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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:
April 2, 2008

© 2006 Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System

La Follette School News

 

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Students to meet with political web editor

Jim VandeHei, executive editor of the new Washington, D.C. Web site ThePolitico.com will visit with La Follette School students and faculty as the spring public affairs writer in residence during the week of April 8.

VandeHei recently left the Washington Post, where he had been national political reporter, to help run the much-anticipated Internet venture in national political news, ThePolitico.com, which debuted in late January.

His decision to leave the Post and help start the Web site, along with Post colleague James Harris, jolted mainstream Washington media. The American Journalism Review called the loss of VandeHei and Harris to ThePolitico.com “a crushing loss" for the Washington Post and “a dramatic manifestation of the ongoing shift from old media to new."

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

Cutting-edge political Web site editor, CNBC business newsman to visit campus, UW-Madison news, March 26, 2007

posted March 29, 2007

 

Reschovsky to present at Urban Institute

La Follette School professor Andrew Reschovsky presents March 30 at the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C.. He will speak on Property Tax Responses to State Aid Cuts in the Recent Fiscal Crisis.

His presentation is part of a conference hosted by the Urban Institute-Brookings Institution Tax Policy Center and the Kellogg School of Management and the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University and sponsored by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. The conference is called “State and Local Finances after the Storm: Is Smooth Sailing Ahead?"

posted March 29, 2007

 

Professor, students to work with high school students, state Senate

La Follette School professor Dennis Dresang and graduate students will be meeting with a series of high school students spending a week in Madison through the Senate Scholars program the Wisconsin Senate is offering for the second year.

Dresang and the La Follette School Outreach Office helped the Wisconsin Senate Chief Clerk's office organize the program, which brings high school students from around Wisconsin to spend a week learning more about how their states government works. Each scholar receives a hands-on, up-close view of the Legislatures role in democracy and gains experience working with senators and legislative staff in policy development, constituent relations and the legislative process.

Three groups, each with about 15 students, will spend a week in Madison starting the week of April 15. Each Tuesday, Dresang will talk with them at Memorial Union about Wisconsins progressive tradition. On each Thursday night, the high schoolers will work with La Follette School students in talking about their Scholars project. Last years groups had to debate whether people younger than 18 should be allowed to get tattoos.

“Terry Shelton, the outreach director at La Follette, has done an excellent job at organizing and facilitating this program to help ensure that these high school students from around the state deepen their understanding of their state's government while having fun," Dresang says.

Information: shelton@lafollette.wisc.edu.

posted March 28, 2007; updated March 29, 2007

 

Prospective students take a look at La Follette School

Prospective students admitted to the La Follette School for fall 2007 heard from La Follette faculty and current students about internships, curricular focus fields and the link between education and the practice of public affairs at the La Follette School's open house March 15-16.

“Prospective students who visit us gain a good sense of what their two years at La Follette can be like,” says Student Services Coordinator Mary Treleven, who helped organize the event. “They see firsthand how accessible faculty and staff are at the La Follette School, plus they learn more about the resources at a world-class research university like the University of Wisconsin-Madison.”

“The open house showed the many ways that the La Follette School program works with local, state, federal and international agencies to bring practical experiences and projects into the domestic and international public affairs courses,” says Associate Director Karen Holden. “This emphasis assures that students make contacts, develop expertise and practice public policy with real-world clients well before they enter the job market.”

The Open House introduces prospective students to faculty, students, student services staff, career development staff and the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus on the shores of Lake Mendota. Prospective students learned about how the domestic and international public affairs degree programs can help them make contacts, develop expertise and practice public policy with real-world clients.

Prospective students came from Wisconsin, California, Washington, Iowa, New York, Virginia, Kansas, Indiana, Colorado and Minnesota. “About one-third of all admitted students visited, a percentage that pleased the staff and faculty, who worked hard on organizing the event,” Holden says. “Many of the master of international public affairs applicants live or are working abroad. Applicants currently in school sometimes have difficulty scheduling two days away from their studies. All in all, our staff did a great job balancing people's interests and schedules.”

Break-out sessions with faculty and current students gave the 34 admitted prospective students the chance to ask questions about focus fields and how to use electives to create a program that best meets each student's academic and professional interests.

Focus fields covered included social and poverty policy, international trade and finance, environmental issues, international development, health policy, public management and budgeting, policy analysis, and education, state and local finance.

“The break-out sessions gave prospective students a great opportunity to ask questions specific to their academic interests and to hear from faculty and students about how to focus their interests," says professor Menzie Chinn, who coordinates the international trade and finance focus field. He will be associate director when the new class begins at La Follette. “The faculty in return got a good feeling for the interests and concerns of the incoming students.”

A career panel for current and prospective students brought four guests to campus, two of them La Follette alumni. They shared advice about how to prepare and be successful as public policy professionals in the private and public sectors. William Bettenberg, former director of the Minerals Management Service in the U.S. Department of the Interior, talked about his years of work on environmental, energy and other issues. Renee Moe, a vice president with United Way of Dane County in Madison, described her career in nonprofit work and spoke about United Ways objectives in education, health care, housing, and service to older adults and people with disabilities.

Shisir Khanal, who graduated in 2005 with a master of international public affairs degree, talked about his position as managing director of Sarvodaya USA, which supports Sarvodaya, Sri Lankas largest charity. He described how the “too many choices” at La Follette made it difficult for him to decide until near the end of his program exactly what to focus on. “That inspired me to find a job in which I could work without having a focus and continue my indecisiveness,” Khanal says. As the only full-time paid employee of Sarvodaya USA, which is based in Madison, Khanal manages the full range of non-profit work from planning, preparing reports and writing grant applications to writing newsletters, responding to donors and maintaining databases. He has traveled to Sri Lanka to work with Sarvodayas leadership and visit the organizations many community development projects.

Work at the federal and state levels of government were the subject of Sam Harshner's witty but informative comments. Now a budget examiner with the Wisconsin Department of Administration, he interned at the Office of Budget, Technology and Finance in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and became a program analyst there following completion of his master of public affairs degree in 2002.  He spoke about the difference between working in federal and state agencies, and the value of moving between levels of government. He now oversees the budget of the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, and analyzes new social welfare and workforce development related legislation for the governor's office.

On-the-job training through internships, class projects, and the capstone workshop projects in the final semester are a large and important component of the two years students spend at La Follette, current students said at a panel discussion. The smaller sized La Follette program makes it possible for every student to have the capstone experience, working with an agency and its staff on an agency-defined policy issue and at the end presenting to high level personnel. Students and the associate director describe summer internships that took students to Washington, D.C., elsewhere in the nation, and with agencies around the world, drawing on the resources of La Follettes Career Development Office.

As for current students, those in their second year are halfway through preparing their capstone workshop reports for clients that include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Wisconsin Department of Revenue and the City of Milwaukees budget office. The group projects are the thesis equivalents for the master of public affairs and master of international public affairs degrees.

The students work closely together in teams to produce carefully crafted reports that meet high professional and academic standards, Holden says. ”We hear from alumni about how projects like these and the experience of working in teams on tight deadlines were great training for their jobs.”

Panelist Tommy Winkler, a master of public affairs student, described his group's project for the U.S. Government Accountability Office. They are examining unemployment insurance and Social Security offsets. Patrick Mueller, a joint law-public affairs student, touched on his team's analysis of alternatives to incarceration for the Wisconsin Legislative Council.

On the international side, second-year student Britta Johnson discussed her workshop project to developing a plan to promote sustainable development of the Barents Sea and Lofoten Region of Norway. “The project aims to take a systems approach in guiding a developing think tank in its efforts balance the emerging environmental, cultural, and economic pressures that are facing the Arctic today,” she says. “The report will recommend potential policy levers upon which the think tank can focus its efforts to best achieve its goals.”

Allison Quatrini, who is completing her master's degree in international public affairs, talked about her group's research on the economic, administrative and political feasibility of creating a mechanism by which firms in China can purchase tradable emission permits. Jeffrey Smoller, president of the Multi-State Working Group on Environmental Performance, requested the La Follette School, through its international workshop course, to prepare the analysis and recommendations.

Requests such as this are not uncommon.

