C., will discuss rainy day funds. Rick Chandler, former Wisconsin State Budget director and president of Chandler Consulting, will be the discussant. Karl Scholz, a professor with the UW-Madison Department of Economics, will moderate.

Information: shelton@lafollette.wisc.edu.

-- posted Dec. 20, 2004; revised Jan. 18, 2005

Professor elected to policy association's governing body

Geoffrey Wallace, assistant professor of economics and public affairs, has been elected to a four-year term, 2005-08, on the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management's Policy Council.

Wallace's research examines labor economics, the economics of marriage and the family, and policy issues relating to poverty.

The Policy Council is the board of directors for APPAM, which brings together policy practitioners and researchers to address substantive public policy problems. Wallace joins two other La Follette School faculty members on the council, Carolyn Heinrich and Maria Cancian, who serves as secretary. La Follette School professor David Weimer is APPAM president-elect.

-- posted Dec. 17, 2004

Professor discusses religion, science and public policy

Clark Miller, assistant professor of public affairs, talks with Science and Theology News about the relationships between science and public policy. He explains the importance of understanding "civic epistemology," which is how, Miller says, "knowledge gets produced and validated in civic life." Read more ...

-- posted Dec. 16, 2004

Course expands professional development opportunities for students

Professional development for first-year La Follette School students has been enhanced and formalized with the introduction of a required one-credit course.

First offered in fall 2004, the course gives students opportunities to improve their skills in writing, public speaking, interviewing, and using Excel and PowerPoint. The course brings policy practitioners to class to talk with students about their jobs, and how students should prepare for careers in the public, non-profit and private sectors.

The professional development series formalizes many of the services our students already were taking advantage of, says La Follette School Associate Director Melanie Manion.

Faculty and staff work with students to improve their résumés, job-application cover letters and professional writing skills. Individual interviews let Manion and career development coordinators Mary Woodward and Mara Warner learn about each student.

The fall practitioner series includes:

A team of students will organize eight speakers to present the spring practitioner perspectives series. The team members earn two credits to acknowledge their work and the educational experience. All La Follette School students can attend the presentations, and those who register earn one credit.

Board of Visitors hears from alum who served on 9/11 Commission staff

-- posted Dec. 3, 2004; updated Jan. 18, 2006

Judge's ruling on school finance draws on La Follette professor's research

A Texas judge finalized his order Nov. 30 giving the Legislature until the fall to devise a funding system that puts billions more dollars into education. His decree relied on analysis by La Follette School professor Andrew Reschovsky and Jennifer Imazeki, 2000 UW-Madison Ph.D. in economics. Based on their work, state District Judge John Dietz criticized Texas current, $30 billion-a-year education finance system. The system is unconstitutional, Dietz said, unconstitutional because it fails to provide a quality education.

Earlier this year, testimony Reschovsky played an important role in a major court ruling that found the Texas education funding system to be unconstitutional. A district court judge in Austin will issue an injunction to cut off all funding for schools on Oct. 1, 2005, unless the state Legislature fixes the finance system to meet constitutional standards. The plaintiffs (more than 50 school districts) asked Reschovsky and Imazeki to develop statistical estimates of the minimum amount of money that Texas school districts would need to meet the state's student accountability standards.

On the basis of our analysis, we concluded that several billion dollars of additional spending is needed, Reschovsky says. The attorney general has indicated that the state will appeal the ruling directly to the Texas Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, Reschovsky's paper "The Impact of State Government Fiscal Crises on Local Governments and Schools" appears in the spring 2004 issue of State and Local Government Review, while "Is No Child Left Behind  an Un (or Under) funded Federal Mandate? Evidence from Texas," co-authored with Imazeki, appears in the September 2004 National Tax Journal.

State to appeal school funding decree, Nov. 30, 2004, Dallas Morning News

-- posted Dec. 3, 2004; updated Dec. 21, 2004

Newsletter features No Child Left Behind paper

The Campaign for Fiscal Equity includes in its electronic newsletter a summary of a paper on the costs of the No Child Left Behind Act, which became federal law in 2002. La Follette School faculty member Andrew Reschovsky presented the paper at the Association for Public Policy and Analysis' fall conference.

Reschovsky presented "No Child Left Behind: An Un- (or Under-) Funded Federal Mandate? Evidence from Texas, Lessons for Maryland" at Johns Hopkins University on Nov. 8. The social policy seminar was sponsored by the Johns Hopkins University's Institute for Policy Studies, and the departments of Health Policy and Management, and Economics.

-- posted Nov. 24, 2004; revised Dec. 21, 2004

Professor Reschovsky presents on government spending limits

La Follette School faculty member Andrew Reschovsky gave a presentation in Manitowoc on Nov. 18, 2004, on the ramifications of the Taxpayers Bill of Rights, a proposed amendment to the Wisconsin constitution to limit state and local government spending and taxing authority.

