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FOR YOUR INFORMATION…

January/February 2008

The Ph.D. Program in Public Policy presents this “For Your Information” communiqué noting upcoming conferences, workshops, meetings, grant deadlines, scholarship and internship opportunities, job openings, lectures, etc. Welcome back to the Spring Semester.

Our FIRST MONDAYS LUNCH SEMINAR will take place on Monday, February 4, 2008 11:30 – 12:45 in the PP/PA Classroom Lunch will be served.

Speaker: Professor Michael Johnson of the Department of Public Policy and Public Affairs "Working Across Disciplines: Scholarship, Applied Research and Advocacy"

Professor Johnson will discuss the importance of training in diverse skills, viewing a research topic through multiple disciplinary lenses, collaborating across disciplines, and the different roles that interdisciplinarity plays in academic scholarship, non-academic applied research, and policy advocacy

STUDENT NOTES

Many thanks to first year student Bunmi Fatoye-Matory who volunteered to serve as the student representative on the program’s Admissions Committee.

A nice photo of Public Policy student and Graduate Student Assembly President David Gonzalez Nieto is included in the newest edition of UMass Boston, a magazine for alumni and friends of the university. David is dressed in an academic gown and joined other representatives of the faculty, staff and student body offering greetings to Chancellor Motley at his November inauguration.

Kudos to Dr. Steve Quimby who defended his dissertation, "Metropolitan Growth and Inequality: The Impact of Regional Governance Structures", in mid-December. After incorporating his committee’s suggestions for final edits, he will officially graduate in June 2008.

Congratulations go out to Jennifer Shea who has accepted a faculty position at San Francisco State University. The future Dr. Shea is on schedule to defend her dissertation this June.

1 First year student Felicia Sullivan will be facilitating a workshop on evaluation and assessment for researchers and activists involved in participatory collaborations around media and communications. The first annual Necessary Knowledge Workshop on Collaborative Research, a gathering of academics, public-interest advocates and community organizers working to shape the future of media and communications through collaborative, strategic research, is sponsored by the Social Science Research Council, the Annenberg School for Communications (University of Pennsylvania), the Media Mobilizing Project and the Center for International Media Action. The workshop is held in Philadelphia in late February.

FACULTY/STUDENT COLLABORATIONS

In mid-March, Professor Donna Haig Friedman and first year student Jennifer Cohen, both representing the McCormack Graduate School’s Center for Social Policy will be presenting at the Non-Governmental Organizations and the Third Sector: Knowledge, Power and Partnerships Conference at the University of Haifa in Israel. The conference will be a meeting place for stakeholders invested in the workings, capacities, and power of the third sector, and specifically of NGOs as central players in civil society, providers of service, and creators of social change. Multiple sectors and a diverse group of leaders will engage to consider and reflect on current and future challenges, successes, and trends for the third sector in Israel.

FACULTY NEWS

Janis Kapler, also of the Economics Department, published, “The Theory of the Firm, the Theory of Competition, and the Transnational Corporation” in the December issue of Competition and Change, an interdisciplinary journal of global business and political economy.

“The Chair’s Role in Resolving Departmental Conflict”, an article by Professor David Matz, also of the Graduate Program in Dispute Resolution, appeared in the fall 2007 issue of the Departmental Chair.

Peter Taylor, also of the Critical and Creative Thinking Program, co-organized a workshop on diagramming the complexities of scientific processes at the Social Studies of Science conference in Montreal in October. His book Unruly Complexity was the subject of an Author Meets Critics session at the conference.

Dr. Christian Weller was invited to speak to AARP state official representatives on state retirement policies in Dallas, TX, on December 5. Weller also co-authored two chapters in Employee Pensions: Policies, Problems & Possibilities. Christian also appeared on the German channel of Bloomberg TV discussing housing policy; on KNX-AM’s Business Hour in Los Angeles talking about the state of the economy; on BBC’s News Hour commenting on President Bush’s proposal to help sub-prime borrowers freeze their interest rates; and on several Middle East satellite television stations speaking about the

2 US economy. Professor Weller was also quoted in the November/December issue of the NAACP’s The Crisis magazine and in Builder Online, the Internet edition of Builder Magazine.