“The work our students produce is of such high quality that many agencies come to us asking us to analyze policy issues,” says Holden. “The workshop reports are an important component of the La Follette Schools mission to serve the public, and to provide quality analysis and policy recommendations to policymakers.”

The open house ended with a student-only session where prospective students questioned current students about life and work at the La Follette School. After a long day, current and prospective students headed over to Holden's house for nibbles and conversation.

posted March 21, 2007; updated March 23, 2007, May 23, 2007, April 2, 2008

 

Public affairs, public health dual degree gets final OK

The La Follette Schools dual-degree program in public affairs and public health has received final approval from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Graduate School, and students can start enrolling this fall.

Health policy and public health-care management are very important components of public affairs, says La Follette School Director Barbara Wolfe. Understanding the relationships between public health, health policy and the allocation of public resources toward health is crucial.

The 55-credit dual degree will take two years, including two summers to complete. The student would graduate with two masters degrees, one in public health and one in public affairs. The MPH and the MPA alone are each 42 credits. The MPH is a professional degree within the Department of Health Sciences in the School of Medicine and Public Health.

The MPA-MPH dual degree is a logical extension of the La Follette School of Public Affairs national reputation in social policy, including health policy, La Follette Associate Director Karen Holden says. It also is consistent with the almost universal offerings of some combined training in the two fields at schools of public health and schools of public affairs around the nation.

The dual degree provides students with the credentialing degrees recognized in both fields, Holden adds. From the public affairs side, people working in public health need to know how issues related to health status and behavior affect the provision of health care. From the medical side, people need more information on management and analysis of health policy.

Applicants for the dual degree must apply to and be admitted to each program. The prerequisites for the master of public affairs include courses in American government, introductory statistics and microeconomics. The MPH requires one semester of science, including biology, nutritional science, chemistry or physics. It also requires one semester of college-level mathematics (such as algebra) or statistics. Some work in the field is recommended for admission to both programs, with public health experience recommended for candidates seeking to pursue the dual degree. This could include employment with social service agencies, public health departments or health-care organizations that focus on more than patient care.

Graduates of the dual-degree program will be well-suited for careers with state and federal health agencies, hospitals and nongovernmental organizations that focus on health policy research and management, as well as medical care institutions, including hospitals and large outpatient organizations, Wolfe says. Students graduating with these dual degrees will be prepared to conduct research and craft public policy that affects people of all ages, whether they create prenatal care programs or help to reshape Medicaid.

For information, contact Student Services Coordinator Mary Treleven, mtreleven@lafollette.wisc.edu, 262-3582.

posted March 21, 2007

 

Students' report for State Bar suggests more legal aid for domestic abuse victims

A study by La Follette School students requested by the State Bar of Wisconsin finds that a $1 million investment in providing victims of domestic abuse greater access to legal assistance would yield more than $9 million in net benefits.

One of few examinations of the costs and benefits of access to justice, the La Follette study is cited in the State Bar of Wisconsins Access to Justice Committees final report released March 9, 2007. The full La Follette study is included as an appendix in the State Bar report, Bridging the Justice Gap: Wisconsins Unmet Legal Needs.

The La Follette report, Increasing Access to Restraining Orders for Low-Income Victims of Domestic Violence: A Cost-Benefit Analysis of the Proposed Domestic Abuse Grant Program, recommends expanding the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services Domestic Abuse Grant Program. It suggests more funding for basic, legal and training services to increase the number of victims assisted and provide them services, plus improve training for judges, attorneys and advocates.

Obtaining a restraining order can be difficult, especially for low-income victims who cannot afford private legal assistance, says Christina Enders, one of the La Follette School students who worked on the study as part of a cost-benefit analysis class Professor David Weimer taught in fall 2006.

Her co-authors are Liz Elwart, Nina Emerson Carlson, Dani Fumia and Kevin Murphy. All are second-year master of public affairs students.

“If domestic abuse victims had better access to legal assistance, especially when obtaining restraining orders," Enders adds, “they would save on the costs of medical care, mental health care, property damage, lost productivity, and lost quality of life. All of our society would benefit as a result."

posted March 21, 2007

Reschovsky to explore tax policy, higher ed access

La Follette School professor Andrew Reschovsky will discuss “Increasing Access to Higher Education: the Role of Tax Policy" at the next La Follette School Seminar on Wednesday, March 28, from noon to 1 p.m. in the La Follette School conference room.

On Wednesday, April 11, Raj Shukla of The Climate Project will present the slideshow on global climate change popularized by former Vice President Al Gore's Oscar award-winning movie An Inconvenient Truth. Shukla is one of about 1,000 people Gore and a renowned team of scientists and environmental educators trained to give this slideshow presentation. He is also the husband of first-year La Follette student Tora Frank. 

This and the following seminars start at noon in the La Follette School conference room:

• Wednesday, April 25: Pamela Herd, La Follette School assistant professor.
• Thursday, April 26: La Follette School alum and University of Wisconsin - Madison educational policy assistant professor Doug Harris discusses his research on teacher quality.
• Wednesday, May 2: Jonathan Zeitlin, La Follette School professor, explores the emerging architecture of experimentalist governance in the European Union.

For information: shelton@lafollette.wisc.edu, 262-3038.

Flier on April 11 Climate Change Project presentation

posted March 20, 2007; updated March 21, 2007

 

Wisconsin immigration patterns opens seminar series for DOA staff

In response to a request from the Wisconsin Department of Administration, the La Follette School Outreach Office has organized a series of “stretching" seminars this spring.

The seminars, scheduled about every three weeks until June, will give members of the DOA's Division of Executive Budget and Finance background and context on a variety of issues the state faces. The series is called “Three Big Things."

“After months of number crunching to get the state budget in place, these folks are ready to get some other types of stimulation," said Terry Shelton, outreach director of the La Follette School and organizer of the series. “We hope this smattering of policy lectures infuses them with new enthusiasm and information for their work."

Working with Jennifer Krause, deputy administrator for the Division of Executive Budget and Finance, Shelton has organized sessions on immigration, nanotechnology, ag/environment, risk management and the state budget. A new round of topics, to be determined, will follow in the fall.

Topics vary according to speakers but each seminar involves 20 minutes of presentation on the “three big things" involved with each issue. Forty minutes of discussion then follow. These background briefings may apply directly or indirectly to topics with which the budget team must wrestle now or in the future.

The first session, included at least one La Follette School alum, Andy Miner, who graduated in 2006. He heard La Follette School professor Dennis Dresang give a presentation on Wisconsin immigration patterns on March 16.

Additional topics, speakers and dates for this spring are:

March 30 -- Getting Nano Right by Ken Gentry, lecturer in Biomedical Engineering
April 27 -- Wisconsin's Budget History by professor Jim Conant of George Mason University
May 18 -- Managing Risk Policy by Professor Vicki Bier of Industrial Engineering
June 1 -- Policy Evaluation from the Ag/Environmental Front by Michelle Miller, associate of Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems

For information, contact Shelton at shelton@lafollette.wisc.edu, 262-3038.

posted March 19, 2007

 

Health-policy collaboration to hold videoconference

The Evidence-Based Health Policy Project will hold a videoconference briefing for state policymakers on heath-care reform proposals for California and the nation on Monday, March 26.

Alan Weil from the National Academy for State Health Policy, Washington, D.C., will present information on  Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's Healthcare Reform Plan for California. Paul Fronstin from the Employee Benefit Research Institute will present on President Bush's Healthcare Reform Proposal. Time has been reserved after the presentations for discussion and questions.

The Evidence-Based Health Policy Project is a partnership among the University of Wisconsin - Madison's La Follette School of Public Affairs and the Population Health Institute, and the Wisconsin Legislative Council to bridge medicine and health policy, research and practice, and to link academic research in a meaningful way in service to government and the Wisconsin Legislature.

Information: segustafson@wisc.edu

posted March 19, 2007; updated March 22, 2007

 

La Follette economist anticipates recession

                

The U.S. economy is approaching the brink of recession and the stumbling housing market could drag it over the edge, UW-Madison emeritus economics professor Don Nichols said Friday during an economic outlook forum at the Fluno Center. But Nichols said he could not predict what will happen with housing during the rest of 2007. And because Wisconsin's economy is based more on the export of manufactured goods, the Badger State could have a “relatively good" year and even beat the national growth average if “the housing bust becomes huge," he said.