The League of Women Voters of Manitowoc County, which sponsored the session, is making CDs and DVDs of the program available to the public through the Manitowoc/Calumet Library System. Audio and video reproductions of the program are available for checkout through system libraries. A transcript of Reschovsky's presentation slides is on the league's web site.

Lakeshore update: CDs, DVDs available on TABOR forum (scroll down), Jan. 13, 2005, Manitowoc Herald Times
Reschovsky's PowerPoint presentation
TABOR problems, merits discussed at open forum, Nov. 19, 2004, Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter
TABOR forum set for Nov. 18, Nov. 10, 2004, Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter

-- posted Nov. 22, 2004; revised Jan. 13, 2005

Professor Chinn to discuss global interest rates at Federal Reserve Bank in New York

Menzie Chinn, professor of economics and public affairs,  is presenting a paper on world interest rates at a Federal Reserve Bank of New York conference on financial globalization Dec. 2-3. Written with Jeffrey Frankel of Harvard University, the paper finds that despite European Monetary Union, U.S. interest rates still tend to drive European rates more than European rates influence U.S. rates. In addition, the expected increases in government debt will tend to raise long term interest rates over the next few years. The meeting, at the New York Fed, brings together researchers from academia, the International Monetary Fund, the Federal Reserve Board and the European Central Bank, who will evaluate the benefits and vulnerabilities arising from international capital mobility.

The paper, "The Euro Area and World Interest Rates," is available online.

-- posted Nov. 19, 2004

Professor Heinrich to share expertise at Argentina meeting

Carolyn Heinrich, associate professor of public affairs, is in Argentina for part of November to continue work on human capital development and anti-poverty programs. She also will conduct a workshop on program evaluation design for labor, education and social development ministers in Latin America. The workshop is part of a meeting of the Social Policy Monitoring Network, which aims to improve the ability of Latin American and Caribbean countries to evaluate the impact of social policies and to improve the design of social policies. The Nov. 22-23 meeting will focus on social welfare programs with emphasis on their labor market impacts. Heinrich and other evaluation experts will exchange ideas with program directors and policymakers from Latin America.

-- posted Nov. 16, 2004

Professor links popular vote to employment growth

Menzie Chinn, a professor of economics and public affairs, is one of several economists quoted in an Oct. 30  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article about the economy, jobs and the presidential contest.  "'I think the factor that really determines the popular vote is employment growth,'" Chinn said.

"Chinn points out that in only three months this year have more than 150,000 jobs been created. That is the number most economists think is needed to create openings for all the new workers entering the market.

"Given that (President) Bush presided over three large tax cuts that were meant to stimulate the economy, the good record on GDP is understandable, Chinn said. 'The mystery has been how little growth there has been, given how much stimulus has been pushed into the system.'"

Read the full article: Economy earns a passing grade; jobs are spottier

-- posted Nov. 4, 2004

Poverty expert Heinrich honored with national award

Carolyn Heinrich of the La Follette School has been recognized with a major award for her research that advances the empirical study of public management and performance evaluation, particularly as applied to social welfare and labor market policies.

APPAM elects Weimer
The Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management recognized another La Follette School faculty member at its national conference.

Professor David Weimer was elected the organizations president-elect. He is one of several La Follette School faculty members who provide leadership to the association, which brings together policy practitioners and researchers to address substantive public policy problems.

Maria Cancian is secretary. Carolyn Heinrich serves on the Policy Council, which is APPAMs board of directors. Barbara Wolfe, a La Follette School professor affiliated with IRP, is completing her term on the Policy Council.

Several University of Wisconsin-Madison alumni are among APPAMs leaders, including Rebecca Maynard of the University of Pennsylvania, who has been elected president.

Heinrich received the David N. Kershaw Award on Friday, Oct. 27, from the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management at its annual conference in Atlanta.

Heinrich is an associate professor with the Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs and associate director of research and training at the Institute for Research on Poverty. The $10,000 Kershaw award honors people younger than 40 who have made a distinguished contribution to public policy analysis and management.

Heinrich joined the La Follette School and IRP in 2003 as part of the Poverty Studies Cluster Hiring Initiative, which fosters interdisciplinary research through cross-departmental hiring. She is one of three new hires affiliated with IRP who are investigating poverty, its causes and consequences, and effective ways to address it.

"Carolyn builds on the La Follette School's tradition of being one of the top-ranked institutions for research and scholarship in public affairs," says Donald Nichols, La Follette School director.

Heinrich is also working with the state of Wisconsin on a child-support demonstration program, with the U.S. Department of Labor on its performance management system, and with the governments of Argentina and Brazil on their social and human capital development programs. She is a founding board member of the Public Management Research Association and the incoming editor of the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory.

Heinrich directs IRPs graduate research fellows program, which trains graduate students working on IRP projects.

