united we stand? GSPP and Political Polarization

SPRING 2012 Robert Reich on the Future of the Occupy Movement The War Room Reforming the Peace Corps

gspp.berkeley.edu Faculty Message table of contents

Does policy analysis matter? Are we still relevant? That’s an odd question departments from a public policy professor, but in today’s hyper-partisan political environment it 10 Faculty: Sarah Anzia has to be asked. Politics has always figured heavily in decisions made by government — rightly so, in a 4 1 1 Influence and the Role democracy where votes ultimately count. That’s why we have never suggested that analy- of Political Lobbies sis occurs in a vacuum — why we teach students to think about the political feasibility, 1 2 Robert Reich on the as well as the efficiency and equity implications, of any policy recommendation. But these Occupy Movement days, mud-wrestling politics seems to dominate everything. What place is there for ana- 14 Faculty Notes lysts — and the inconvenient truths that we sometimes generate — at a moment when United We Stand? presidential candidates shamelessly lie or when, despite overwhelming evidence, global 15 From Martha Chavez warming and evolution remain topics of debate? 16 Students: Chris Finn The answer, it turns out, is that there’s a lot that you can do — and are doing. Inside the 18 Alumni: Brian Turner Beltway but outside the limelight, policy analysis still plays its customary role. Last fall, for instance, when the Defense Department was deciding where to cut its budget, it didn’t sim- 6 Reforming the Peace Corps 19 Alumni: Teri Gullo ply calculate what would fly politically; it engaged in strategic planning that took into A student’s quest to bring meaning from tragedy 20 Event Highlights account “bang for the buck” evidence. When the Education Department drafted its “race 22 Class Notes to the top” guidelines for early learning last summer, it didn’t just sniff the political winds. 8 The Volatility of Social Influence… It designed incentives to nudge states into doing the right thing — the fairest and most cost- …when everyone is your neighbor 23 From the Alumni Board effective thing — for young children. This persistent reliance on analysis isn’t a purely par- 24 From Annette Doornbos tisan phenomenon: Whatever you think of GOP Congressman Paul Ryan’s 2011 Roadmap 17 The War Room 24 Why We Give for America’s Future, it uses reasoning from evidence to flesh out a political philosophy. A view from inside Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s Prof. David L. Kirp The farther outside the Beltway you are, the more analysis can make a difference. You 25 Board of Advisors political news show may not agree with all the cuts that Jerry Brown has made in California’s budget — I cer- 26 Center for Environmental tainly don’t — and it’s child’s-play to point out where politics ruled in the calculations. Public Policy But it would be a mistake to see those choices as motivated only by politics: judgments about efficiency and equity mattered as well. (For the East Coasters, the same holds true Friday, October 26, 2012 27 Executive and save the date International Programs for Andrew Cuomo’s decisions about the New York State budget.) At the local level, the The Berkeley City Club old adage that potholes aren’t Republican or Democratic remains true, and a lot of what GSPP Alumni Dinner 2315 Durant Avenue local government does is, figuratively, filling potholes. gspp.berkeley.edu/alumni/events.html Berkeley, California “Speak truth to power” — the School borrowed that phrase, coined by the Quakers in the 1950s as an admonition to stand tall against Fascism, and made it our byword. Now it could use tweaking. A better if less catchy version, one that takes politics more seriously, would urge us to speak usable truth. What’s more, a good number of Gold- man alumni are exercising power, not just pitching data-driven recommendations to power. Always, the hope is that you will use this power wisely, that you will be a force Editor’s Note for civility, even — especially — when civility is in short supply; that you will look for I was working with GSPP student David Puzey on his article for Policy Notes. common ground, even — especially — when, as Thomas Edsall argues in his new book, He had submitted a very strong draft, but he wanted to work out its finer points. The Age of Austerity, neither political party is showing much interest in engaging in the “This is important,” he said. “I want to get it right.” bargaining that’s required to make a decision. The analysts among you ought to stay His sentiment was more than understandable. David’s story of working to pass true to your vocation, finding good uses for your skills, and the decision-makers among legislation to protect whistle blowers and victims of violence in the Peace Corps is you need to give policy analysis its due place in your decision-making calculus. That’s compelling and very personal, as you’ll see when you read his story. the legacy of Goldman School training, rightly understood. “Getting it right” is an important part of the Goldman School ethos, a cornerstone of its brand. It applies to the detailed thoughtfulness of Professor Rob David L. Kirp MacCoun’s article on social volatility but also to the enthusiasm with which Professor of Public Policy students like Aaron Burgess, Sheetal Dhir and Vijay Das connect their work on Bora Reed Current TV’s The War Room with positive social change. It’s the thing that helps Editor GSPPers remain unflappable in the face of incremental change, setbacks and, in the case of alumni Brian Turner (MPP ’06), keeps him passionate about his work in Washington DC, despite intense political polarization. Here’s to getting the job done, and getting it right. [email protected]

2 POLICY NOTES | SPRING 2012 GOLDMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY | UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - BERKELEY 3 “Our students need to be aware of partisan differences.”

“The affluent and well-educated There were conservative Southern Demo- “These kinds of rules and the many checks have participatory megaphones that amplify crats like Strom Thurmond (D-SC) and and balances in American government are their voices in American politics,” says Dean Alabama Governor George Wallace, and designed to protect smaller groups from Henry Brady, linking political polarization socially liberal Republicans from the the tyranny of the majority, but they and economic inequality. In response to Northeast like New York Governor Nelson become impediments to making impor- those who speak the loudest — by virtue of Rockefeller and Jacob Javits (R-NY). tant decisions when there is substantial their extreme political views and their “Both the Democratic and Republican political polarization. It becomes impos- wealth and education — politicians often parties had cleavages on social issues sible to get enough agreement to move take positions far from the center of politi- within them — not between them,” says forward, and we have gridlock. Institu- cal opinion. Public policies, in turn, deal Dean Brady. “But the Southern Democrats tional rules seem to have bigger bite than disproportionately with the concerns of went away, largely because of the Civil they used to,” he continues. “In the 1960s, those with wealth and education and must Rights movement. Why the North Repub- the filibuster was used 10 to 20 times per contend with the polarized views of well-off licans disappeared is harder to figure out,” session. Now it’s used 100 times per ses- Democrats and Republicans. he says. “But as the Republican Party was sion. Every single issue gets a filibuster, in “Political polarization is exacerbated by wooing disaffected Southern Democrats, part because it’s not very costly. Legislators economic inequality,” says Dean Brady, an it may have alienated its more liberal can invoke a filibuster, then go home. If expert on electoral politics and political members. Also, the supply side economics they were required to stay in the Senate participation and the co-author of the new proposed by President Ronald Reagan chamber and make speeches, it would be book, The Unheavenly Chorus: Unequal may have gone too far beyond traditional costly both in terms of time and the image Political Voice and the Broken Promise of conservative economic policies, further they project on C-SPAN. Procedures like American Democracy. “We’d like to believe driving away moderates.” that need reform.” that in a democracy, all voters are weighted Today, each party’s position on social Given the ever-widening political gap equally. One person, one vote,” he says. and economic issues is more differentiated between the right and the left, how can “But the reality is that because money is so than ever. And within each party, accord- Goldman School graduates work toward important in politics, political parties and ing to Dean Brady, it is the elites who needed reform and common ground? candidates have incentives to diverge away exacerbate political polarization. According to Dean Brady, it begins with from the median, toward those able to “The elites on the right argue that gov- their time at GSPP. fund a campaign. While the median house- ernment intrusion reduces religious free- “Our students need to be aware of par- hold income in America is around $52,000 dom and economic freedom. White fun- tisan differences,” he says. “Berkeley can per year, the median dollar in a campaign damentalists and evangelicals are moved be a liberal bubble, to say the least, so our comes from those who are making more by this argument, and they reject eco- students need opportunities to thought- than $80,000 per year. These ‘elite’ tend to nomic policies (such as Obama’s health fully engage with conservatives and con- take the most extreme positions on either care program) that might benefit them. servative ideas. This is why I want to side of the political spectrum. The two par- Elites on the left do likewise, selling the increase the political diversity of the ties are farther apart than ever before, with idea that only government can protect the GSPP community. the Republican Party especially far from working man or woman from corporate “The Goldman School is the ideal place the center of American political opinion power. It is hard to find compromises on to meet people with different viewpoints on many issues.” positions in between.” and engage them intellectually,” he contin- This wasn’t always the case. According Dean Brady notes that the difficulty in ues. “If students have not encountered Political to Dean Brady, the polarization around finding a path beyond polarization has to conservative viewpoints before leaving social issues like abortion or the role of do not only with basic economic inequal- Berkeley, it will be hard to formulate poli- women is a relatively recent development. ities that fuel extreme views, but with gov- cies after graduation that will appeal to Before the Reagan era of the 1980s, it was ernmental institutions and procedures. conservatives. In the real world, the polit- possible to find Republicans and Demo- “We have institutions which make it ical divide is so wide that it’s hard to speak y ong P hotograph crats on either side of most social issues, hard to get anything done, such as the 2/3 constructively to those on the other side. and the political parties had a diversity of rule for tax increases in California or the Berkeley should be a place where students Polarization u ra W views on social issues within the party. filibuster rules in the US Senate,” he says. and faculty can do that.” G y L a