Economic Outlook for Late 2007: A Looming Recession?, March 16, 2007

UW-Madison prof says U.S. economy approaching brink of recession, WisBusiness.com, March 16, 2007

posted March 19, 2007; updates March 20, 2007

 

Workshop to explore European environmental solutions

Ways the United States and the European Union can find solutions to environmental problems and promote economic development will be explored in a daylong workshop on Tuesday, June 19, at Monona Terrace convention center in Madison.

Seven Europeans with expertise in creating and using new policies to meet 21st century environmental and economic challenges will be at Monona Terrace as part of a public international dialogue on ecological policy co-sponsored by the University of Wisconsin - Madisons La Follette School of Public Affairs, Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy, and European Union Center of Excellence.

The workshop, Innovative Environmental Governance and Regulation in the European Union: Any Lessons for U.S.?, will feature experts from business, government, non-government and academic sectors. Their topics include river protection, efficient permitting, product stewardship, chemical use and environmental-business cooperation.

“We will offer public officials, business persons and citizens access to policy experts and players they could never otherwise meet," says La Follette School professor Jonathan Zeitlin, director of the EUCE and WAGE. “The Wisconsin Idea is at work to help our citizens and leaders meet the environmental and economic challenges we face in each community and at every level."

“Communities and countries are looking to policy innovation to meet environmental challenges, remain economically competitive and live within tight government budgets," Zeitlin says.

“We made great environmental progress in the last 30 years, but new tools and new mixes of old tools are required for the next 30 years," he adds. “The European Union has become an international leader in developing innovative approaches to environmental governance and regulation, which are increasingly relevant to the U.S. and other world regions."

The program is for those who make, implement and are subject to policy. There will be ample time for questions and discussion. The topics and presenters for the workshop are as follows:

Policy Overview: Innovative Environmental Governance and Regulation
Ingmar von Homeyer, ECOLOGIC/Institute for International and European Environmental Policy, Brussels; and Joanne Scott, director of the Centre for Law and Governance in Europe, University College, London.

Environmental Innovation in Practice

1. River Basin Management and Good Water Status: Peter Kessler, former director general for water management, German State of Hessen, and senior advisor, ECOLOGIC.

2. Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control: Martin Bigg, head of industry regulation, United Kingdom Environmental Agency.
3. Integrated Product Policy: Klaus Koegler, head of sustainable production and consumption, European Commission.
4. Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH): Robert Donkers, counselor for environmental affairs, European Commission delegation, Washington, D.C.

Business and civil society perspectives
Raymond van Ermen, executive director, European Partners for the Environment; and Martina Bianchini, director of government affairs and public policy, Dow Chemical Europe.

A concluding roundtable will summarize the days messages.

The workshop, which runs 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on June 19, is part of the June 17-20 conference of the Multi-State Working Group on Environmental Performance. Online registration is $50 for the day, or the full MSWG conference fee. The session is limited to 150 people on a first-come, first-served basis to facilitate discussion. For information, contact Alison Alter, (608) 262-9774, abalter@wisc.edu.

La Follette School expands relationships with China, La Follette School news, Jan. 8, 2007

posted March 12, 2007; updated March 28, 2007, May 24, 2007

 

Speaker to address diversity of tribal membership

How tribal members view their tribal identity is the subject of a talk Monday, March 12, at 4 p.m. in room 6240 of the Sewell Social Science Building. Northern Arizona University assistant professor Elizabeth Arbuckle Wabindato will present at a special La Follette School Seminar.

Additional noon seminars on Wednesdays at the La Follette School include:

• March 14: Alasdair Roberts, associate professor at Syracuse Universitys Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Roberts addresses 9/11 and the Crisis of Authority in American Government, a preview of a book he is writing about the Bush administrations response to September 11, 2001. His research interests include public sector restructuring and transparency in government.
• March 28: Andrew Reschovsky, La Follette School professor, discusses the role of tax policy in increasing access to higher education.
• April 11: Jonathan Zeitlin, La Follette School professor, explores the emerging architecture of experimentalist governance in the European Union.
• April 25: Pamela Herd, La Follette School assistant professor.

 

For information:
shelton@lafollette.wisc.edu, 262-3038.

Elizabeth Arbuckle Wabindato CV

Wabindato's paper, Tribal Members: A Surprisingly Diverse Group

posted March 12, 2007

 

Prospective students to check out La Follette School

About 40 admitted prospective students from around the United States are expected to visit the La Follette School March 15 and 16 to get a taste of what a smaller program at a world-class research university can offer.

The Open House introduces prospective students to faculty, students, student services staff, career development staff and the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus on the shores of Lake Mendota.

Prospective students can learn about how the domestic and international public affairs degree programs can help them make contacts, develop expertise and practice public policy with real-world clients.

This incoming class will join our alumni around the world to become skilled policy analysts, innovative public managers and dynamic leaders in government, business and the nonprofit sector, says Associate Director Karen Holden. We are very pleased to have them visit and meet with our faculty, staff and students.

The visitors are from as far away as New York, Virginia, Kansas, Indiana, Colorado and Minnesota.

The first day is informal and enables admitted prospective students to meet with La Follette faculty and staff individually. They also can visit professor Joe Soss course PA 883 Politics of Poverty, Inequality, and Social Policy from 1:45 to 3:40 p.m. in Room 479 of Van Hise hall. the Sewell Social Science Building. Current La Follette students will give a campus tour, then host a reception in Room 8417 of the Sewell Social Science Building, followed by a career forum and then a get-together with the La Follette School Student Association at Memorial Union, starting at 6:30 p.m.

On the morning of Friday, March 16, at Memorial Union, Director Barbara Wolfe will welcome admitted prospective students. Holden will describe the two masters degree programs the school offers in domestic and international public affairs. Funding sources will be discussed, and current students will talk about their internship experiences and their final semester capstone projects.

After a buffet lunch, prospective students will be able to meet with faculty and current students in small groups based on prospective students' academic and professional interests.

hese two days of informal and formal activities will give prospective students a good feel for the intellectual and social life of the La Follette School, Holden says. We look forward to welcoming them.

Schedule of events for admitted prospective students

posted March 8, 2007

 

University honors La Follette TA, instructor for quality teaching

La Follette School teaching assistant Michael Malcolm has received the University of Wisconsin - Madison capstone Ph.D. teaching award.

Malcolm was the teaching assistant for the fall 2006 public affairs course 880: Microeconomic Policy Analysis, taught by professors Bob Haveman and Andrew Reschovsky.

Based on his outstanding performance as a TA for us, we asked him to teach PA 871: Public Program Evaluation in spring 2007, says Associate Director Karen Holden. While it is not our usual practice to ask a graduate student to teach a course, his work and evaluations in 880 were so good that we asked him to cover the course. This award confirms just how wise was our decision, giving students another semester with this excellent instructor.

The campus capstone Ph.D. teaching award recognizes teaching assistants from around the university for their outstanding work in the classroom throughout their University of Wisconsin - Madison tenure. The Graduate School funds the awards. The College of Letters and Science administers the awards through a committee of faculty and staff representatives from the schools and colleges that employ teaching assistants.

Malcolm was one of five winners from 20 nominees for the award. He is a Ph.D. student in economics in the process of completing his dissertation. He has accepted a tenure-track faculty position at another university.

“Teaching at La Follette has been an outstanding experience, Malcolm says. The students at La Follette are hard-workers, receptive and eager to learn.

On a personal level, he adds, teaching graduate courses at La Follette has provided tremendous opportunities for me to learn and to grow as an instructor."

posted March 8, 2007; updated March 12, 2007

 

University honors La Follette economist

La Follette School faculty member Charles Engel has been recognized by the University of Wisconsin-Madison for his research accomplishments.

An expert in international macroeconomics and international finance, Engel received one of six campus Kellett Mid-Career Award. He has edited the Journal of International Economics since 2001, and has served as a visiting scholar at the U.S. Federal Reserve Board, the International Monetary Fund and central banks in several countries.