McCORMACK GRADUATE SCHOOL EVENT

Our departmental sister program, the Women in Politics and Public Policy Program presents “Gender, Race and Presidential Politics: From Iowa to Super Tuesday” featuring Joan Vennochi, Boston Globe columnist. This event will take place in the Campus Center, room 3540 on Thursday, February 7 at 6 PM with a reception to follow at 7:30 PM. RSVP to: [email protected]

CALL FOR PAPERS

The New England Political Science Association will hold its annual conference April 25- 26, 2008 in Providence, RI. For more information, please visit their website at: www.neu.edu/nepsa/documents/NEPSA_2008_call_for_papers.pdf

UPCOMING LOCAL LECTURES

Spring 2008 Boston 101 Speakers' Series from the Rappaport Institute

Using PerformanceStat to Fight Crime in New York and Los Angeles

Monday, February 11 at 5:30 p.m. Malkin Penthouse, 4th floor of the Littauer Building, 79 John F. Kennedy Street

Michael Farrell, Deputy Commissioner for Strategic Initiatives, New York City Police Department and Detective Jeffrey Godown, Commanding Officer, CompStat Unit, Los Angeles Police Department

The New York City Police Department's CompStat program, which began in 1994, not only has been adopted by dozens of other police departments, including the Los Angeles Police Department, it also has spawned a new "PerformanceStat" approach for improving performance and producing results in a wide variety of jurisdictions and agencies in the U.S.

Co-sponsored by the Kennedy School of Government's Taubman Center for State and Local Government and the Program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management

Subprime Outcomes: Risky Mortgages, Homeownership Experiences, and Foreclosures in Massachusetts

3 Wednesday, February 13 at 12:00 p.m. Nye AB, 5th floor of the Taubman Building, 15 Eliot Street

Paul Willen, Senior Economist and Policy Advisor, Research Department, The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston

More than six million mortgages involving more than three million properties were recorded at registries of deeds in Massachusetts between 1987 and 2007. Careful analysis of these mortgages and related data shows that people who used a sub-prime mortgage to purchase their home end up in foreclosure almost 20 percent of the time, or more than 6 times as often as homeowners who used prime mortgages. The analysis also shows that these sub-prime homeowners are exceptionally sensitive to changes in house prices and that the decline in house prices that started in 2005 is largely responsible for the dramatic increase in foreclosures in 2006 and 2007.

Co-sponsored by the Joint Center for Housing Studies and the Taubman Center for State and Local Government

Subprime Lending in Greater Boston: New Findings from the 2006 HMDA Data

Tuesday, February 19 at 3:30 pm Nye A, 5th floor of the Taubman Building, 15 Eliot Street

Dr. Jim Campen, Executive Director, Americans for Fairness in Lending (and retired Public Policy faculty member!!)

The most recent data from the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act suggests disturbing changes in mortgage lending practices in greater Boston (as well as the rest of the state and the nation), most notably significant racial/ethnic disparities in mortgage lending across the region and a concentration of the highest cost mortgage loans in particular neighborhoods and communities.

Cosponsored by Fair Housing of Greater Boston and the Joint Center for Housing Studies

Using PerformanceStat to Improve Local Government in Baltimore and Somerville

Wednesday, February 27 at 5:30 p.m. Wiener Auditorium, Basement of the Taubman Building, 15 Eliot Street

Christopher Thomaskutty, Deputy Mayror of Operations, City of Baltimore and Jessie Baker, SomerStat Senior Analyst, City of Somerville

In 2000, Baltimore adapted the CompStat approach to policing to improve the performance of other city departments and agencies and, in doing so, provided a model that has been adapted by many other jurisdictions, including Somerville's well-known

4 SomerStat program.

Co-sponsored by the Taubman Center for State and Local Government

Green Cities: Lessons from Boston and Beyond

Wednesday, March 5 at 8:30 a.m. Rabb Hall, Basement, Boston Public Library, Copley Square

Opening Remarks by Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Harvard University President Drew Gilpin Faust and presentations by Edward Glaeser, Professor and Director, Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston, James Hunt, Chief of Environmental and Energy Services, City of Boston, and Daniel Schrag, Professor and Director, Center for the Environment, Harvard University

Boston has become a leader among urban efforts to promote environmentally sustainable development while Harvard's Allston project is in many respects a model for such develop, and university. What role can and should these efforts play in efforts to address key environmental issues, notably the problem of global climate change?