Carolyn Heinrich has had an important impact on the fields of policy analysis and evaluation research, especially in advancing research in the public management and performance measurement area. Her contributions have brought new rigor and technical sophistication to an increasingly important area of policy research, Maria Cancian, IRP director and professor of social work and public affairs, and Robert Haveman, John Bascom Emeritus Professor of Economics and Public Affairs, wrote in their nomination letter.

-- posted Nov. 1, 2004
UW-Madison campus news story

Pulitzer-Prize-winning cartoonist meets with La Follette School students

Matt Davies, winner of the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning, is visiting with La Follette School students this week as a public affairs writer in residence.

The Pulitzer jury praised Davies' work for The Journal News in White Plains, N.Y., for "his piercing cartoons on an array of topics, drawn with a fresh, original style."

In addition to meeting with La Follette School students, he will speak to journalism and political science classes, and to art students and faculty, and to residents of the Chadbourne Residential College.

Tribune Media Services distributes Davies' cartoons worldwide. They appear regularly in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and USA Today.

He won the 2001 Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for a collection of cartoons and this year received the first Herblock Prize, named for the late legendary cartoonist Herbert Block.

The public affairs writer in residence program is sponsored by the La Follette School of Public Affairs School of Journalism and Mass Communication , and University Communications , with support from the UW Foundation.

-- posted Oct. 25, 2004

La Follette Board of Visitors, alumni convene in D.C..

The Board of Visitors for the La Follette School of Public Affairs and the Department of Political Science is meeting in Washington, D.C., Monday, Oct. 18.

The gathering, held in conjunction with the Wisconsin Alumni Association, includes dinner with D.C.-area alumni. The board and its guests will hear about the inside story on the presidential race presented by campaign advertising expert Kenneth Goldstein, a political science professor. Joining him will be Board of Visitor members Robert B. Barnett, class of 1968, an attorney and debate advisor for seven Democratic presidential and vice presidential candidates, including John Edwards; Rita Braver, class of 1970, a senior correspondent for CBS New Sunday Morning; Donald Nichols, director of the La Follette School; and Graham Wilson, chair of the Department of Political Science and a La Follette faculty member.

The Board of Visitors 26 members meet twice a year to discuss development and fund-raising; research; teaching; and job and internship placement for students and graduates. The board shares advice, ideas and contacts with La Follette School faculty and staff.

The board also will hear from College of Letters and Science Dean Gary Sandefur and La Follette School alum Dan Leopold, class of 2003, who was a staff assistant on the 9/11 Commission. Now an intelligence analyst at the Department of Homeland Security, Leopold interned at the State Departments Bureau of European and Regional Affairs, the Foreign Service Institute, and the Defense Departments Office of Public Affairs.

-- posted Oct. 16, 2004

Professor: President's tax, spending plans affect economy

Menzie Chinn, a professor of economics and public affairs, tells the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that, while whoever wins the presidential election wont have much ability to influence the short-term growth in a $11.7 trillion economy, his tax plans and spending priorities will definitely affect Americans, especially over the longer term.

"The macro policies implemented by administrations can have a big impact upon the economy, even if they cannot generally prevent recessions," Chinn says in the Oct. 12 issue.

Read the full article: Bush, Kerry differ in economic rhetoric

-- posted Oct. 13, 2004
 

Professor, state delegation exploring environmental regulation in Bavaria

Graham Wilson, a professor with the La Follette School of Public Affairs, is part of a delegation traveling in Bavaria, Germany, Oct. 10-15 to study public-private agreements regarding environmental regulation.

Traveling with representatives from Wisconsin industry, government and environmental organizations, Wilson will examine ways businesses and regulators have collaborated to further economic and environmental objectives. The goal is to find ideas to implement in Wisconsin under its Green Tier law that Governor Jim Doyle signed into law on April 16, 2004.

Green Tier seeks to achieve environmental and economic gain by allowing responsible companies to improve their environmental performance while boosting productivity and cutting costs. Wilson is beginning a three-year study of innovative and entrepreneurial forms of environmental governance that engage all parts of civil society in protecting the environment, not just government regulators and targeted businesses.

Wisconsins Green Tier law is based on policy established in the German Free State of Bavaria, a world leader in identifying and implementing innovative public-private agreements. The Wisconsin delegates will explore how and why Bavarian businesses and regulators work together to further economic and environmental goals. Bavarias policies and practices take the long view in cooperatively promoting environmental excellence, economic growth and healthy communities.

The group will focus on three areas: green development in housing and land development; linear infrastructure, including highways, electrical transmission lines, fiber optic systems; and printing. In addition to delegates from these industries, the Wisconsin group includes representatives of three environmental organizations, and state and county governments.