The awards, each of which includes $60,000 in unrestricted research support, are conferred annually by a Graduate School faculty committee. The awards recognize the work of faculty five to 20 years beyond their first promotion to a tenured position. Supported by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, the awards are named for William R. Kellett, a former president of the WARF board of trustees and retired president of Kimberly-Clark Corp.

posted March 8, 2007

 

Alum to speak on tribal ownership of land, home ownership

La Follette School alum Becky Webster will be back on campus on Friday, March 9, to talk about the Oneida Nations efforts to regain ownership of its territory and to expand home ownership among tribal members, thanks in part to efforts of current La Follette student Dan Cornelius.

Cornelius helped to organize a forum on Friday as part of the Public Interest Law Foundation's Community Justice Week. He is a second-year student working on a dual degree in public affairs and law.

Webster is an Oneida tribal member and works for the Oneida Nation. Her work focuses on land issues, including land acquisition, title work, leases, mortgages, foreclosures, easement, fee-to-trust and jurisdictional issues between tribal and local governments. She graduated in 2003 with a dual degree in law and public affairs.

The forum will be in room 2260 of the Law School, beginning at 11 a.m. with a presentation by Jennifer Boll, in-house counsel for the Oneida Nation. She will detail the Oneida Nations efforts to block the deposition of PCB-laden sediment dredged from the Fox River Superfund cleanup into a reservation landfill behind the tribes main casino.

Webster will speak at 1 p.m. after an international lunch at noon in the Law School atrium. The event is sponsored by the Indigenous Law Students Association and the Environmental Law Society. For information, contact Cornelius at dcornelius@wisc.edu.

posted March 7, 2007

 

Merger of elections, ethics boards may harm election transparency, student suggests

The decision by the Wisconsin Legislature to merge the states ethics and elections boards into a single Government Accountability Board will hamper transparency of election administration, argues La Follette School student Julie K. Ruder in an editorial published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Ruder, who works for the state Elections Board, says the two boards have different missions that will be ill-served by merging the two units into one Government Accountability Board that handles election administration and campaign finance, plus oversight of lobbying, conduct standards for state and local officials, and the state ethics code.

It is doubtful that one part-time citizen board can keep up with the workload, overseeing all the concerns of voters, local government officials, candidates, legislators and constituents, Ruder writes. Something will fall to the side, and it is likely to be election administration: the importance of nomination reviews, approval of voting equipment, ensuring accessibility, reviewing election day procedures, etc.

The Legislature passed the measure to merge the two boards on January 30. Gov. Jim Doyle signed it into law on February 2.

Ruder is a first-year student working on a master of public affairs degree focusing on electoral policy and policy management and administration.

Elections, ethics board merger is not practical, February 3, 2007, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

posted March 7, 2007

 

Bobbin’ along plunges students into a chilly public affair

A team of La Follette School students and friends formed up as the Fightin’ Bobs and took a polar plunge February 17 to raise money for Special Olympics Wisconsin.

They wound up raising nearly twice their goal in pledges.

“As soon as I hit the water, I pretty much lost all feeling in my body," says first-year student Alexis MacDonald, “but it only took a second or two to start paddling toward shore. Almost as shocking as the cold was the muddiness and odoriferousness of the water."

 The team raised $2,545 in pledges, $480 of that from La Follette faculty, staff and students. This includes donations from professor Carolyn Heinrich, who pledged each plunger in her PA 819 Quantitative Methods class, and publications director Karen Faster, who gave $5 to every La Follette student on the team.

Channel3000.com interviewed members of the Bobs and the school of public affairs crowd garnered good coverage. They were among several hundred participants who gathered at Olin Turville Park in Madison.

“I've got cold feet," La Follette student Kate Nast told Channel3000.com as the team's jump time approached. “I got a lot of sleep last night. I've been drinking some hot chocolate and heating up in the warming tent, and now I'm just letting it all go."

Students to go jump in a lake for Special Olympics in February, Feb. 4, 2007, La Follette School news

posted Feb. 21, 2007

 

Symposium to link stem-cell research, public policy

Public policy issues related to stem-cell research will be the topic of a half-day symposium co-sponsored by the Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs and the WiCell Research Institute on the afternoon of Friday, March 2, 2007.

More than 100 people are expected to attend The Potential of Stem Cells: Public Policy Issues Beyond the Microscope symposium, which features presentations by several University of Wisconsin-Madison experts.

WiCell Director Carl Gulbrandsen will open the symposium with a brief history of stem-cell research at UW-Madison, and provide an overview of current patenting, licensing and regulatory issues.

The pioneering efforts of researchers at the University of Wisconsin have resulted in fascinating discoveries and advancements in human embryonic stem-cell research over the last decade, Gulbrandsen says. Understanding the legal, regulatory and legislative environment within which we work is key to our future progress.

Brad Barham and Jeremy Foltz of the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics will speak about patenting and licensing of scientific research by universities, while Pilar Ossorio and Alta Charo of the Law School will speak about bioethics, regulation and state policies related to stem-cell research. Stephen Maurer of the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley, will present on open-source biology.

This collaboration with WiCell will advance the public policy debate on stem-cell research, says Barbara (Bobbi) Wolfe, director of the La Follette School. Stem-cell research continues to be a prominent issue on the federal, state and local policy agendas. The questions that will be addressed are also important for many other scientific advances and will guide the role of universities for decades to come.

As a supporting organization of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the WiCell Research Institute is dedicated to expanding the frontiers of science and medicine by unlocking the potential of stem cells. WiCell conducts research, supports research at UW-Madison, hosts the National Stem Cell Bank, provides training for scientists, and offers educational outreach programs for K-12 students and the community.

The symposium will take place from 1-5 p.m. at the Fluno Center for Executive Education, 601 University Ave. The event is free and open to the public. For information or to reserve a seat, e-mail Alexis MacDonald of the La Follette School at acmacdonald@wisc.edu or call (608) 263-6041.

WisBusiness: Gulbrandsen says UW stem cell researchers more comfortable with current Legislature, March 4, 2007, Wisbusiness.com

Stem cells hot topic at UW, March 5, 2007, Badger Herald

Symposium to link stem cell research, public policy, Feb. 22, 2007, UW-Madison news service

UW-Madison: Symposium to Link Stem Cell Research, Public Policy, Feb. 22, 2007, Wisbusiness.com

posted Feb. 21, 2007; updated Feb. 22, Feb. 26, Feb. 27, 2007

 

Nonprofit employment estimates are topic of next seminar

“Distorted Measures of Employment in Charitable Organizations: Causes, Impact and Remedies" will be the subject of the Wednesday, March 7, La Follette School Seminar. Martin H. David, professor emeritus of economics, will discuss improving estimates of the number of workers employed by nonprofit organizations in the United States, from noon to 1 p.m. in the La Follette School conference room.

Additional noon seminars on Wednesdays at the La Follette School include:

• March 14: Alasdair Roberts, associate professor at Syracuse Universitys Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Roberts addresses 9/11 and the Crisis of Authority in American Government, a preview of a book he is writing about the Bush administrations response to September 11, 2001. His research interests include public sector restructuring and transparency in government.
• March 28: Andrew Reschovsky, La Follette School professor, discusses the role of tax policy in increasing access to higher education.
• April 11: Jonathan Zeitlin, La Follette School professor, explores the emerging architecture of experimentalist governance in the European Union.
• April 25: Pamela Herd, La Follette School assistant professor.

For information: shelton@lafollette.wisc.edu, 262-3038.

Seminar series resumes for spring semester, January 29, 2007, La Follette School News

posted Feb. 20, 2007

 

Faculty, student to share research on low-income student access to higher education

The controversial issues of access and success in higher education are closely watched and heatedly debated by taxpayers, policymakers, and campus communities, including the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

La Follette School faculty and a student will add to these conversations at a forum Friday, Feb. 23, that features innovative new research on the how and why behind the issues. Their research looks at factors that influence economic diversity at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and other major universities. The program will also showcase a new web site that demonstrates to potential students the personal financial benefits of earning a University of Wisconsin-Madison degree.