An Interview with Dean Henry E. Brady Henry E. Brady is Dean of the Goldman School and Class of 1941 Monroe Deutsch Professor of Political Science and Public Policy b P hoto

4 POLICY NOTES || SPRING 2012 GOLDMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY | UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - BERKELEY 5 Reforming the Peace Corps Last year I had the opportunity to change By David Puzey MPP/ERG Candidate ’14 public policy and fulfill a personal quest.

Despite the most polarized Congress in U.S. history, and organized a large vigil in front of the US Capitol. We also we were able to overcome initial opposition and build bipartisan began lobbying Congress; our initial supporters included Sena- support for legislation to better protect Peace Corps Volunteers — tors Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and Chris Coons (D-DE), and Rep. especially whistleblowers and victims of rape or other violence. In Ted Poe (TX-02), Co-Chair of the House Victims’ Rights Caucus. late November 2011, President Obama signed the Kate Puzey Peace We proceeded to build a coalition with a powerful law firm Corps Volunteer Protection Act into law, enacting the most sub- and former Peace Corps Volunteer rape survivors — in particu- stantial reform of the iconic agency since its creation by President lar, a victims’ rights group called First Response Action and Har- John F. Kennedy in 1961. For our family it was the bittersweet cul- vard professor Dr. Karestan Koenen, whose own rape in the mination of a long campaign, one borne of great tragedy. Peace Corps had led her to become a national expert in trauma My sister, Kate Puzey, was a Peace Corps Vol- response. While these brave women lacked cam- unteer in the West African nation of Benin, paign experience, they knew what needed to be where she worked as a teacher in a rural village. changed. On the other hand, I’d luckily spent my After learning that a fellow teacher—and local career prior to GSPP as a political organizer, an outspoken advocate for women and the third most powerful Peace Corps contractor—had raped several including working to pass environmental legis- Senate Democrat. young female students, she reported his crime to lation in California and as a Regional Field Finally, on June 23rd Senator Isakson, Senator Boxer, Rep. Poe, the Peace Corps Country Director. Tragically, Director for the Obama Campaign in Florida. and Rep. Sam Farr (CA-17) held a press conference to officially her confidentially was broken and no precau- Together, we proved to be an effective team. launch the bill. Over the next few months we amassed 30 co- tions were taken to protect her. A few days later By May 2011, the House Foreign Affairs Com- sponsors in the US Senate, passing the upper chamber in late she was brutally murdered. mittee held congressional hearings on the Peace September. With the political wind at our back, we then focused Kate was my best friend and the joyous heart Corps. Witnesses included my mother as well upon the US House and secured 88 co-sponsors. On November of our family. Valedictorian, student council as Dr. Koenen and other rape survivors. The 1, 2011, the bill passed 406-0. president, and widely loved, she was both gifted testimony was shocking, and the story garnered Ultimately, the final legislation was stronger than we’d ever and deeply compassionate. Her death shattered massive media attention, including the cover of thought possible; its provisions include establishing an Office of our lives. It was my first semester at GSPP. the New York Times and all the major TV net- Victim Advocacy and Sexual Assault Advisory Counsel, power- In the aftermath, my family and I started talk- Kate Puzey works. Shortly thereafter, we started drafting ful whistleblower safeguards, and best practice risk-reduction ing with many current and former Peace Corps formal legislation. and response protocols. In sum, it achieved our objective of cre- Volunteers, seeking answers about her death. We were shocked The Peace Corps itself publicly praised the bill. However, like ating a stronger Peace Corps that is better equipped to fulfill its to hear story after story of confidentiality breaches, and also of most federal agencies, it privately opposed legislative mandates. mission in the 21st century. a culture of ‘blaming the victim’ wherein rape survivors were We thus spent countless hours in tough negotiations seeking to At the White House signing ceremony, President Obama said, Top David Puzey with President Barack Obama at the signing often faulted and provided with no support. It became sadly evi- be collaborative. Despite our efforts, and political momentum, “Out of great tragedy has come great good.” I am indeed confi- of the Kate Puzey Volunteer Protection Act of 2011. dent that Kate’s death was reflective of wider systemic problems success was by no means guaranteed: the Peace Corps had pow- dent the law will save lives. The Peace Corps has already imple- within the Peace Corps. While always strongly supporting the erful congressional allies and, we learned, had assigned special mented many of the reforms, and today its volunteers have never Above (from the left) Peace Corps Deputy Director Carrie Peace Corps’ mission, we decided to form an advocacy group to staff to covertly gather votes against the bill’s passage. Moreover, been safer—nor better assured to receive the support they need Hessler-Radelet; Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA); Peace Corps seek the changes needed to better protect its volunteers. Our ini- three similar reform efforts in the preceding decades had been should violence befall them. In a year marked by partisan grid- Director Aaron Williams; First Response Action board mem- tial efforts, including attempting to pass a reform bill — Dodd defeated — and our bill was far more prescriptive. lock and attacks on women’s rights, many staffers also regarded bers Carol Clark and Kate Finn; President Barack Obama; Lois S1382 — in the summer of 2010, proved unsuccessful. After During this time, my life consisted almost entirely of helping the law as some of finest quality legislation of the 112th Congress. and Harry Puzey; David Puzey, Rep. Ted Poe (TX-02); and Dr. much deliberation, we decided to go to the media. to revise the legislation, organizing campaign outreach, and per- Nothing will bring Kate back and I still grieve for her each day. Karestan Koenen. In January 2011, ABC’s 20/20 ran a special report featuring sonally contacting the staff of nearly every member of Congress. I do, however, take some comfort in knowing her legacy will help Kate’s story, as well as those of rape survivors from the Peace Amid many setbacks we built a bipartisan base in both chambers, better protect future Peace Corps Volunteers doing similar good- Corps. Utilizing that momentum, I launched a campaign website including a powerful new ally: Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), will with a noble agency that she admired deeply. G

6 POLICY NOTES | SPRING 2012 GOLDMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY | UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - BERKELEY 7 The Volatility of Social Influence When Everyone is Your Neighbor By Robert J. MacCoun