The delegations progress can be tracked at the Wisconsin Green Tier Bavaria 2004 web site, which offers a virtual tour of Bavaria and shows how the region is promoting a healthy environment and growing economy. The site includes videos, the trips itinerary, and e-mail links for communicating with the delegations leaders.

Jan. 31 conference to examine Wisconsin, international environmental regulatory innovations

Wisconsin Environmental Initiatives executive director describes the trip

State senator to lead tour

-- posted Oct. 8, 2004

Alum describes work as fiscal analyst for Arizona legislative panel

Tim Sweeney, who graduated from the La Follette School of Public Affairs in 2001, talked with La Follette students on Oct. 1 about his work as a fiscal analyst for Arizona's Joint Legislative Budget Committee. Most of Sweeney's analysis work is related to Medicaid and health policy. Sweeney said he enjoyed the culture of his office, which is home to many younger analysts who have lots of responsibility. Sweeney said his office would like to hire more La Follette School graduates -- one of his co-workers is Beth Kohler, a 2000 alum. Those interested should keep an eye on the budget committee's web site, or contact Sweeney, tsweeney@azleg.state.az.us.

-- posted Oct. 6, 2004

Miller to lead initiative to explore nanotechnology, society

Clark Miller, assistant professor with the La Follette School of Public Affairs, will lead a new $1.25 million interdisciplinary initiative exploring the social, economic, and political dimensions of nanotechnology emerging technologies that enable the control and manipulation of matter at molecular and quantum scales.

The funding is part of a new, five-year, $13.4 million Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center grant awarded by the National Science Foundation to establish a Center for Templated Synthesis and Assembly at the Nanoscale at UW-Madison.

This initiative demonstrates UW-Madisons commitment to playing a leadership role not only in scientific and technological research but also in promoting research and public engagement on the opportunities and challenges of moving science and technology out of the laboratory and into society, Miller says.

As it becomes an integral element in our daily lives, nanotechnology will create new means for people to act and interact with one another and with the world around us, Miller says. The results are likely to call into question notions of fundamental cultural importance, such as human agency, identity, rights, responsibilities, and values. Already, for example, the manufacture of nanoparticles has prompted complex regulatory dilemmas regarding the possibility of new threats to human health and environmental sustainability.

Working in partnership with the newly created Robert and Jean Holtz Center for Science and Technology Studies, Miller will lead a team of UW-Madison researchers in economics, sociology, history, bioethics, communication, public affairs, and engineering to explore these issues. The initiative also includes partners in the Program in Science, Technology, and Society at Harvard University, and in the James Martin Institute for Science and Civilization at Oxford University.

The findings and recommendations will be shared with leaders in business, policy, and civil society, notes Miller, who adds that he sees the project as a model for bridging the natural and social sciences in other areas of research on campus and at other universities.

As we enter the 21st century, modern societies face hard choices about how to construct their technological futures, Miller says. I believe universities have the capacity and the responsibility to help people make those choices wisely.

-- posted Sept. 22, 2004

Conference examines charter schools in Wisconsin

Charter schools in Wisconsin were the topic of a La Follette School conference in August 2004. Experts from around the state looked at the future of charter schools, their performance and the role of competition in education.

The conference was an outgrowth of a three-year study funded by the U.S. Department of Education. John Witte of La Follette led the study. Other UW-Madison speakers were David Weimer, professor of political science and public affairs; and Paul Schlomer, research assistant, politcial science. Participating experts hailed from Milwaukee, Stevens Point, Eau Claire, Appleton and Oshkosh.

-- posted Sept. 16, 2004

Professors head to Paris OECD conferences

La Follette professors will call Paris home for several days in June when they speak at conferences for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Professor Andrew Reschovsky organized and will be a keynote speaker June 1 at a workshop called: The Fiscal Challenges of Metropolitan Areas: The Perspective of the Central Government.  Besides the keynote, Reschovsky will speak on The Role of Central Government in Alleviating Poverty and Urban Distress in Metropolitan Areas.

Joining Reschovsky will be scholars from Italy, Canada, Switzerland, Japan and France.

Professor Menzie Chinn will be a presenter at a workshop called The Impact and Coherence of OECD Country Policies on Asian Developing Countries. Chinn will speak on Macroeconomic Management and Financial Stability. Joining him will be scholars from Japan, Australia, Amsterdam and other countries.

The OECD is a group of 30 member countries sharing a commitment to democratic government and the market economy. Its work covers economic and social issues and fosters good governance in the public service and corporate arenas. (www.oecd.org).

Nichols named Wisconsin Idea fellow

The UW Board of Regents has named Donald Nichols, director of the La Follette School, a 2004-2005 Wisconsin Idea fellow. Nichols is one of 100 faculty and staff members in the UW System who was honored for his extraordinary public service contributions, including outstanding service to local communities, research and outreach to businesses and nonprofits alike, and contributions through their fields of study to the quality of life and the economy of Wisconsin. Nichols, an award-winning teacher, plays a prominent role in public affairs, both nationally and in the state of Wisconsin. He is an expert in macroeconomic theory and policy and regional economic policy. He serves on the board of the Thompson Plumb Fund.