The forum, titled “Low-Income Student Access at UW-Madison and Beyond: Problems and Solutions," will be held Feb. 23 from 12:15 to 2:45 p.m. in room 8417 Sewell Social Sciences Building. Presentations include:

• “Introduction and Research Project Overview," Barbara Wolfe, director, La Follette School of Public Affairs.
• “Variation among Universities in Admitting and Graduating Low-Income Students," Patrizio Piraino, visiting scholar, Institute for Research on Poverty; and Matthew Steinberg, graduate assistant, La Follette School of Public Affairs. Respondent: Steven Schuetz, vice president for admission and financial aid, Ripon College.
• “The Expected Economic Returns of a UW-Madison Undergraduate Degree," Robert Haveman, professor emeritus of public affairs and economics, La Follette School of Public Affairs. Respondent: Jacqueline DeWalt, director, PEOPLE, UW-Madison.

 

This program is co-sponsored by the Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs and the Wisconsin Center for the Advancement of Postsecondary Education.

posted Feb. 19, 2007; updated March 6, 2007

 

Pizza sale closes gap on students' fund-raising goal

The La Follette School Student Association sold pizza for two days to raise money for the school's graduation celebration in May. Despite chilly weather and a deliveryman's unfamiliarity with the Social Science building, sales were strong.

“It was a success and all pizza cravings are cured for the next six months," reports organizer Lamont Smith, LSSA's fund-raising chair. “Thanks to all the students, faculty and staff for volunteering, donating and eating pizza for two days."

The group is rumored to be considering another sale later this semester.

Top: La Follette School professor Menzie Chinn picks up some lunch from Kelly Rifelj, left, and Kate Clark.

Left: Lamont Smith, left, Angela Witt, Kate Battiato and Kelly Rifelji staff the money and beverage table.

posted Feb. 15, 2007

 

Energy policy expert to speak at seminar

Greg Nemet, University of California at Berkeley, will speak at a special La Follette School Seminar on Monday, February 19, 4-5 p.m. in 140 Science Hall.

Nemet's research is in energy policy, technological change and climate change. His dissertation is on innovation in low-carbon energy technologies and policy options for addressing climate change. The intellectual basis of his research encompasses public policy, economics, management, energy systems and earth science; methods include energy and climate modeling, risk analysis, statistics and econometrics.

Additional noon seminars on Wednesdays at the La Follette School include::

• March 7: Martin H. David, professor emeritus of economics, discusses improving estimates of the number of workers employed by nonprofit organizations in the United States.
• March 14: Alasdair Roberts, associate professor at Syracuse Universitys Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Roberts addresses 9/11 and the Crisis of Authority in American Government, a preview of a book he is writing about the Bush administrations response to September 11, 2001. His research interests include public sector restructuring and transparency in government.
• March 28: Andrew Reschovsky, La Follette School professor, discusses the role of tax policy in increasing access to higher education.
• April 11: Jonathan Zeitlin, La Follette School professor, explores the emerging architecture of experimentalist governance in the European Union.
• April 25: Pamela Herd, La Follette School assistant professor.

 

For information: shelton@lafollette.wisc.edu, 262-3038.

Seminar series resumes for spring semester, January 29, 2007, La Follette School News

posted Feb. 15, 2007  

 

Reception builds network of La Follette School alumni, friends

Business cards and tips on who was hiring flew at the La Follette School of Public Affairs reception on February 8 at Inn on the Park in Madison. More than 110 people attended the reception, including 53 alumni and friends of the school. They enjoyed an evening of conversation and catching up with classmates.

Faculty chatted with former students and shared their current research ideas, while alumni and students talked about employment and internship opportunities. At least one student is having lunch with an alum to talk further, says Kate Clark, the chair of the alumni committee of the La Follette School Student Association, which hosted the event.

The evening is made possible thanks to gifts to the La Follette School via the University of Wisconsin Foundation. We appreciate that alumni and friends of the school think so well of their time at La Follette and of the current and past students they might meet that they turn out in such large numbers, says school director Barbara (Bobbi) Wolfe, “or maybe it is primarily to tease their former faculty members and classmates."

Alumni from as far back as 1964 attended, and every decade since then was represented. The classes of 2005 and 2006 both had good turnouts, with eight and 12 alumni respectively. Im so pleased that this reception has taken off like it has, says 2005 alum Alison Bergum, who helped to organize the 2005 gathering, the first in many years. It was great to see so many people from so many years.

I enjoyed hearing from alumni about where they are working, especially from those I wrote letters of recommendation for, says professor Dennis Dresang.

Among those in attendance were former La Follette School staff members Bonnie Cleary and Molly Rose Teuke. Gordon Hintz, class of 2001, who was just elected to the Wisconsin Assembly, and Kevin Hayden, class of 1984, the new secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services, and several graduates of the La Follette Schools Wisconsin Women in Government seminar also attended.

The formal program featured welcomes by Wolfe and LSSA president Julius Svoboda. Tom Eggert, class of 1995, reflected on the relationships between his time at La Follette and his work as an environmental innovation coordinator with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Associate Director Karen Holden touched on how alumni can help with career development and introduced the student panelists who talked about their internships. They were:

• Kevin Murphy, who interned at the Council for Excellence in Government in Washington, D.C.;
• Whitney Gantt, who interned with The Na   ture Conservancy in Indonesia; and
• Vanessa Allen, who works as a project assistant with the State Budget Office in the Wisconsin Department of Administration.

posted Feb. 14, 2007

 

LSSA to sell pizza as fund-raiser

The La Follette School Student Association is having a pizza fund-raiser on Tuesday and Wednesday, February 13-14, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:20 p.m. Pizza is $3 a slice and two for $5. Soda will be $1.

“Serving delicious slices of cheese and pepperoni pizza, LSSA hopes to interest people in a great lunch alternative," says organizer Lamont Smith.

While they are setting up shop in the sixth-floor foyer of the Sewell Social Science Building, LSSA plans to have pizza also for sale in the student lounge. “We would hate to have students, faculty and staff have to battle through the lines in Social Science to support us," Smith says.

LSSA also is selling cold beverages in addition to the snack items available on the honor system in the lounge.

For information, contact Smith, lsmith3@wisc.edu.

posted Feb. 6, 2007; updated Feb. 8, 2007

 

Foreign loans keep U.S. economy afloat, Chinn says

Menzie Chinn tells the Wall Street Journal the U.S. economy has had an easy time given that President Bush has cut taxes and increased spending, especially on defense and homeland security.

A major reason for this is that foreigners have been lending money to the United States, which funds the deficit. This keeps interest rates low.

“This situation is what you'd call an exorbitant privilege," Chinn says. “We've gotten a pretty good deal so far."

Mr. Bush's ability to sustain spending and tax cuts depends largely on the willingness of foreigners to continue lending the U.S. money, the Wall Street Journal says. Chinn says that at some point, global investors will lose their appetite for ever-larger amounts of American debt. That would trigger a decline in value of the U.S. dollar and an increase in interest rates. So far it's not a problem because foreigners are willing to lend, but you've got to wonder what happens when the rest of the world says, We're tired of taking paper that loses value pretty quickly.

Guns and Butter: How War's Expense Didn't Strain Economy, February 5, 2007, Wall Street Journal. Available through Proquest database

posted Feb. 6, 2007

 

Students to go jump in a lake for Special Olympics in February

Students will plumb the icy depths of Madison's Lake Monona when they take a polar plunge as part of a fund-raiser for the Special Olympics.

At least 14 students and friends signed up as team members and are accepting pledges from family, friends and faculty. Special Olympics Wisconsin has scheduled plunging from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, February 17, at Olin Turville Park.

First-year student Brad Campbell decided to step forward and take the plunge when he received an e-mail calling for volunteers, even though he has no relationship with Special Olympics Wisconsin, which provides sports training and competition for nearly 10,000 athletes with cognitive disabilities in 18 different sports year-round.

“I was sitting inside over the weekend, looking at the thermometer drop lower and lower outside my window," Campbell says, “and I thought to myself 'Hmmm, I could really go for a swim right about now!'

“At the same time, I was feeling guilty about not having volunteered for anything lately," the first-year student says. “So when I read the e-mail invitation to participate, I thought 'Wow! Swimming in February AND helping a good cause, what could be better?'"

After Campbell announced his intention, he learned that several other La Follette students and friends had also stepped up, and they formed the Fightin' Bob Plungers. The team is well on its way toward it goal of raising $1,300.