There is little doubt that American political elites clear that such psychological tendencies are increasing over time. scenarios that would be nearly impossible to test in social psy- actors’ perceptions can become increasingly correlated, which have become extremely polarized in recent years. Whether ordi- What is surely changing is the ability of ordinary citizens to moni- chology experiments. Some of my initial simulations use an can sometimes increase volatility. nary citizens are similarly polarized is a more contentious ques- tor an ever-increasing share of opinions in the population at large. approach called agent-based modeling, in which large numbers To illustrate how influence patterns emerge in the model, con- tion — one that continues to polarize scholars. For example, legal In a forthcoming paper in Psychological Review, I propose and of simulated agents simultaneously react to the distribution of sider a completely random configuration of 800 Red and 800 scholar Cass Sunstein has argued that the Internet and other test a mathematical model of social influence based on the notion opinion in their neighborhood in accordance with the threshold Blue agents, spread across 2500 locations. (There are 900 empty information technologies are helping to foster a “balkanized that people tend to resist social pressure until a critical level of model. After they react, the social situation has changed, and so cells to allow for local variation in social density.) speech market,” in which people expose themselves to like- opposition is encountered. This critical threshold constitutes one they each react again, sometimes but not always reaching a stable Start with a base case where each group has a Threshold of .5, minded sources and insulate themselves from alternative points key parameter of the model. A second key parameter is norm equilibrium. In these simulations, I have found that the threshold Clarity set at a moderate level of 5, and Vision = 1, so agents can of view. Economists Matthew Gentzkow and Jesse Shapiro coun- clarity; it measures the degree to which members of a faction and clarity parameters produce qualitatively different behavior “see” their immediate neighbor in each of the eight major com- ter this with evidence that ideological segregation in Internet share the same threshold. When clarity is very high, the model as I vary a third parameter called vision. pass directions — a maximum of 8 neighbors. Figure 1 shows news consumption is low, both in absolute terms and relative to predicts the kind of stark “tipping points” explored by Thomas Vision refers to the number of neighbors whose opinions each what happens after 200 time periods. The faction sizes have ordinary face-to-face interactions. Schelling (in his analysis of racial segregation in housing) and agent is able to monitor. I believe that the vision parameter is quite changed very little — 55:46 rather than the original 50:50 split. In this brief essay, I will show how both claims could be cor- popularized in the writings of Malcolm Gladwell. But the model important because we are seeing a dramatic shift in our ability to But rather than being randomly scattered, the opinion groups rect, and how some features of information technology create also explains why such dramatic discontinuities are far from monitor the views of an ever-increasing share of the national (and are clustered into coherent bands of red and blue — not because the potential for distinct and sometimes dramatic patterns of ubiquitous; when clarity is sufficiently low, any changes will be ultimately global) population. How? Through an endless barrage they moved together but because people conformed to their local social influence. gradual rather than sudden. My paper offers a wide variety of of highly publicized public opinion polls, user recommendations neighborhood culture. There is little doubt that individual psychological processes con- tests of the model using classic data sets on conformity, delib- on Amazon.com and other commercial sites, “likes” on Facebook But if Vision increases to 10, agents can see 10 cells in each tribute to political polarization. For example, social psychologist eration, the diffusion of innovations, and social movements, as and YouTube, and rants in blogs and Twitter posts. direction — a maximum of 440 neighbors. Figure 2 shows one Susannah Paletz and I found that when people learn of new research well as checks to verify that the model finds thresholds where it As vision increases, actors are less attuned to their immediate example of what can happen — depolarization, in this case, a findings on controversial policy topics, they are reluctant to specu- should and not where it shouldn’t. neighborhood and more attuned to the population as a whole. dramatic shift toward the Red opinion. This is not due to any late about the political affiliations of the researchers…unless the The model can be used as a tool to estimate these parameters Moreover, as vision increases, actors’ perceptions are based on intrinsic drawing power of Red arguments. Rather, it is entirely researchers’ findings contradict their own views. But it is far from in real-life situations. But it can also be used to explore social larger sample sizes, a factor that tends to reduce volatility. But due to the way Vision and Clarity can amplify slight variations in initial random clustering. (Thus in other runs of the same sce- nario, sometimes Blue wins, and sometimes there is a tie.) At this Figure 1 - Vision = 1 Figure 2 - Vision = 10 Figure 3 - Vision = 10 level, Vision is broad enough to produce correlated shifts across many agents, yet not so broad as to provide an accurate percep- tion of the full population’s even split. Finally, Figure 3 shows that at the same level of Vision, increas- ing Clarity dramatically amplifies clustering. This example is more like the first one, with sustained polarization, but now the clusters are very large — an image reminiscent of the regional differences in “Red and Blue” maps of the American electorate. Naturally, these simulations are not “findings” about the world; rather, they are hypothetical projections from a model that has proven useful in fitting real data. Of course, the simulations abstract away many factors, like media campaigns and geographic mobility. Still, they illustrate how changes in our collective ability to monitor social opinion data may produce not only polarization, but also the potential for radical depolarization on some issues. The latter pattern is a reminder that collegial and reasoned delib- eration isn’t the only alternative to polarization — another alterna- tive is groupthink, a premature closure of debate on issues. As our ability to monitor opinions broadens, we are likely to see increases Figure 1. Clustering After 200 iterations, an initially ran- Figure 2. Depolarization Figure 3. in clustering and correlated movement that can foster either polar- dom configuration of 50% Blue and 50% Red forms dense The same settings as in Figure 1, except that Vision is now 200 iterations of the same settings as Figure 2, except ization or depolarization. Both kinds of change will create threats clusters of like-minded agents. Both sets of actors have at 10 (corresponding to a view of up to 440 neighbors Clarity is increased to 10. for some stakeholders and opportunities for others. G Threshold = .5, Clarity = 5, and Vision = 1 (allowing each per agent). agent to monitor up to 8 immediate neighbors). Robert J. MacCoun is Professor of Law and Public Policy

8 POLICY NOTES | SPRING 2012 GOLDMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY | UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - BERKELEY 9 faculty GSPP Welcomes Sarah Anzia

In July 2012, Sarah Anzia joins in Oakland before I returned to Chicago, own interest groups. Local governments I think is quite valuable — and perhaps How might today’s students of issues very well — often aren’t skilled in the faculty of the Goldman School as an where I worked in the private sector for vary tremendously in how elections are unusual. The students are incredibly public policy help shape tomor- getting their message heard. I think the assistant professor. Policy Notes spoke three years. In 2005, I started my MPP at conducted and how government is struc- engaged and knowledgeable, and I think row’s political landscape? biggest opportunity for today’s public pol- with her about her background, her inter- the Harris School at the University of tured. All of that variation in political I will learn a lot from them. The staff So much of the policymaking world is icy students is to both learn how to be ests in and outside of public policy and Chicago, and then in 2007, I took off for structure shapes how public policy deci- members not only seem incredibly made up of people who are great at get- good analysts and how to be savvy in how today’s students of public policy California once again to pursue a PhD in sions are made — and therefore what pol- friendly and helpful but are also clearly ting their message across but lack the communicating their message and getting might shape tomorrow’s politics. political science at Stanford. That brings icy decisions are made. interested in policy as well. I’m looking training to assess, evaluate, and under- it heard. That combination is incredibly us to today! My husband and I moved to As for the specifics of my current forward to becoming a part of that inter- stand the evidence, whereas many of the powerful — and I think it will ultimately Oakland three months ago, and we are research, my dissertation and book project active GSPP community. people with strong analytical training — lead to a more informed policymaking thoroughly enjoying being in an urban is about how the timing of elections — the people who know and understand the world in the future. G environment again. meaning whether state and local elections are held at the same time as national elec- What initially got you interested tions — shapes voter turnout, the compo- in public policy? sition of the electorate, and the degree to During my junior year of college, one of which organized interest groups can influ- my microeconomics professors invited ence election outcomes and policy. I am Influence and the Role of Political Lobbies me to join a public policy reading and also working on a second, coauthored discussion group. The goal of the group project that focuses on the role of govern- When Tim Dayonot was student body was to think about how basic lessons from ment employees and public sector unions president at San Francisco State, he led a economics can be applied to a variety of in American politics and how their influ- multi-campus effort that pooled enough topical policy issues: education, electric- ence affects public policy. The role of resources to hire a full-time lobbyist. ity, auto emissions and the environment, women in politics is also a topic that inter- “We wanted the students to have a and so on. That was really the point at ests me a great deal, in particular how voice,” he remembers. As a result, the which I started to think deeply about women fare at different stages of the elec- then-23-year old spent a lot of time in where and when markets function and toral process compared to men. Sacramento and Washington. His experi- fail — and what the role of government ence led him to degrees in public admin- can and should be. It was the first time Why the Goldman School? istration and law, and eventually to a that I viewed my coursework as being not That’s an easy one: It’s a terrific policy career in government affairs, including only interesting and fun but also useful in school! So the real question is: Why a being the Director of Community Ser- a practical way and relevant for major policy school? The answer to that ques- vices and Development for California tions department or hires contract lobby- there are many gray areas and ways to policy issues. tion is that it’s a natural fit for me and my Governors Gray Davis and Arnold ists,” says Tim. “Unions have lobbyists, as work around them.” interests. All of my research is motivated Schwarzenegger. This spring, he is teach- do many grassroots organizations. The GSPP class on lobbying includes a You have a PhD in political sci- by concern about policy. A former col- ing a GSPP class on lobbying. Recently, there’s been tremendous spend- negotiations module, as well as lectures ence from Stanford. What are league of mine once lamented that she “Getting public policy enacted is a very ing by Silicon Valley companies like from lobbyists, legislative advocates, leg-