Professor named as editor of prestigious journal

Castles are not the usual spot for a press conference.

But that is what happened in early May, when Carolyn Heinrich was named editor of the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory (Journal website). Heinrich was at a conference at Cardiff University in Wales, when the announcement was made in the Council Chamber of the 16th century Cardiff Castle.

Heinrich had been there to present two papers and moderate a third panel at the conference entitled: "Determinants of Performance in Public Organizations."

The Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory was established in the late 1980s to serve as a bridge between public administration or public management scholarship on the one hand and public policy studies on the other. Its multidisciplinary aim is to embrace the organizational, administrative, and policy sciences as they apply to government and governance.

The Journal is committed to theoretical and empirical scholarship and serves as an outlet for the best theoretical and research work in the field. It works to further the application of vigorous empirical testing of theoretical questions and the theoretical questioning of research findings and seeks to focus theory through research. It seeks the development of relevant theory and aims to be theoretically inclusive.

The Journal takes methodology seriously and accepts the full range of empirical methods practiced in the social sciences including field-based observation, "thick description," case analysis, surveys, experimentation, historical analysis, economic analysis, and policy analysis.

The Journal also publishes research synthesis, bringing together and summarizing a field or body of research, particularly where this identifies gaps in our knowledge, points out theoretical issues or problems, or provides a framework for future research.

The Journals scope includes the following areas: bureaucracies, decision theory, public choice theory, population ecology, social equity, power, group theory, motivation, garbage can theories, legitimacy, citizenship, contingency theory, action theory, systems theory, productivity, implementation, role theory, communication, management or administration, representation, federalism, legislative-administrative relations, ethics, comparative administration, public administration and culture, elected executive-administrative relations, professionalism, theories of the state, and development administration.

Professor heads to Wales conference

CLRGR LogoAssociate Professor Carolyn Heinrich will give two papers this month at a conference at Cardiff University in Wales. One will be on "How Does Governance Influence Substance Abuse Treatment Strategies? State Policies and Naltrexone Adoption" (Click to open PDF document).

The other is "Privatization and Performance-based Contracting in Public Welfare Programs: The challenge of promoting accountable administration" (Click to open PDF document).

In addition, she will moderate a panel on Measuring and Modeling Performance.

The conference is sponsored by the Centre for Local and Regional Government Research (CLRGR) at Cardiff University, which describes itself as a unique Centre of Excellence in local government research, placed at the forefront of developments at local, national and international level, with particular focus on the local government modernization agenda and implementation and evaluation of performance management regimes such as Best Value.

The Centre is located in the Cardiff Business School (one of the largest and most successful Business Schools in Britain) and the Department of City and Regional Planning (the UK's leading planning department). It is a leading centre for academic research on UK local government and is closely involved in current policy developments at local and national levels.

Staff have strong links to senior policy makers at the very highest levels in the local government community and in central government, and are actively engaged in research on many of the core themes of current attempts to modernise and improve local government and public services.

The Centre's current work is focused in particular on the regulation and improvement of public services - it is for example leading the evaluation of the long-term impact of Best Value commissioned by the Department of the Environment, Transport and Regions. In addition it also has strong research interests and expertise in community planning, new political managements structures, and strategic and human resource management.

Heinrichs research focuses on social welfare policy, public management, and econometric methods to evaluate social programs. She is currently working with the U.S. Department of Labor on its performance management system and with the governments of Argentina and Brazil on their social and human capital development programs. Other ongoing projects include an investigation of policy factors that support effective provision of substance abuse treatment services and a study of labor market intermediaries and labor market outcomes for low-skilled and disadvantaged workers.

The Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR):
A Solution to Wisconsins Fiscal Problems
or a Prescription for Future Fiscal Crises?

Some 17 states have TABOR-type policies. Should Wisconsin? In a paper prepared for the Wisconsin Tax Policy Colloquium at Marquette University School of Law, Professor Andrew Reschovsky argues that there is little doubt that over time TABOR would result in big reductions in programs that help the states most vulnerable citizens, result in serious downsizing of the University of Wisconsin System, seriously reduce the ability of the public schools to provide a quality education for our children, and risk substantial damage to our environment. And there is little question that these reductions in government services would in the long run do serious harm to the states economy and jeopardize the future prosperity of its citizens.
View Full Report (Requires free Adobe PDF Reader)

Student letter published in Washington Post

First-year student Sam Wayne had a letter published on April 29 in the Washington Post. The text follows:

F/A-22 Economics

Jeff Joseph, an aeronautical engineer at Lockheed Martin Corp., invoked faulty economics in his April 12 letter about George C. Wilson's April 5 op-ed on the utter indulgence of the F/A-22 fighter. Mr. Joseph said that if the program were canceled, $40 billion of taxpayer money would go "down the drain."