“If we've learned anything in our first semester at La Follette, it's the value of teamwork," says first-year student Kate Nast, who rallied classmates, her brother and a couple of friends. “If we can get through PA 818 together, we can survive Lake Monona in February."

posted Feb. 4, 2007; updated Feb. 12, 2007

 

Seminar marks 7 years of leadership development for women

The Wisconsin Women in Government Seminar will celebrate its 7th year with a reception and reunion Tuesday, February 6.

A joint project of the La Follette School and Wisconsin Women in Government, the seminar is part of WWIGs mission to help women build careers in government-related fields.

The seminars classes meet on two Saturdays and four evenings during six weeks. It is taught by La Follette professor Dennis Dresang and Beloit College professor Georgia Duerst-Lahti, who is a visiting scholar at La Follette this year.

This years class is very talented, says Outreach Director Terry Shelton, whose office coordinates the seminar. The 20 women come from all over the state, including one from as far away as Two Rivers.

The public reception on February 6 is in the Pyle Center and begins at 5:30 p.m. The reception features a panel of women who will speak starting at 6:30 p.m. about their career paths and what they believe it takes for women to be effective managers. The panelists include:

• Gina Frank, Division of Management and Technology, Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services, and 1985 La Follette School alum.
• Terese Berceau, representative for the 76th Assembly District
• Roberta Gassman, secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development
• Diane Nicks, Dane County Circuit Court judge
• Gail Sumi, government affairs representative, AARP

posted Feb. 2, 2007

 

Wolfe joins National Institutes of Health committee

La Follette School director Barbara Wolfe has been named to the National Institutes of Health's Advisory Committee to the Director.

The committee advises the National Institutes of Health director on policy matters. The National Institutes of Health is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for common and rare diseases.

Wolfe is a professor of public affairs, economics and population health sciences, and a faculty affiliate at the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research focuses broadly on poverty and health issues. Current projects examine the effect of expansions in public health insurance on health-care coverage and labor-force outcomes; the role of income on health using a natural experiment; whether housing voucher programs lead to higher earnings, higher quality child care and less reliance on other public assistance programs; the adequacy of resources when individuals retire and during their first decade of retirement; and the increasing selectivity of high quality universities. She is a member of the Institute of Medicine and vice chair of the National Academy of Sciences/Institute of Medicine Board on Children, Youth and Families.

NIH Director Welcomes Seven  New Members to the Advisory Committee to the Director

posted Jan. 31, 2007

 

More than 110 expected at Feb. 8 reception for alumni, friends

More than 110 people, including alumni from classes as far back as 1973 and 1976, plus several grads from 2005 and 2006,  are expected to attend the La Follette School of Public Affairs reception on Thursday, February 8, at Inn on the Park, 21 South Carroll St., on Madison's Capitol Square.

The reception begins at 5 p.m. with hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar.

“The evening is a great opportunity for classmates to catch up with each other and to meet alumni from other years," says Kate Clark, the alumni committee chair of the La Follette School Student Association, which is sponsoring the event. "Alumni and friends of the school can talk individually with faculty and students about what is going on at La Follette in terms of research and coursework."

Presentations will begin at about 6:30 p.m.  with a short welcome from La Follette School Director Barbara Wolfe and student association president Julius Svboda. Alum Tom Eggert, class of 1995, will reflect on the relationships between his time at La Follette and his work as an environmental innovation coordinator with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Associate Director Karen Holden will introduce three current La Follette students, who will talk about their internships and the importance of working with alumni and other public affairs practitioners in tandem with their studies. They are:

• Kevin Murphy, who interned at the Council for Excellence in Government in Washington, D.C.;
• Whitney Gantt, who interned with The Nature Conservancy in Indonesia; and
• Vanessa Allen, who works as a project assistant with the State Budget Office in the Wisconsin Department of Administration

The reception is open to all La Follette School alumni and friends in the Madison area. Alumni and friends who did not RSVP are encouraged to attend, even if they did not get a chance to RSVP. Information: (608) 262-3581 or alumni@lafollette.wisc.edu.

1995 alum to speak at annual Madison event on Feb. 8, January 4, 2007, La Follette School news

posted Jan. 31, 2007; updated Feb. 8, 2007

 

New legislators hear from La Follette professors

Newly elected legislators heard about public education funding, Wisconsins personal income gap, and research on economic support and family policy from La Follette School faculty members at an orientation organized by the Wisconsin Joint Legislative Council in January.

One of those legislators was Gordon Hintz, a 2001 La Follette School alum. He won an Assembly seat in November to represent the Oshkosh area where he grew up.

Professor emeritus Donald Nichols talked about Wisconsins economy and how the states average personal income has lagged behind the nations average.

La Follette School faculty member Maria Cancian, director of the Institute for Research on Poverty, described the collaborations between the state and the university to carry out policy research. She outlined family trends and noted several policy challenges facing Wisconsin.

La Follette professor Andrew Reschovsky outlined issues related to the funding of public schools in Wisconsin.

More details ...

posted Jan. 31, 2007

 

Reschovsky to speak at seminar in Taipei

La Follette School professor Andrew Reschovsky is heading for Taipei, Taiwan, where he will present at a seminar at the Institute of Economics at Academia Sinica. Reschovsky's February 6 talk is titled "Compensating Local Governments for Differences in Expenditure Needs in a Horizontal Fiscal Equalization Program."

Throughout the world, countries have established systems of intergovernmental grants to reduce fiscal disparities among provinces and local governments, Reschovsky says. In some countries these grants account for differences in the expenditure needs of recipient governments. "I argue that measuring expenditure needs requires the estimation of the costs of providing a set of public services for which governments are responsible," he says.

In his talk, Reschovsky will outline several empirical strategies that have been used to develop cost estimates for use in grant formulas. He will direct special attention to the estimation of public service cost functions, and review and assess the actual intergovernmental grant formulas used in a number of countries. The talk is based on a paper included in a book, "Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfers: Principles and Practice," recently published by the World Bank.

posted Jan. 30, 2007

 

Holden discusses state sick leave benefit

The state of Wisconsin's sick leave benefit that allows employees to bank unused sick leave and then use it upon retirement to purchase health insurance is a de facto program to provide retirement health insurance, Karen Holden says in an interview with the WKOW-TV 27 News.

Most other states simply provide retirement health insurance, she says. This practice may be more expensive that simply letting employees bank and then convert unused sick leave to purchase health insurance when they retire. Another benefit to Wisconsin is that letting employees bank sick leave prompts them to stay healthy. In the private sector, employees generally lose sick days that they do not use.

Sick Leave Benefits Questioned, January 15, 2007, WKOW-TV News 27

posted Jan. 30, 2007

 

Student experiences power of collaboration among D.C. agencies

Seeing members of advocacy groups come together to strategize, share information and collaborate to shape public policy was one of the best parts of Rachel Moskowitzs internship with the Childrens Defense Fund in Washington, D.C.

Moskowitz spent 10 weeks with the nonprofits family income and health divisions. She tracked what went on in Congress each day, monitoring issues like the estate tax. She wrote summaries of congressional activity and the status of legislation for Childrens Defense Fund staff members.

The second-year La Follette student also researched topics related to the working poor and to health-care policy, such as health savings accounts and their expected effect on Medicaid.

Moskowitz attended weekly meetings pulled together by an umbrella advocacy group to help agencies network. We would go around and introduce ourselves, and then we would talk about current issues. The speakers included someone from a new initiative in the United Kingdom to end child poverty. I would report back to the Childrens Defense Fund on what I learned.

Those meetings were some of my favorite parts of the internship, she says, seeing people organize together and push for issues.

A donation to the La Follette School helped make this internship possible for Moskowitz. The contribution meant the School could provide her and other students stipends to help offset the costs of taking unpaid internships in Washington, D.C.

I feel I got a good taste of life in D.C., Moskowitz says, and a sense of what it is like to work in a policy environment.

Moskowitz is putting her experience to work in Madison. She parlayed her internship into a part-time job with the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services in the department secretarys office.

What Im doing is similar to the work I did for Childrens Defense Fund, she says, but it involves more analysis. Its been a great opportunity to use the policy analysis skills Ive learned at La Follette.