Co-sponsored by the City of Boston, Harvard University's Center for the Environment, and the Taubman Center for State and Local Government

Using PerformanceStat to Improve State Government in Maryland and Washington

Wednesday, March 12 at 5:30 p.m. Allison Dining Room, 5th floor, Taubman Building, 15 Eliot Street

Matthew Galligher, Deputy Chief of Staff for Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley and Lisa Benson, Special Assistant for Government Management, Accountability, and Performance for Washington Governor Christine Gregoire

In 2006, with the launch of Governor Christine Gregoire's Government Management Accountability and Performance program, Washington became the first state to adapt the PerformanceStat approach to its operations. A year later the Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, who stated CitiStat when he was mayor of Baltimore, announced that he was bringing the same approach to state government in the form of a new StateStat program.

Co-sponsored by the Taubman Center for State and Local Government

Towards Universal Health Insurance Lessons from the Massachusetts Experiment

Wednesday, March 19 at 5:30 p.m. Allison Dining Room, 5th floor of the Taubman Building, 15 Eliot Street

5 Jon Kingsdale, Executive Director, Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Commentary by David Cutler, Dean of Social Sciences, Harvard University

2008 will be a critical year for Massachusetts' ambitious efforts to greatly reduce the ranks of the uninsured because it is the first year that individuals will be penalized if they don't have health insurance. This threat, combined with efforts to provide more affordable insurance options for those who previously could not afford insurance, has already led to dramatic increases in the number of people with health insurance. Sustaining and expanding on these successes will be difficult in light of rising health-care costs and projected gaps between funding and costs for new subsidized insurance policies.

Co-sponsored by the Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy and the Kennedy School Health Policy Professional Interest Council

The MULHER Conference 2008 - The evolving world of Portuguese-speaking women will be held on Monday, April 28, 2008 at Simmons College.

In this conference we propose to celebrate the accomplishments of Portuguese-speaking women who have taken steps in moving forward with their lives and in raising the standards of their communities. The success of Brazilian, Cape Verdean and Portuguese women is embodied in their confidence, self-fulfillment as much as in the dimension of their actions.

Men and women from any background interested in the Portuguese-speaking world or the field of women’s issues are most welcomes to attend. For more information, http://www.maps-inc.org/eng/conference/2008/home.htm.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES (full listings posted in the Public Policy suite)

The Grant Institute's Grants 101: Professional Grant Proposal Writing Workshop will be held at the Harvard Medical Center, February 20 - 22, 2008. Cost: $597

JOB OPPORTUNITIES (full listings posted in the Public Policy suite)

Graduate Research Assistant needed to help with computer programming and research for a study on gender and race discrimination against black women. Knowledge of SAS, STATA, SPSS or another programming package or language a must. Familiarity with census data or other large datasets helpful. Graduate student in economics, sociology, public policy and other social sciences are priority but anyone who meets the skill requirements will be considered. This project will last for one year. Salary and hours are negotiable. Please send a brief note regarding how you meet these criteria, your contact information, and at least 3 references to [email protected].

6 Commonwealth Corporation is still accepting resumes for a statistical analyst position in our Center for Research and Evaluation. To view the job description, please go to www.commcorp.org/about/careers.html.

FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITIES (full listings posted in the Public Policy suite)

The annual Dissertation Fellowship Program of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy invites applications from doctoral students who are writing dissertations in fields that address the Institute's primary areas of interest as follows:

- Valuation and Taxation - Economic and Community Development - Planning and Urban Form

This fellowship program provides an important link between the Institute's educational mission and its research objectives by supporting scholars early in their careers. If applicable, please distribute or post this information in your department. Applications are due by email on *March 3, 2008*.