Anyone who has taken a microeconomics course should know that this would qualify as a sunk cost. The question is not how much money already has been put in the program, but whether the end product is worth the money not yet spent.

Further, as our defense priority has shifted from large-scale ground, sea and air warfare to the more nebulous enemy of terrorism, superiority is defined by intelligence coordination and troop preparation rather than bigger, stronger and faster machinery.

SAMUEL WAYNE--Madison, Wis.
Link to Article

Currencies in Crisis: Managing Your Financial Risk

Interested in ways to help shape business strategy amid volatile currency fluctuations? Want to learn about corporate examples of currency management styles, implementation of strategies, risk assessment and benchmarking? Then you'll want to attend a conference where experts from the La Follette School and other academic communities address these and related issues.
Click here for full information.

La Follette Ranked in Top 10 Percent

The La Follette School remained one of the nation's top public policy schools in a survey released April 2 by US News&World Report magazine. In the ranking of 253 schools by deans and directors of programs, La Follette scored a 3.7 out of 5, earning it the 17th highest score and tying it with Georgetown University, New York University and the University of Chicago. Of Midwestern colleges, only the University of Michigan and University of Indiana-Bloomington were rated higher.

The survey is conducted every two years by US News& World Report, which asks policy school deans and directors to rate schools on a scale of 1 to 5 (highest) for 10 academic areas: city management, criminal justice policy management, environmental policy management, health policy and management, information and technology management, nonprofit management, public finance and budgeting, public management and administration, public policy analysis and social policy.

Some 57 percent of those surveyed responded, according to the study done by an independent firm known as Synovate. (More at www.usnews.com)

Donald Nichols, director of La Follette, said the rankings are just one mark to judge a school.

"These scores don't tell the whole story of any public policy school," said Nichols. "It is the quality of the teaching, the breadth and depth of the research, the accomplishments of the alumni, the impact of the school on the nation and the world that tell the true story of a school's reach.
In that case, the La Follette School ranks right at the top, a major accomplishment for just 20 years of existence."

The La Follette School was founded by the Wisconsin Legislature in 1984 to provide teaching, research and outreach in public policy and public administration. It replaced the Center for Public Administration, founded in 1969. Since its founding, the school has graduated about 1,000 students from the two-year program that offers masters degrees in public administration (MPA) and international public administration (MIPA).

Nichols said the international program, only two years old and not evaluated in the U.S. News survey, is reaping huge benefits in the type of student recruited and the scholarship produced by faculty. "I expect we will see even more growth in that program as it becomes established and known around the country," he said.

Full Story of UW Graduate School Rankings

Diamond to shine as Writer in Residence

John Diamond has been chosen as the Public Affairs Writer in Residence for the La Follette School for the week of April 25. He will meet with La Follette faculty and students, as well as journalism faculty and students, in their classes and in small groups to talk about his work.

Diamond covers U.S. intelligence and other national security matters for USA Today. Diamond works out of the newspaper's Washington bureau at 1100 New York Ave. Diamond joined USA Today in May 2002. The main focus of his work has been the war on terrorism and the possibility of war against Iraq. Diamond has written about U.S. intelligence efforts to develop evidence against Saddam Hussein's regime, the hunt for al-Qaeda leaders and the post-Sept. 11 inquiry into "intelligence failures" prior to the attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

From 1999 until he joined USA Today, Diamond covered the State Department for the Chicago Tribune where his assignments included coverage of the Mideast peace process and the Camp David summit. Diamond has been covering defense and national security news in Washington since 1993. From that year until 1999, when he went to the Tribune, Diamond covered the Pentagon and U.S. intelligence for The Associated Press. His journalism career began at The Patriot Ledger of Quincy, Mass., in 1981 and included coverage of local and statewide politics. Diamond joined AP in Boston in 1987 and headed up the organization's Statehouse bureau, covering Gov. Michael Dukakis' presidential bid. He came to Washington in 1989 as AP's New England regional reporter.

Born in Cambridge, Mass., in 1959, Diamond grew up in Reading, Mass., and graduated with high honors with a degree in history from the University of Virginia in 1981. In 1997 Diamond earned his Master's Degree from Georgetown University's National Security Studies Program, a branch of the university's School of Foreign Service. Diamond has published work in scholarly journals on U.S. satellite intelligence. He lives in Washington, D.C.

Diamond's front recent page take-out on WMD

An analysis of George Tenet's speech from February

Kettl report gives Homeland Security mixed grades

Washington, D.C. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has had mixed results in its first year of operation, according to a new report from The Century Foundation. The report is based on the research of five prominent experts, who gave the agency an overall grade of C+ for its early performance.