your areas of research interest? dislikes writing grant applications political process,” he says. “The merits of Google and Apple to hire lobbyists to islators and legal experts. This semester’s y ong P hotograph Broadly speaking, I am interested in how because she struggles when it comes to the arguments are useful, but there are advocate for the issues that are important guests have included Heather Rowan,

political institutions shape the way public the part where she has to discuss the pol- powerful forces that influence how deci- to them. It’s big money.” Counsel to the California Fair Political u ra W

Tell us a little bit about yourself. policy is made. In policy circles, we spend icy implications of her proposed project. sions are made. Lobbyists and legislative Despite the low opinion that the Amer- Practices Commission, Christine Tread- y L a Where did you grow up? a lot of time talking about workable (and I decided at that moment that if I am ever advocates are at the center of that.” ican public seems to have of lobbyists — way, Assistant Chancellor, Government I grew up in a suburb of Chicago. My even optimal) solutions, and yet when it considering a project for which I can’t And the scale is impressive. There are they regularly poll at or near the bottom and Community Relations at UC Berke- b P hoto main extracurricular activities during comes down to it, all proposed solutions articulate the policy implications, I over 17,000 registered lobbyists (often for honesty and trustworthiness — and ley and Nick Warner, a prominent con- childhood involved music and dance: a have to pass through the filter of politics shouldn’t do the project. referred to as the “third house”) working in despite well-publicized scandals that have tract lobbyist. little singing, a little more piano, and a lot before they can be implemented. And the Washington DC in what is estimated to be brought in waves of new rules and regula- Whether GSPP students go on to of dance — mostly ballet, but also mod- political process varies tremendously What are you most looking a billion dollar industry. Hundreds of lob- tions, lobbyists and legislative advocates become policy makers, advisors, legisla- ern and jazz. After high school, I left the across time and space. My work focuses forward to as you start your byists work in Sacramento and still others remain a powerful political force. tors, legislative staff or lobbyists them- Midwest to attend Santa Clara University, primarily on state and local politics in the new post at GSPP? work at the city government level. It per- “Big corporations have huge concentra- selves, an understanding of lobbyists and where I majored in economics and did a US, and it never ceases to amaze me how I’ve been so impressed by my interactions meates every aspect of the political process. tions of wealth,” says Tim. “Many Wash- the strategies they employ will be critical, minor in French. (The French minor let much variation there is in how the coun- with members of the GSPP community. I The idea of persuading decision makers is ington law firms have lobbying divisions notes Tim. me justify spending a quarter in Paris try’s 89,000 individual governments are love that the faculty members communi- nothing new. The difference today, says and many lobbyists are constantly arrang- “No matter which side of the table during my junior year, which I have run. Each state has its own electoral rules, cate with each other and give each other Tim, is its scale and sophistication. ing money to be donated to the leaders they’re sitting on, they’ll need to under- never regretted!) After college, I spent a its own rules and norms for how the feedback regardless of their respective “Every major corporation — and many whom they are trying to influence. There stand the key role lobbyists play in the for- year living in San Francisco and working branches of government interact, and its disciplines and research interests, which mid-sized ones — has a government rela- are rules that regulate these things, but mation and adoption of public policy.” G

10 POLICY NOTES | SPRING 2012 GOLDMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY | UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - BERKELEY 11 But now the nation is becoming aware. people who are already rich and powerful care’s administrative costs are only 3 per- President Obama has made it one of the — as well as their children. Instead of lion- cent, far below the 10 percent average defining issues of his reelection campaign. izing the rich, we’re beginning to suspect administrative costs of private insurers. So The non-partisan Congressional Budget they gained their wealth by ripping us off. it would seem logical to tame rising Office has issued a major report on the Americans have never much liked gov- healthcare costs for all Americans by widening disparities. The issue of inequal- ernment. After all, the nation was con- allowing any family to opt in. That was the ity is now front-page news. For the first ceived in a revolution against government. idea behind the “public option.” But health time since the 1930s, a broad cross-section But the surge of cynicism now engulfing insurers stopped it in its tracks. of the American public is talking about America isn’t about government’s size. The Some argue that we wouldn’t have to the concentration of income, wealth, and cynicism comes from a growing percep- worry about big money taking over gov- political power at the top. tion that government isn’t working for ernment if we had a smaller government Score a big one for the Occupiers. average people. It’s working for big busi- to begin with. When we debated this a few Regardless of whether you sympathize with ness, Wall Street, and the very rich — who, months ago on ABC’s “This Week,” Con- the so-called Occupier movement that in effect, have bought it. In a recent Pew gressman Paul Ryan (WI-1) told me that spread across America last fall, or whether Foundation poll, 77 percent of respon- “[i]f the power and money are going to be you believe it will become a growing polit- dents said too much power is in the hands here in Washington, that’s where the influ- ical force in America, it has had a profound of a few rich people and corporations. ence is going to go … that’s where the pow- effect on the national conversation. That view is understandable. erful are going to go to influence it.” I Even more startling is the change in pub- Wall Street got bailed out by American believe Ryan has it upside down. A smaller lic opinion. Not since the 1930s has a taxpayers, but one out of every three home- government that’s still dominated by majority of Americans called for redistribu- owners with a mortgage is now under money would continue to do the bidding tion of income or wealth. But according to water, caught in the tsunami caused by the of Wall Street, the pharmaceutical industry, The Future of the a recent New York Times/CBS News poll, Street’s excesses. The federal bailout wasn’t oil companies, big agribusiness, big insur- an astounding 66 percent of Americans say conditioned on the banks helping these ance, military contractors, and rich indi- the nation’s wealth should be more evenly homeowners, and direct federal help since viduals. It just wouldn’t do anything else. distributed. A similar majority believes the the bailout has been meager. The recent Experts say the 2012 presidential race is Occupy Movement rich should pay more in taxes. According settlement of claims against the banks is likely to be the priciest ever, costing an to a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, a tiny compared to how much homeowners estimated $6 billion. “It is far worse than majority of people who describe them- have lost. As a result, millions of people are it has ever been,” says Republican Senator selves as Republicans believe taxes should losing their homes or simply walking away John McCain (R-AZ). All restraints on In the late 1980s, I noticed a troubling trend. A larger and larger share be increased on the rich. from homes whose mortgage payments spending are off now that the Supreme of the nation’s income and wealth was going to the very top — not The old view was anyone could make it they can no longer afford. Court has determined that money is in America with enough guts and gump- Homeowners can’t use bankruptcy to speech and corporations are people under just the top one percent, but to the top of the top one percent — while tion. We believed in the self-made man (or, reorganize their mortgage loans because the the First Amendment. As the great jurist other Americans were dividing up a shrinking share. I wrote up my more recently, woman) who rose from rags banks have engineered the bankruptcy laws and Supreme Court justice Louis Brandeis findings, and my tentative explanation for it, in a book called “The to riches — inventors and entrepreneurs to prohibit this. Young people can’t use once said, “We can either have democracy Work of Nations.” Bill Clinton read it, and after he was elected presi- born into poverty, like Benjamin Franklin; bankruptcy to reorganize their student loans in this country or we can have great wealth dent asked me to be his Secretary of Labor. He told me he was com- generations of young men from humble because the banks have barred it. Yet Amer- concentrated in the hands of a few, but we beginnings who grew up to become presi- ican Airlines is planning to use the bank- cannot have both.” mitted to reversing the trend, and he called for more investment in dent, like Abe Lincoln. We loved the novel- ruptcy to renege on its labor contracts — I don’t know where the Occupier move- education, training, infrastructure, and health care in order to make las of Horatio Alger, and their more mod- terminating its underfunded pension plans ment is heading but I do know there’s By Robert Reich the bottom half of our population more productive. Clinton and his ern equivalents — stories that proved the and thereby creating the largest pension great energy at America’s grass roots for administration worked hard but we were never able to implement his American dream was open to anyone who default in US history, much of whose cost positive change — more energy now than worked hard. In that old view, which was a will be borne by taxpayers as the Pension I’ve seen in decades. The question is how In November 2011, Professor full agenda. The economic recovery of the middle and late 1990s was kind of national morality play, being rich Benefit Guarantee Corporation, a govern- to harness that energy and turn it into a Robert Reich delivered the 15th strong enough to generate 22 million new jobs and raise almost every- was proof of hard work and lack of money ment agency, takes them over. sustainable movement to take back our annual Mario Savio Memorial one’s wages, but it did not reverse the long-term trend. The share of was proof of indolence or worse. The biggest single driver of the nation’s economy and democracy. G Lecture on UC Berkeley’s Sproul total income and wealth claimed by the top continued to grow, as did A profound change has come over Amer- yawning budget deficit is Medicare, whose ica. Guts, gumption, and hard work don’t costs would be far lower if it could use its Plaza, to a crowd of thousands the political clout that accompanies such concentration. seem to pay off as they once did – or at least bargaining leverage to get drug companies Robert Reich is Chancellor’s who had gathered to support as they did in our national morality play. to reduce their prices. It hasn’t happened Professor of Public Policy. the Occupy movement. Most Americans remained unaware. Instead, the game seems rigged in favor of because Big Pharma won’t allow it. Medi-