I hope to keep doing this kind of children and family policy work after I graduate, Moskowitz adds. With the internship and the job, Im seeing the pros and cons of working for state government vs. the nonprofit sector.

posted Jan. 29, 2007

 

Seminar series resumes for spring semester

The La Follette School of Public Affairs continues its seminar series this semester with a presentation by Tom Selden, a senior economist with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, on Wednesday, Jan. 31.

His presentation, titled "Medical Expenditure Burdens: The Impact of Tax Subsidies, Within-Year Expenditure Concentration, and More," will be in room 1420 of the WARF building. Additional seminars include:

• Thursday, February 1: Emma Aisbett, University of California at Berkeley, who discusses "Bilateral Investment Treaties and Foreign Direct Investment: Correlation versus Causation," in the La Follette School conference room.
• Friday, February 2: Brian Elbel, Yale University School of Public Health, on "How Much Choice? Nonlinear Relationships Between the Number of Health Plan Options and the Behavior of Medicare Beneficiaries" in room 132 of the WARF building.
• Wednesday, February 7: Elizabeth Powers, associate professor of economics and faculty member, Institute of Government and Public Affairs, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, in room 1420 of the WARF building.
• Friday, February 9: Thomas Oliver, associate professor and director, MHS program in health policy, Johns Hopkins University, in room 1420 of the WARF building.

All sessions are noon to 1 p.m.

Starting on Wednesday, February 14, the seminar moves back to the La Follette School when professor Carolyn Heinrich will discuss the role of state governance in the adoption of pharmaceutical technologies in the treatment of substance abuse. Her talk will be based on a working paper she co-authored with 1996 La Follette alum Carolyn J. Hill of the Georgetown Public Policy Institute. The two have examined the policy, institutional and environmental factors associated with the adoption of pharmaceutical agents in the treatment of alcohol-dependent clients by substance-abuse treatment facilities.

Additional sessions at the La Follette School include:

• Wednesday, March 7: Martin H. David, professor emeritus of economics, discusses improving estimates of the number of workers employed by nonprofit organizations in the United States.
• Wednesday, March 14: Alasdair Roberts, associate professor at Syracuse Universitys Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Roberts addresses 9/11 and the Crisis of Authority in American Government, a preview of a book he is writing about the Bush administrations response to September 11, 2001. His research interests include public sector restructuring and transparency in government.
• Wednesday, March 28: Andrew Reschovsky, La Follette School professor, discusses the role of tax policy in increasing access to higher education.
• Wednesday, April 11: Jonathan Zeitlin, La Follette School professor, explores the emerging architecture of experimentalist governance in the European Union.
• Wednesday, April 25: Pamela Herd, La Follette School assistant professor.

For information: shelton@lafollette.wisc.edu, 262-3038.

Thomas Selden's curriculum vita

posted Jan. 29, 2007

 

Study: Blacks get advanced surgery by less experienced doctors

Blacks are more likely than whites to undergo an advanced heart bypass surgery, a study co-authored by La Follette School professor David Weimer finds.

However, this is due to less experienced surgeons performing the surgery, which is carried out while the heart is beating. A coronary artery bypass grafting traditionally is done with a heart-lung machine that enables the heart to be stopped, Reuters says in its report on Weimer's research, which is published in the January 2007 Journal of Health Services Research and Policy. "Performing CABG 'off-pump,' while the heart is beating normally, is technically demanding and many surgeons are still gaining experience with the technique," Reuters says.

Black patients usually have less access than whites to the latest medical technologies, Reuters notes. "The study's authors found that 31 percent of black patients had an off-pump operation, significantly more than the 23 percent of white patients and 21 percent of other races. By contrast, no racial difference was seen among those treated by more experienced surgeons.

"Therefore, as noted, the reason for the higher number of off-pump CABGs in blacks was largely due to a higher number of surgeons who had performed relatively few of the procedures previously.

"'Whether this is intentional or unintentional, whether it can be explained by other factors, and whether this applies to other new technologies, needs to be the subject of further research and investigation,' says the lead author of the report, Dr. Dana Mukamel from the University of California at Irvine, in a statement."

Blacks likely to get less experienced surgeons, January 22, 2007, Reuters

posted Jan. 25, 2007

 

Seminar to look at health-insurance policies in other states

How other states have crafted public policy to provide health insurance to people without coverage is the topic of a seminar co-sponsored by the La Follette School.

The 24th Wisconsin Family Impact Seminar will bring together experts on health insurance and federal law. They will talk about how Maryland, Massachusetts, New York and Arizona crafted affordable strategies to cover uninsured people.

Wisconsin residents ranked health care as one of the states top two issues in a recent poll. For business leaders in northeastern Wisconsin, health insurance tied as the top challenge they face.

Despite public and private efforts to expand insurance coverage, Wisconsins uninsured rate -- 4 percent to 5 percent of residents -- has not changed in the last decade.

From 2000 to 2005, employer coverage fell from 79 percent to 71 percent for Wisconsin residents younger than 65, while Medicaid coverage rose from 8 percent to 13 percent.

The invitation-only seminar is Wednesday, January 24, at the state Capitol. Legislators, aides, state agency employees, educators and trade group representatives will attend.

The seminar is a collaboration of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Human Ecology and University of Wisconsin Extension, and the Evidence-Based Health Policy Project, which is a collaboration between La Follette and the Population Health Institute at the UW-Madison.

The Family Impact Seminars provide solution-oriented information to help state policymakers in their decision-making. The seminars emphasize the benefits of taking into account the role of the family in addressing social issues.

posted Jan. 17, 2007

 

Governor names 3 alumni to top posts

Three La Follette School alumni have been appointed to top positions by Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle.

Sean Dilweg (class of 1998) is the new commissioner of insurance, and Kevin Hayden (class of 1984) is the new secretary of the Department of Health and Family Services. In addition, Randy Romanski (class of 1995) has been appointed as executive assistant at the state Department of Natural Resources.

"These appointments demonstrate the value of the La Follette School's training," says Associate Director Karen Holden. "Our graduates understand the importance of the government providing well-administered services and oversight, and they know how to make that happen."

The Department of Health and Family Services is one of the largest and most diverse state agencies designed to protect and promote the health and safety of the people of Wisconsin.

"Health care reform is a centerpiece of Governor Doyle's agenda," Hayden says. "I am happy to be a guiding force in helping to ensure everyone in Wisconsin has access to quality, affordable health care."

Hayden brings more than 22 years of health-care administration experience to his current position in Madison. Prior to his appointment as secretary, he served as administrator for DHFSs Division of Health Care Financing . He oversaw the state's Medicaid program, which includes BadgerCare and Healthy Start, as well as managing the state's FoodShare, SeniorCare and other programs.

From 1997-2006, Hayden served as president and chief administrative Officer at Dean Health Systems Inc., a physician group practice with more than 500 physicians and 3,400 employees.

As insurance commissioner, Dilweg will oversee the regulation of the insurance industry in Wisconsin. The offices staff of 135 people examines industry financial practices and market conduct, licenses agents, reviews policy forms for compliance, investigates consumer complaints and provides consumer information. The agency also administers the State Life Insurance Fund, Local Government Property Insurance Fund, and the Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund.

Dilweg was executive assistant to the secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Administration from 2003 to 2006. In addition to managing key agency activities, including external communications, tribal negotiations and state finances, he advised the Doyle and the department secretary on legislative and policy matters.

Dilweg served as director of policy analysis at Essie Consulting Group, a major Madison consulting and lobbying firm, from September 2000 to January 2003. He was a lead policy advisor for members of the Joint Committee on Finance during three biennial state budgets. He was clerk for the Senate Committee on Environment and Energy from 1995 to 2000, and he filled other legislative staff positions beginning in 1991.

Romanski was the deputy chief of staff in Doyles office. Prior to that, he was executive assistant at the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.  He served as a policy analyst and communications specialist at the Wisconsin Department of Justice when Doyle was attorney general and for three years as staff in the state Senate. 

Falk not among Doyle appointees, December 30, 2006, Wisconsin State Journal

Doyle filling out incoming cabinet, December 29, 2006, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Falk isn't picked for cabinet post, December 29, 2006, Capital Times

Governor Doyle Names Kevin R. Hayden as Secretary of Health and Family Services, December 29, 2006, Office of the Governor news release

Governor Doyle Names Sean Dilweg Commissioner of Insurance, December 29, 2006, Office of the Governor news release

posted Jan. 11, 2007; updated Jan. 16, 2007, Feb. 19, 2007

 

Student to present paper on transportation ethics

La Follette School student Jen Blonn will participate in the Transportation Research Board's annual meeting in Washington, D.C., in January, an event that attracts more than 10,000 transportation professionals from around the world.