The creation of the Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003, was the most significant reorganization of the federal government in more than fifty years in terms of sheer numbers. It brought together twenty-two federal agencies and more than 170,000 employees. The scale and complexity of the job make it the most challenging reorganization ever attempted in America.

The report reveals the DHS met those challenges exceptionally well in some areas. However, it also points out that the areas needing the most improvement deal with the very coordination problems that the department was created to solve. (See full account)

Student paper chosen for Chicago conference

A paper by La Follette student Kristine Berg on Chicago public housing will be featured this spring at a conference sponsored by the University of Chicago and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

Berg, who will graduate in May, submitted a paper she wrote for PA855 entitled Implementing Chicagos Plan to Transform Public Housing (click to download PDF document).  Her paper was accepted for a panel called: The Transformation of Public Housing in Chicago. Presenters from Northwestern University and the University of Illinois at Chicago will join her.

The entire conference, which runs from May 12-13, is entitled: The Changing Face of Metropolitan Chicago.

Berg, of Neenah, Wisconsin, said she chose this topic because the housing authoritys plan is a huge social experiment that is bound to have a significant effect on the displaced public housing families. So far, the evaluations haven't been too promising. As someone who is training to be a public manager, I was interested in learning how the Housing Authority could improve the implementation of the plan.

Berg said the study offered some analytical challenges.

The federal government, the mayor, non-profit service agencies, public opinion, and the residents all shape the Housing Authority's options, she said. In this volatile environment, it was challenging sorting out what strategies would be politically and financially feasible.

Presidential Primary Focuses Spotlight on La Follette Faculty

The eyes and ears of the nation and the world turned to La Follette faculty members to assess the importance of the Wisconsin primary and the cachet of the Dairyland voters. Professors Dennis Dresang and Donald Kettl alone handled dozens of interviews with media outlets, including The Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, CBS News and even a live television feed to London on election night with the British Broadcasting Corp. They also were quoted or interviewed in dozens of regional and local radio shows, television newscasts and newspaper articles.

Professor Reschovsky: Massachusetts faces fiscal crisis

Professor Andrew Reschovsky argues in an op-ed piece for the Boston Globe that Massachusetts must stop cutting funds for public schools -- or risk turning a short-term fiscal crisis into a long-term erosion of the state economy.  (Full Article)

 

Across the Nation

Professor Andrew Reschovsky's studies are cited in Education Week's examination of the nation's school financing problems. "From fiscal 2002 to fiscal 2004, Mr. Reschovsky estimates, 35 states have failed to give schools increases that kept up with enrollment increases and inflation..." (Full Article*) (Full Study)
*Free registration required 

La Follette International Reputation Soars

It hasnt happened before, it wont last long, and it wont happen again.

That is how Don Nichols, director of the La Follette School of Public Affairs, describes the academic coup of housing the top two international journals in the fields of public policy and economics.

Professor Graham Wilson is co-editor of Governance, An International Journal of Policy, Administration and Institutions. Professor Charles Engel is co-editor of the Journal of International Economics.

Professor Wilson learned this week that Governance ranks first out of 24 journals as the most frequently cited journal in the field of public administration, based on Thomson ISI, which has helped provide information access to scholars and researchers worldwide for almost 50 years. Based on citation analysis, ISI can say reliably what is the hottest journal with the highest impact in any particular field. Right now, that is Governance in public administration.

Nichols said the presence of the two journals reflects the reputation of the outstanding faculty who teach in the schools fledgling Masters in International Public Administration (MIPA) degree.

Though our international program is brand new, our strategy is a good one, said Nichols, explaining that La Follette houses faculty who share appointments in many of the highly ranked social science disciplines on campus.

We are already a high quality program with some of the best faculty in the field, said Nichols. But hiring faculty jointly between La Follette and other departments makes us even stronger.

About Governance:  Governance is published under the auspices of the International Political Science Association Research Committee on the Structure and Organization of Government. Governance is an international journal devoted to the study of executive politics, public policy, administration and the organization of the state. The editors are Graham Wilson at UW-Madison La Follette School, where the editorial offices are housed, and Bert Rockman at Ohio State Universitys School of Public Policy and Management. (About Professor Wilson)

About the Journal of International Economics: The Journal of International Economics is intended to serve as the primary outlet for theoretical and empirical research in all areas of international economics. These include: trade patterns, commercial policy, international institutions, exchange rates, open economy macroeconomics, international finance and international factor mobility. ( About Professor Engel)

La Follette Assistant Professor Clark Miller Awarded $400,000 NSF Grant

La Follette Assistant Professor Clark Miller and his colleagues at Harvard University have been awarded a $400,000 National Science Foundation grant to study the globalization of environmental policy.  They will examine how the public and private sectors, civil society, and scientific communities are adapting to new global-policy initiatives.