12 POLICY NOTES || SPRING 2012 GOLDMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY | UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - BERKELEY 13 FACULTY notes from the desk of

In November 2011, Suzanne Scotchmer was tion. It is entitled “Consumer Friendly and Robert J. MacCoun has given talks at Stan- Professor Raphael has been working with Martha Chavez conferred an honorary doctorate by the Uni- Environmentally Sound Electricity Rates for ford Law School on “The burden of social California Attorney General Kamala Harris’ versity of Basel. the Twenty-First Century.” Only 1% of US resi- proof: Shared thresholds and social influ- office on several projects evaluating the dential consumers are on time-varying rates, ence” and at the Conference on Empirical impacts of prisoner realignments in CA. GSPP Launches New MPP-ERG Dan Kammen was selected by UN Secre- and most electricity systems have not tried Legal Studies in Chicago on “Cheap talk Concurrent Degree Program tary General Ban-ki Moon for the High Level to design time-varying rates that would be and credibility: The consequences of con- Jack Glaser has recently completed an Task force on Sustainable Energy for All attractive to most. Professor Friedman has fidence and accuracy on advisor credibility essay, with doctoral student Karin Martin (sustainableenergyforall.org). He was created a design that he terms HOOP (House- and persuasiveness.” He has been cited exten- (MPP ’06), on racial profiling for a Sage One of the most exciting elected Fellow of the American Association hold On and Off Peak) rates to meet this chal- sively in the media, including ABC and the Publications debate series. Invited to take aspects about working at GSPP is Martha Chavez is for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), lenge, and he shows in this paper that it could Huffington Post. Recently published papers the “opposed” side, Martin and Glaser argue the Assistant Dean including a citation for demonstrating the be used on California residential customers include, “The burden of social proof: Shared that for logical, pragmatic, constitutional, our focus on continuously improv- value of rigorous interdisciplinary work with only minor changes in their bills from the thresholds and social influence” in Psycho- and ethical reasons, racial profiling is an ing and developing cutting-edge for Academic Affairs combining technical expertise with policy current system but much better incentives not logical Review, “Assessing drug prohibition unjustifiable practice that warrants affirma- programs that provide students analysis, with a particular focus on renew- only to utilize off-peak electricity for electric and its alternatives: A guide for agnostics” tive counter-measures. with the most relevant skills and able energy systems. He is on the National vehicles but also to participate in demand in the Annual Review of Law & Social Sci- With colleagues Kimberly Kahn and Kather- exposure to critical policy areas. Advisory Council on Environment and Tech- response programs that help to ensure the ence, “Design considerations for legalizing ine Spencer, Professor Glaser has a forthcom- nology (NACEPT) for the US Environmental reliability of the grid. He has presented this cannabis” and “What can we learn from the ing chapter on “Prejudice and Discrimination In Fall 2011, GSPP forged a partnership with the Energy and Resources Protection Agency. work at a UC Berkeley Climate Change Sym- Dutch cannabis coffeeshop system?” both on the Internet.” His book on racial profiling Group (ERG) to launch a concurrent degree program, combining the Master Professor Kammen has released SWITCH, a posium, at the Association for Public Policy published in Addiction. for Oxford University Press, Suspect Race, of Public Policy (MPP) program with a Master of Science (MS) or Arts (MA) major modeling tool for low carbon planning Analysis and Management, and at a high-level is in the editing phase and is planned for in Energy and Resources. Energy is the defining challenge of the 21st century, for Western North America: rael.berkeley.edu/ conference organized by the California Public Michael Nacht chaired an India Work Group publication in early 2013. Professor Glaser with unprecedented implications for national security, long-term economic switch. He and his students have also released Utilities Commission to consider new ideas whose findings were included in the final has been working with police departments competitiveness, and climate change. The MPP-ERG program will provide a report on the energy options for Kosovo, for residential rate design. The draft paper report of the International Strategy Task Force to develop a training program to reduce the which is being hotly debated internationally is available at his GSPP personal web page. submitted to the Provost that recommends influence of implicit stereotyping on police students with one-of-a-kind training that integrates public policy analytical at a time when the World Bank and the US new campus international initiatives. judgments and behaviors. He will be giving tools with energy and resource knowledge. Students will have access to the government are favoring a coal-intensive Eugene Bardach’s book Getting Agencies He led a Washington Post digital dis- a keynote address on racial profiling at the top faculty from two of the best programs in the country. This program allows future for Europe’s poorest nation. The report to Work Together: The Craft and Theory of cussion on North Korean regime change, Society for the Psychological Study of Social students to earn both degrees within three years, and is the sixth concurrent and some of the debate can be followed Interagency Collaboration has just appeared and appeared twice on KQED’s Forum with Issues in North Carolina this summer. degree program offered by GSPP. at his laboratory website: rael.berkeley.edu, in a Chinese translation, published by Peking Michael Krasny on US national security policy and on his blog site at National Geographic: University Press. It originally was published and the US withdrawal from Iraq. John Ellwood is very pleased with the three MPP-ERG students will gain a deep understanding of critical energy, envi- greatenergychallengeblog.com/blog/author/ by Brookings Institution Press in 1998. His Professor Nacht spoke at the Woodrow postdocs who have been recruited for the ronmental and climate change problems, as well as key quantitative and ana- dankammen/. book, A Practical Guide for Policy Analysis: Wilson International Center for Scholars in Robert Wood Johnson Program in Health lytical tools necessary to develop innovative and efficient policy solutions. The The Eightfold Path to More Effective Prob- Washington, DC on nuclear weapons policy, Care Policy. There are three sites (Berkeley/ combination of both disciplines will significantly enhance the job prospects for Lee Friedman is continuing to work on cli- lem Solving will be published in Japanese at the University of San Francisco on cyber UCSF, Harvard, and Michigan). He sits on students by preparing them for careers in the public, private, and nonprofit sec- mate change issues, focusing recently on the translation early this summer by Toyo Keizai security, and on nuclear terrorism at Law- the Board of the California Budget Project. tors, both nationally and internationally. Our goal is to recruit and admit stu- relations among electricity regulations, the publishers. This book, in its fourth edition, is rence Livermore National Laboratory. At UC The CBP’s founding director will be leaving “smart grid” and climate change. He received published in the US, and in English, by CQ Berkeley, he spoke on American foreign policy after 17 years running the organization to dents who have the potential to become the future leaders in the local, national, a $50,000 seed grant from CITRIS (the UCB Press, a division of Sage Publishing. It first at the International House; cyber security at take a job with the Ford Foundation in NYC. and global energy, climate, and environmental policy arenas. Center for Information Technology Research appeared in 1995. The translation has been Berkeley Law and at the Center for the Study Professor Ellwood is on the Search Commit- Students will also have access to the unparalleled resources that can only in the Interest of Society) that has supported done by a recent GSPP alum, Kenji Shiraishi of Social Issues; North Korea at the Institute tee to find a replacement. He also chaired be found at a place like UC Berkeley. For example, the campus has initiated GSPP students who have worked on this (MPP ’10). This book has already appeared, for East Asian Studies; and ballistic missile the GSPP PhD Admissions Committee and the Berkeley Energy and Climate Institute (BECI), a cutting-edge coordinat- project. The first published paper from it in translation, in 6 other languages. defense at the Institute for Government Stud- was a member of the GSPP MPP Admis- appeared in the Energy Journal (Novem- ies. He was the Class of ’61 faculty speaker sions Committee. ing hub for all of Berkeley’s energy and climate efforts. Students can get ber 2011), “The Importance of Marginal Cost Robert Reich’s newest book, Beyond Out- on American foreign policy for Homecoming. involved with the Berkeley Energy & Resources Collaborative (BERC), a mul- Electricity Pricing to the Success of Green- rage is being published in mid-April by Alfred Jesse Rothstein received the John T. Dun- tidisciplinary network of over 3,000 UC Berkeley students, alumni, faculty, house Gas Reduction Programs.” In it, Pro- Knopf as an ebook. It will be available for Steve Raphael gave a keynote lecture in Sep- lop award from the Labor and Employment industry professionals, and advisors who seek to turn world-leading research fessor Friedman shows the large empirical $2.99, so he doesn’t want to hear any excuses tember at the Transatlantic Workshop on Relations Association in January 2012. He is into world-changing solutions by tackling tough and timely energy and envi- disconnect between the high rates that US about not being able to afford it. (Of course the Economics of Crime in Turin, Italy and a member of the Technical Review Commit- ronmental challenges. residences pay for off-peak electricity and you’ll have to buy a tablet to read it on.) at the annual meeting of the America Latina tee for the National Longitudinal Surveys. His the very low cost of providing that electricity He just returned from Seoul, South Korea, Crime and Policy Network (AL CAPONE) in paper, “Unemployment Insurance and Job The MPP-ERG join degree is just one example of the flexibility of GSPP’s cur- — typically 4–6 times above cost in the US, where on March 8 he gave the keynote Rio de Jaineiro. Search in the Great Recession,” was pub- riculum, which allows students to specialize in policy area that interests them. and in some cases more than 10x the cost. If address at the Global Leadership Forum, He worked with doctoral student Sarah lished in March in the Brookings Papers on We invite you to learn more about our programs by visiting our website at you think, as Professor Friedman does, that involving ex-prime ministers and economic Tahamont (MPP ’09) on a study for the Cali- Economic Activity. He co-authored a paper (http://gspp.berkeley.edu/programs/); MPP-ERG concurrent degree program vehicle electrification is a promising route ministers from fourteen nations. fornia Department of Corrections and Reha- (with Linda Darling-Hammond, Ed Haertel, (http://gspp.berkeley.edu/programs/index.html#MPP-ERG); the Berkeley to large reductions in GHG emissions, then His two-minute-thirty second video “The bilitation on their inmate security assessment and Audrey Amrein-Beardsley) on “Evaluat- you do not want people inappropriately Truth About the US Economy” has been seen system used to assign prison inmates to dif- ing Teacher Evaluation” that was published Energy and Climate Institute (http://vcresearch.berkeley.edu/energy) and Berke- being discouraged from buying and using 1.6 million times, according to YouTube, but ferent security level institutions. The findings in Phi Delta Kappan. Education Weekly’s Rick ley Energy & Resources Collaborative (http://berc.berkeley.edu/). G electric vehicles by rates for electricity that that does not necessarily mean it has been from the final report, produced by an expert Hess named Professor Rothstein among the are many multiples above its costs. seen by 1.6 million people. It’s entirely pos- panel of UC faculty members from several top 100 academics who are contributing to A second paper from this research is still sible it was played over and over in order to campuses, is being used to inform reforms the public discourse on education and edu- in draft stage, but is receiving much atten- lull his three-year-old granddaughter to sleep. regarding this classification system. cation policy.