You may download the full Request for Proposal and Application Guidelines at http://www.lincolninst.edu/education/lilp_dissertation_app_fy09.doc[2]. If after reviewing this material you have further questions, please contact [email protected][3].

Applications for the Dissertation Proposal Development Fellowships on the Social Science Research Council are being accepted before February 8, 2008. Contact SSRC DP, Social Science Research Council, 810 Seventh Avenue, 31st Floor, NY, NY 10019. For more information on-line, please visit: programs.ssrc.org/dpdf

Worth repeating…. SNOW AND WEATHER EMERGENCIES

In the event that a snowstorm or other inclement weather presents a risk to our faculty, staff, students, and visitors in commuting to or from the campus, the Provost and the Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance will make a determination of the appropriate campus response.

The closing of the campus is a procedure that differs depending on the timing of the decision to close and the expected length and severity of the severe weather. The essential factor in the decision is the safety of our commuting faculty, staff, students, and visitors. However, severe weather affecting only a limited number of commuters generally will not result in a campus closing.

Please do not call the Office of Public Safety as their lines must remain open in the event of an emergency. Announcements will be made at the following venues:

7 University Website – The bulletin board at the UMB website will contain weather announcements. The UMB internet address is http://www.umb.edu.

UMB Main Switchboard number (617) 287-5000 – will carry a voicemail announcement which notifies callers if the campus will be open for operation.

Radio and Television Stations - will carry UMB announcements starting at 5:30 a.m. Following is a list of stations that will carry this message.

WBZ AM (1030), WUMB FM (91.9), WRKO AM (680), NECN, WBZ TV (channel 4), WCVB (5), WHDH (7), FOX (25)

SPRING ACADEMIC CALENDAR & PUBLIC POLICY EVENTS

February 4 (Monday) Add/drop ends PROGRAM FEE FORMS DUE!

February 4 (Monday) First Monday lunch seminar 11:30 AM - 1 PM Professor Michael Johnson: “Working Across Disciplines” Location: McCormack Hall -3-415

February 12 (Tuesday) First year Student Advising Lunch 11:30 AM - 1 PM Location: McCormack Hall -3-415

February 18 (Monday) Holiday: Presidents Day No classes/offices closed

February 19 (Tuesday) Admissions Committee meeting 3:30 PM Location: McCormack Hall -3-412

March 3 (Monday) First Monday lunch seminar 11:30 AM - 1 PM Patricia Peterson: How to Get Published Location: McCormack Hall -3-415

March 15-23 Spring break No classes/Barb on vacation

March 24 (Monday) Classes resume Mid-semester

8 April 7 (Monday) First Monday lunch seminar 11:30 AM - 1 PM Topic: TBA Location: McCormack Hall -3-415

April 10 (Thursday) Course withdrawal deadline

April 21 (Monday) Holiday: Patriots Day No classes/offices closed

April 21 (Monday) Fall 2008 pre-registration begins

May 5 (Monday) First Monday lunch seminar 11:30 AM - 1 PM Topics: TBA Location: McCormack Hall -3-415

May 14 (Wednesday) Classes end

May 15-18 Study period

May 19-23 Final exam period

May 26 (Monday) Holiday: Memorial Day Offices closed

May 27 (Tuesday) Distribution of the Quantitative Comprehensive Exams

May 30 (Friday) Commencement

To share news items for future issues of FYI, email [email protected]

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RECOMMEND A FRIEND?? Please help us with the future success and growth of our Ph.D. Program by recommending a friend, family member, undergraduate or master’s degree student, or colleague. You can send, fax or email this information to Assistant Director who will immediately follow up with the person(s) of your choice. Thank you in advance for your recommendation.

Name: ______

Address:

9 ______

Telephone: (____) ______

Email address: ______

Recommended by: ______

Please return this recommendation to Assistant Director Barbara Graceffa, M-3-426.

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