NPR (National Public Radio) recently featured the grant on their news program. (NPR Audio Clip) (Full Release)

CBS Correspondent Rita Braver Joins Board of Visitors

CBS News correspondent Rita Braver has joined the Board of Visitors for the La Follette School and Political Science Department. She will join the 24 other alumni who will meet on campus next March to advise on development, research, teaching and student affairs. (Braver Biography) (Board of Visitors)

Former Commission Chairs Don Kettl, Tim Sheehy to Co-Host Local Government Summit

At a signing ceremony for legislation to help reduce the costs of local government, Governor Jim Doyle announced today that he will convene a Local Government Summit on Wednesday, December 10, 2003 to focus on innovative ways to hold the line on property taxes and help local governments become more efficient. Don Kettl and Tim Sheehy, past local government task force chairs, will co-host the Summit, which will be held at UW-Milwaukee's Student Union, 2200 East Kenwood Boulevard at 10:00 a.m. (Full Release)

Jody Kusek of the World Bank Speaks to La Follette Students About Her Work in Sub-Saharan Africa

On Monday, November 3, Jody Kusek, an advisor at the World Bank's Africa Region in Washington, DC, spoke with La Follette School students and answered questions about her work helping Sub Saharan African countries design results-based management systems to better monitor and manage their development goals. Her work also strengthens efforts by World Bank project teams to design systems assessing the effectiveness of World Bank aid programs in Africa.

Jody Kusek recently served as Senior Evaluation Officer at the World Bank, helping build results-monitoring and evaluation systems in Kyrgystan, Romania, and Albania. Prior to joining the World Bank, she served as Advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Energy, advising on new management reforms. She has also served as Director of Strategic Planning and Performance Management with the U.S. Department of the Interior. Kusek has published numerous articles and book chapters on project management in development countries.

Donald Kettl Receives Prestigious Book Award

La Follette Professor Donald Kettl's book, The Transformation of Governance: Public Administration for the 21st Century, has received the National Academy of Public Administration's 2003 Louis Brownlow Award for the best book in the field. The award will be given at the Academy's fall meeting in November. (Full Release)

Eric Tempelis, La Follette Student, Cited in a July 18 General Accounting Office Report: Trends in State Capital Investment in Highways.

"Amid projections that freight traffic will increase 65 percent by 2020 and that traffic congestion will worsen, many transportation officials are concerned about the challenge of maintaining and improving the condition and performance of the nations highway infrastructure..." (Full Report)

Carolyn Heinrich is 2003 Grant Award Winner of the IBM Center for the Business of Government

Professor Heinrich has been working with the U.S. Department of Labor since the beginning of the year to analyze performance data from States' implementation of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). Her research project is producing information on the implications of new design features of the WIA performance management system that will help to inform and guide the WIA reauthorization debates and decisions that are presently underway. Heinrich will be presenting the findings of her research in Washington, DC in October.

Edward Fouhy Selected as La Follette Political Writer in Residence, Fall 2003

Ed Fouhy is the executive director of the Pew Center on the States, an Internet-based research and information service established to report on innovative public policy issues at the state level. Fouhy previously was founder and, for five years, executive director of the Pew Center for Civic Journalism. (Read More)

NATO Political Affairs Expert Comes Back To La Follette

Daniel Speckhard, Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, shakes hands with his former economics professor, Donald Nichols, who is Director of La Follette School of Public Affairs. A La Follette alumnus, he gave a presentation to the public at the State Historical Society on August 25 and participated in La Follette Orientation events.

Robert Haveman, Fulbright Distinguished Siena Chair in Economics

La Follette Professor Emeritus Robert Haveman held the Fulbright Distinguished Siena Chair in Economics, which took him to Siena, Italy from March 15th to June 15th. While there he pursued his research, taught a mini-course to PhD students and lectured at several places in Europe.

He was also a Visiting Professor for two weeks at the University of Bristol (UK), where he gave two seminar/lectures, including one at the London School of Economics.

Early Retirement May Increase Risk of Old-Age Poverty

Professors Robert Haveman, Karen Holden, and Barbara Wolfe of the La Follette School and Kathryn Wilson of Kent State University studied financial outcomes for a sample of 6,200 men and women who began receiving benefits from Social Security in 1980-81 and were re-interviewed ten years later. During the decade following retirement, the early retirees were more likely to have incomes below poverty, and the gap between early and late retirees grew...(Full Release)

Donald Kettl - A Breath of Fresh Air

Professor Donald Kettl chaired a panel of the National Academy of Public Administration in authoring a report on reviving the New Source Review program under the Clean Air Act. (Summary Report) (Full Report)

He also recently wrote an editorial in the Philadelphia Inquirer, titled "Wheeze and Bear It," on the subject of Bush Administration air policies.  (View Editorial)

Kettl will also co-chair the 2005 American Society for Public Administration conference.