14 POLICY NOTES | SPRING 2012 GOLDMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY | UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - BERKELEY 15 students Union Membership and Voting

By Chris Finn MPP ’06/PhD Candidate workforce, and labor management relations government workers unionized at rates For years, union membership has over the last several decades. around 41%. been shown to be positively associated During this time, union density has It appears unions could get more for with voter turnout and voting Demo- decreased substantially since its peak in the their money by organizing workers in the cratic; however, the combination of 1950s while much of the national economy retail and service sectors, but the third changes in the economy, changes in the has shifted away from manufacturing major change over the last few decades composition of the unionized workforce, toward lower-skilled service sector jobs. makes that more difficult. Employers have and increased efforts of employers to In looking at how the change in indus- stepped up their efforts to fight unioniza- fight unions has resulted in a further try from 1984 (the first year to contain tion efforts through moving production to marginalization of turnout of sectors of industry, union status, and voter turnout non-union locations, challenging union the electorate who are otherwise less in the Current Population Survey) to elections, and even promoting decertifica- inclined to vote. 2004, one major change stands out when tion campaigns. disaggregating across education levels. In Such efforts have been assisted by busi- the aggregate, the major noticeable change ness-friendly politicians over the years. The over the twenty-year period was a decrease Citizens United decision is significant here, in the manufacturing sectors. A more pre- since the recent battle in Wisconsin to take cise look shows lower education workers away collective bargaining rights for public moved in large numbers to retail, amount- sector workers seemed to lead off a wave of ing to a 112% increase of lower education similar legislative attempts to limit union workers in that field. rights around the country. Right-to-work As of 2004, retail was the largest sector laws have now been proposed in a number students The War Room for workers as a whole (17.61%), with the of electoral swing states. Policies and prac- number for lower education workers sub- tices that limit the political effects of unions stantially larger (29.14%). Unions were leave corporations the main beneficiary of Clockwise from left: GSPP students Aaron Burgess, Vijay Das, Sheetal Dir, Three members of the “Berkeley 7” with Gov. Jennifer Granholm. not able to keep up with the shift, how- Citizens United. ever, and union membership rates in the As the combined changes diminish By Aaron Burgess MPP Candidate ’13 stories that were not being discussed by My first “Call to Action” was in sector dropped from 7.97% to 3.59%. That labor’s ability to affect outcome, fewer In October of 2011, Jennifer Granholm other major media outlets. From a response to Rush Limbaugh’s diatribe on is, the industries in which unions poten- citizens participate in the electoral pro- received a telephone call from Al Gore. He glimpse inside Obama’s campaign war Sandra Fluke and the resulting war-on- tially have their largest effect is less than cess. As some researchers have pointed asked the former Governor of Michigan room in Chicago, to the implications of women commentary. We urged viewers 5% unionized. out, this results in a class bias in turnout. and Distinguished Practitioner of Law and voter ID laws in South Carolina, and to sign a petition asking Clear Channel Compounding the effects of the shifts in As policy makers of both major parties Public Policy at the Goldman School to the impact of the Citizen’s United deci- to “Flush Rush” from their airwaves and the economy, the composition of the adjust their campaigns and policies host a television show on his network, sion on campaign finance, we helped to boycott his sponsors. Although his Contrary to studies that report dimin- unionized workforce has changed in the toward the electorate, the political polar- Current TV. find and research unique and compel- show remains on the air, we were able to ished turnout would not significantly alter opposite direction. One change to take ization between those making policy and The War Room with Jennifer Granholm ling stories that were featured in early mobilize hundreds of people to make political outcomes, with the claim that place over the period considered here is those affected by that policy may be was intended to beef up Current TV’s cov- episodes of the show. their voices heard and take a step toward those who vote are representative of those that both the population at large and the greater than what we’re seeing between erage of the 2012 election and, as Al Gore As the show evolved, so did the ways in making positive change in the world. I who don’t, my work on the effects of union membership of unions increased their the two parties themselves. G put it, “to illuminate and provide context which we each contributed. On any given hope the “Call To Action” segment on membership adds to the increasing body average years of education. Union mem- to the public policy discussions surround- day, the Berkeley 7 worked with everyone The War Room will recur regularly and of work that finds disproportionate effects bership shows more of an increase in col- ing the election.” from the Governor and senior producers, empower everyday citizens into making of reduced voter turnout. lege and graduate school than non-union Chris Finn studies political psychology Seven GSPP students, including myself, to digital producers and the graphics a difference in the issues that are impor- One point relevant for questions of members, reflecting a union membership and political participation, especially were chosen to intern with the Governor department, on various aspects of the tant to them. democracy and representation has been the that is now more highly educated than the the effects of labor unions on voter on her new show. She shared with us the show. One of the most rewarding parts For me, The War Room has been a finding that the union effect on voter turn- general population. turnout and vote choice. Separate vision for the show: it was to be unlike any about working at Current TV is that there dream come true, combining my interest out is substantially larger for those with This is somewhat due to the increase in work examines the effects of implicit other show on television. It wouldn’t be is no limit to what we can contribute. in politics and journalism. I’m proud of lower levels of education. Education has unionization of teachers and nurses, but racial bias on turnout and vote choice, about simplistic talking points. Rather, the I had been thinking that most news the ways that the program has taken historically been found to be the main pre- also due quite literally to public policy stu- and felon disenfranchisement. You show would be about what was really hap- shows report the news, but do little to tell journalistic political commentary to a dictor of voter turnout, followed by income. dents, who tend to find employment in the can reach him at [email protected]. pening, real problems and solutions. To people what they can do in response. At higher level and am privileged to work This is especially important considering the public sector. Government workers are the accomplish that, she needed our help. our daily morning meeting, I pitched the alongside Governor Granholm and my changes in the economy, the unionized most highly unionized workers, with local In the weeks leading up to the show’s idea of creating a “Call To Action,” to tell fellow GSPP students to bring positive premiere, the other interns and I (known people something they can actually do to change to the world. G around Current TV’s SF headquarters as make a difference about the stories they [email protected] Photo by Laura Wong Photography “The Berkeley 7”), researched political care about. Photo by Laura Wong Photography

16 POLICY NOTES | SPRING 2012 GOLDMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY | UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - BERKELEY 17 alumni Brian Turner alumni Teri Gullo