She wrote the paper, "Ethical Considerations in the Transportation Sector: Progress, Need, and Value " with La Follette School 2000 alum Jason Bittner, deputy director of the Midwest Regional University Transportation Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Their paper discusses the role of ethics in the transportation sector and the application of Caux Round Table principles for effective transportation decision-making. The Caux Round Table created a formal listing of ethical principles and presented them at the United Nations World Summit on Social Development in 1995. It is argued that the application of these principles creates more effective transportation decisions.

Blonn works with Bittner at the center, where she does research, writing and web design. After graduating in May, she plans to seek work in policy analysis with a nonprofit organization in Chicago.

Blonn's academic interests in economic and environmental policy have come together in her immersion in transportation policy, in which she is earning a certificate in addition to her master of public affairs degree.

"Transportation policy has the potential to provide solutions to many of the economic and environment challenges that we face today," Blonn says.

posted Jan. 11, 2007

 

Chinn discusses economic outlook on radio

Businesses created more jobs and paid employees more at the end of 2006. But the housing market is a real worry to some economists. La Follette School professor Menzie Chinn joined Minnesota Public Radio's January 8  "Midmorning" show to look at the mixed economic picture, and at how the economic agenda of the Democrats will affect tax and trade policy.

-- posted Jan. 9, 2007

 

La Follette School expands relationships with China

Wisconsin needs to build on its presence in China, La Follette School Outreach Director Terry Shelton argues.

When Shelton visited Shanghai in September at the invitation of regional Mayor Xu Guowen, of the Caohejing District of Shanghai, he found several Wisconsin companies with footholds in China. These include Kohler Co., Trane, Broan NuTone and Johnson Controls.

Shelton encountered these companies products while touring a prototype home that demonstrated cutting-edge energy savings devices that included Wisconsin products made by these four companies.

"Based on my research before leaving for China, I knew Wisconsin counted $5.4 billion in goods and services from sales in environmental protection - quite the green profit center," Shelton writes in a November op-ed in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel newspaper. "But I didn't expect to get such a close look at how the world embraces Wisconsin's reputation for innovation, stewardship and clean technology."

He argues that Wisconsin needs to craft a statewide business-government strategy to build on its relationships with China.

La Follette School builds connections with China
Shelton's trip is one component of the La Follette Schools growing relationship with China. In 2005, the school collaborated with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Office of the Governor of Wisconsin to host Mayor Xu Guowen when he was in Madison to study aspects of municipal government in the United States.

"Mayor Xu took great pains to study all aspects of government, from the role of non-governmental organizations to courtroom practices, lobbying techniques, and campaign finance reform," Shelton says. "So he wanted to return the favor by enabling some of us see how his government worked from the perspective of government leaders, academic partners and business owners."

During the three months Xu was in Madison, Shelton and Jeff Smoller of the Department of Natural Resources helped to organize trips, interviews, meetings and ceremonies for the visitor. In turn, Xu invited Shelton and Smoller to China, where they visited for 10 days in October.

Another set of relationships Shelton is building is based on a conference in September he helped arrange for more than 25 Chinese scholars studying in the United States. They explored ways to attack global environmental problems that will be useful upon their return to their homeland after studying abroad.d.

They have established the Environment and Public Health Network for Chinese Students and Scholars to promote discussion on public health and environmental issues, Shelton says, and they plan to meet several times a year.

The group has already given a presentation in Ottawa, Canada, and will be on the agenda of an international environmental group in Nashville, Tennessee, in February.

This is a group of the brightest doctoral and post-doctoral Chinese students from our best universities in America who are joining together to study and research what they can do for China while they are here, Shelton says. They are engineers, lawyers, journalists, soil scientists, chemists and biologists who have their concern for their country at the core of their being. And we want to help them because that helps us all.

The group will also be part of a major conference on the environment in Madison this June with Chinese scholars from Tsinghua University in Beijing. Two UW-Madison students are officers: Microbiology doctoral student Xiaojun Lu is the group's president, and law student Ying Chan is vice president.

La Follette faculty focus on China
In addition to links the outreach office is forging, La Follette School faculty members focus their research and outreach on China.

Menzie Chinn is an expert on China's role in world trade; and on China's currency and how its value affects the U.S. economy and trade deficit. He shares his knowledge with agencies that include the U.S. Treasury's Office of International Affairs and the National Bureau of Economic Research, in addition to speaking at international conferences.

Donald Nichols, former director of La Follette, visited China in March 2004, as part of a trade delegation with Gov. Jim Doyle. Nichols was one of more than 80 delegates to the largest trade mission in Wisconsin history who observed manufacturing trends, export efforts and economic development for reporting later to legislators and colleagues.

Carolyn Heinrich returned from the City University of Hong Kong in January. She spent a week meeting with faculty and giving seminars to senior and junior faculty and to doctoral students about governance and performance management. She also made a special presentation on her role as editor of the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory.

Melanie Manion is author of the book Corruption by Design, which contrasts experiences of mainland China and Hong Kong to explore the pressing question of how governments can transform a culture of widespread corruption to one of clean government. She has briefed the U.S. State Department of State and the U.S. China Security Review Commission on corruption and control in China. She served as a member of a Carter Center delegation that observed local elections in China.

Manion will also be using China connections for a capstone project for students in her spring 2007 class. Under her direction, students will study some of the policy problems that will be faced with a trilateral statement of cooperation signed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with the Chinese State Environmental Protection Administration and the Asian Development Bank. The agreement will support the development of cap and trade mechanisms, the use of economic and market tools to address environmental issues and the strengthening of SEPA's regional infrastructure.

Three of the students enrolled in the course have expertise on China and Chinese language skills, Manion says.

Allison Quatrini completed an intensive language studies program in August at Wisconsin's Beloit College, where she studied intermediate Mandarin Chinese. She eventually wants to pursue a Ph.D. in political science and Asian studies. Brandon Lamson interned in summer 2006 with the Carter Center's China Program monitoring foreign and Chinese news sources for stories and commentaries about political reform. The third, Leah Larson-Rabin, is earning dual degrees in public affairs and law. She studied in Beijing for six months as an undergraduate, traveled to China for law courses and worked for a Chinese law firm in Shanghai in the summer of 2006.

The students in the course will look at the policy questions federal-state regulators face during the transition to a market-based regulatory system that puts China and the United States on a level playing field and produces noticeable ecological results for both.

-- posted Jan. 8, 2007; updated Jan. 22, and June 1, 2007

 

Partnership connects faculty research on health care with legislators

La Follette School faculty and students will be analyzing Wisconsins daunting health-care challenges and providing decision-makers with the best available evidence for crafting solutions, thanks to an innovative partnership to forge a stronger link between the worlds of policy-making and scholarly research.

The La Follette School is partnering with University of Wisconsins School of Medicine and Public Healths Population Health Institute and the Wisconsin Joint Legislative Council in the project, Evidence-Based Health Policy. The three-year projects first formal event is co-sponsorship of a symposium on new approaches to health-care coverage and cost control in late January. The project will organize forums on specific issues, so that legislators and others can obtain non-partisan information on key issues and discuss them in a non-confrontational atmosphere.

The state of Wisconsin has a wealth of researchers in health care and in the public policy that shapes how health care is organized, financed and delivered, says Terry C. Anderson, Legislative Council director. But, while there have always been informal contacts between state government and the UW, the immense challenges of designing health-care policy call for a stronger link between these two worlds. This project really seeks to bridge two cultures that will each benefit immensely from systematic exchange.

The Wisconsin Joint Legislative Council, an arm of the state Legislature, primarily provides non-partisan research for legislative committees. The council is a longtime collaborator with the La Follette School, whose faculty briefed newly elected legislators on January 10.

"This is the type of project La Follette excels at: giving legislators useful, ground-level information, based on hard evidence and research of what works and what doesn't," says La Follette School director Barba