Given the increasing polarization in American politics, “It seemed to intensify with the Obama Administration and the Amidst the intense polarization and partisanship in and given a political system that is discordant at best and dys- passing of the stimulus bill, though I know it also existed during Washington, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has a man- functional at worst, why would a GSPP graduate aspire to work the Bush years. Some of the push back [to President Obama] was date to provide independent, nonpartisan analysis of economic in Washington DC? This was the question posed to Brian Turner legitimate antipathy toward that level of government interven- and budgetary issues to the US Congress. Teri Gullo (MPP ’83) (MPP/ERG ’06) who, despite the problems, remains enthusiastic tion. But it’s gone way beyond that, with partisans exploiting is one of two Deputy Directors in the Budget Analysis Division about working in the Nation’s capital. these concerns to achieve utter gridlock. The bipartisan space (BAD) of CBO (The other Deputy Director of BAD is Holly Har- “The level at which reg- has shrunk to the point where you need an electron microscope vey (MPP ’86). Teri spoke with Policy Notes about her work, the ulation and legislative to find it.” GSPP toolkit and the importance of remaining vigilantly non- policy is developed here is Brian adds that along with the general cynicism of “your loss partisan and objective. unparalleled anywhere is my win” there’s also an institutional cynicism that can creep process and we strive to make our analyses consistent, transpar- else in the world,” says in. “Lots of people came into the Obama Administration with How did you get to the CBO? ent, and widely available as soon as they are completed. Brian. He is the Deputy great goals and plans for how to get things done, for instance I first came to CBO as an intern in the summer between my first One of the challenges in maintaining an objective, nonpartisan Director of Governor to spend the stimulus money on great programs and make and second years at GSPP. I then returned to CBO as a budget ana- view is to guard against letting our natural skepticism about the Jerry Brown’s Washington people’s lives better,” he says. “But the existing bureaucracy lyst working on land and water management issues. In 1996, I helped process become cynicism. As Phil Joyce points out in his recent office and represents the slowed, distorted and even killed many good ideas. That can be create and became chief of CBO’s State and Local Government Cost book about CBO (The Congressional Budget Office: Honest Num- interests of the state in the very disillusioning.” Estimates Unit. I became Deputy Director of BAD in 2007. bers, Power, and Policymaking), there is a fine line between skep- nation’s capital. Despite these challenges, Brian finds his work both fascinating ticism and bias; CBO analysts have to be vigilant about maintain- “We’re a bit like the Cal- and rewarding. “There are several different DC worlds,” he says. Which of your GSPP tools has ing objectivity without being too quick to dismiss every idea as ifornian embassy,” he says. “The most dysfunctional stuff, in my opinion, is happening on best served you in your career at CBO? costly or unworkable. “Our office [located in the Capitol Hill. But you’ll find folks doing good work in agencies. A CBO analyst has to be both detail-oriented and adept at seeing Hall of States] interfaces There is plenty of process that is statutorily required—much of the big picture. The GSPP curriculum taught me a lot about inte- How has the political polarization with the federal govern- it a result of public policy analysts—that says you have to look at grating those two skills: in Washington impacted the CBO? ment, both the executive the evidence and justify your decisions. There’s also the world ■■ How to read and analyze legislation (thank you, David Kirp); CBO’s profile and influence have risen as the national debate has branch as well as Congress, other states, industry groups, non- of non-governmental organizations and the lobbying shops that ■■ How to understand, evaluate, and use quantitative infor- revolved increasingly around questions of government spending governmental organizations, and even foreign governments.” still do good work and are engaged on the relatively level playing mation (thank you, Henry Brady and Lee Friedman); and persistent deficits. Our estimates are more consequential than Brian oversees a large portfolio of issues, including natural field of honest analysis and debate.” ■■ How to work quickly but accurately (thank you, Gene ever and a bad “score” from CBO can cause a lot of frustration on resources and environment, transportation and infrastructure, “Besides, DC is an amazing town,” he adds. “Every day, I meet Bardach); and Capitol Hill. But as the political environment gets more polarized, with a specific focus on clean energy and climate change policy. a variety of really smart, really driven people who care about get- ■■ How to make educated, defensible estimates with limited it is even more important that the Congress have information and Brian acknowledges the increasing partisanship in Washing- ting things right. I left GSPP wanting to make public policy. Wash- data (thank you, John Quigley). analyses that are widely accepted as neutral and unbiased. ton. He’s seen it firsthand. “Even in the five years I’ve been here, ington DC is the place to do that. I highly recommend it.” G A major part of our job at CBO is telling a clear, coherent story the idea that politics is a zero-sum game has intensified,” he says. [email protected] about the budgetary impacts of policy proposals; the practice I got What advice would you give to GSPPers at GSPP in distilling difficult concepts into an understandable nar- who want to work in Washington? rative has been a critical part of my ability to succeed at CBO. Graduates of GSPP are in an enviable position because of the strength and reputation of the school. I do a lot of recruiting for What does it mean for CBO and in my interviews with recent graduates, it is clear that the CBO to be “nonpartisan?” GSPP offers one of the strongest, most well-rounded public pol- CBO’s mission is to provide objective analyses of budgetary and icy programs in the country. You will find that for many jobs in economic issues for the Congress. That means we analyze legislation Washington (including at CBO), being a good writer and com- PolicyMatters as written, and present our best estimates of the likely budgetary municator is as important as being a good number cruncher, so impacts without judging or commenting on the proposals’ merits. the breadth of what you are learning at GSPP should hold you PolicyMatters is the student-run public policy research journal There is a very strong culture here, built over more than 35 years, of in good stead when looking for a job in Washington. neutrality and nonpartisanship. Everyone at CBO — from the Direc- Certainly, doing an internship in Washington is a great step- at the Goldman School of Public Policy. It features provo- tor to the newest hire — takes that charge seriously. ping stone to getting a job here. CBO currently employs seven cative and insightful analyses on a range of relevant policy Our unofficial motto is “on the one hand, on the other hand.” GSPP alums (several of us former interns). There are many GSPP topics. Visit us at policymatters.net to read our latest We strive to look at all sides of an issue and to offer estimates that alums working across Washington in many capacities: on Capi- publications or email [email protected] to request are in the middle of the distribution of possible outcomes. We tol Hill, in the Executive Branch, at think tanks and consulting also provide necessary caveats about our estimates and discuss firms, and in public interest groups. If you are interested in com- a print copy of the latest issue. their uncertainty (unfortunately, not everyone pays attention to ing to DC, contact a few alums to learn about their experiences, those caveats and cautions — but that’s a whole other discussion). their organizations, and advice they may have about parlaying We have strong internal systems to ensure the objectivity and your skills and training into a career in Washington. G completeness of our analyses. We have a multi-layered review [email protected]

18 POLICY NOTES | SPRING 2012 GOLDMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY | UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - BERKELEY 19 event highlights

Dr. Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa Rhoda Goldman Health Lecture Michael Nacht Lecture Network DC and Dr. Douglas Goldman Dr. Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa, Associate Professor of Neurosurgery and Professor Robert Reich addressed, “2012: A Turning GSPP’s Washington, DC site visits and networking reception Oncology at Johns Hopkins Medical Center addressed, “Beyond the Borders of Point? If So, Which Way?” at the Third Annual Michael connected students with DC-area employers, to foster career the Mind: My Journey as an Immigrant” at the 10th Annual Rhoda Goldman Nacht Distinguished Lecture in Politics and Public Policy. connections in the public, private and non-profit arenas. Lecture in Health.

Homecoming 2011 From left: Christine Trost, Associate Director, Institute for the Study of Societal Issues; DC Alumni Roundtable From left: Dorothy Robyn (MPP ’78/PhD ’83), Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Instal- A distinguished panel addressed, “Populism Dean Henry E. Brady, GSPP; Dr. Lawrence Rosenthal, Executive Director and Lead GSPP DC launched an intergenera- lations and Environment; Richard Turman (MPP ’87), Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for and the Tea Party in American Politics” Researcher, Center for the Comparative Study of Right-Wing Movements; Bill Whalen, tional mentoring effort with a panel Financial Resources, HHS; Glenn Shor (MPP ’77/PhD ’91), Special Assistant to the Assistant Sec- to a packed house during UC Berkeley’s Resident Research Fellow, Hoover Institution. Photo by Keenan Houser about becoming or working with retary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health; Nani Coloretti (MPP ’94), Deputy Assistant Homecoming weekend. The event was co- political appointees. Secretary of Treasury for Management and Budget. Photo by Rob Letzler (MPP ’03/PhD ’07). sponsored by GSPP and the Center on Civility and Democratic Engagment.

20 POLICY NOTES | SPRING 2012 GOLDMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY | UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - BERKELEY 21 Class notes alumni board

Jennifer Miller Gaubert (MPP ’05) and hus- James Hearn (MPP ’84) was elected in the Martha E. Ture (MPP ’04) is working on a Ways to Connect band Vincent currently reside in Muscat, Fall 2011 as a Fellow of the National Academy new website, called Brave Musicians. She is The Goldman School of Public Policy Alumni Association Board of Directors Oman where Jennifer consults on imple- of Public Administration. wondering about the best thing she can do mentation, management, and evaluation of for the California Public Utilities Commis- continues to be an active and valuable help to the School. social service programs. Daughter Pascale Ginny Fang (MPP ’08) has a new job as CEO sion within the next 2 years, after which she is now 4; the family welcomed a son, Julien of the San Francisco Bay Area Regional will retire. Her next career: charity concerts. 2011/2012 Alumni Board Events Aubrey, in November 2011. Center. She is now the Chairman of the Becoming and Working with Federal Political Appointees — DC Board for ChinaSF. In March, she spoke at As a result of the 2011 legislative redistrict- alumni organized a roundtable discussion on this topic in January 2011, featur- (MPP ’06) is taking a break from a San Francisco Business Times confer- ing process in New Jersey, Fiona Hsu Bob Gordon ing alumni panelists Dorothy Robyn ’78/PhD ’83, Deputy Undersecretary of affordable housing finance at Union Bank ence: http://www.sfbarc.com/media/3721/ (MPP ’75) found himself facing re-election (where she has been since 2006) and is on a sfbt-chinaasia_email.pdf to the State Senate in the most competitive Defense for Installations and Environment (Department of Defense); Richard year-long overseas work assignment in Hong district in the state. For over seven months Turman ’87, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources Kong with her parent bank, Bank of Tokyo Emilie Mazzacurati (MPP ’07) and Brian he knocked on 7,000 doors and spent over (Department of Health and Human Services); Glenn Shor ’77/PhD ’91, Special Mitsubishi UFJ. Turner (MPP ’05/ERG ’06) are proud to $2 million on media, and despite attacks by Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health announce the birth of their second son, Governor Christie on network television, (Department of Labor); and Nani Coloretti ’94, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Kelly Abbett Hardy (MPP/MPH ’04) wel- Oliver Dante, born October 24. Oliver is the he won the race by six points. He returned comed Jackson Abbett Hardy to the world in delight (mostly) of his big brother Lucas, to the State House in 2012 as the Senate Treasury for Management and Budget (Department of the Treasury). Organiz- October. Seasoned mamas/GSPP alums Liz now 3. Brian and Emilie decided that the Majority Conference Leader and as Chair- ers: Diana Epstein ’05, Sarah Sattelmeyer ’11, and Rob Letzler ’03/PhD ’07 Gettelman (MPP ’03), Renske van Staveren Bay Area was the best place in the world to man of the Senate Committee on Legisla- (GSPP Alumni Board Member) [see photo in Events on page 21]. (MPP ’05) and Helena Zyblikewycz (MPP raise their children and will be moving back tive Oversight. ’03) are helping her along the path of new to Berkeley this summer after five years in Bay Area Happy Hour: Defining the Problem — In December 2011, Bay motherhood. She returns as health policy Washington, DC. Brian is still working for the (MPP ’74) is the Director of (MPP ’94), Deputy Assistant David Konkel Nani Coloretti Area alumni hosted another well-attended happy hour event in Downtown San director at Children Now in April. California Governor’s office in DC and Emi- Economic Analysis at the State Department Secretary, Management & Budget for the US lie was recently promoted to Head of Car- in Washington, DC. He runs an office of 20 Department of the Treasury, swears in the Francisco, to give local alumni the opportunity to reconnect with classmates Carson Christiano (MPP ’09) recently began bon Analysis for Global Markets at Thomson economists and economic analysts who pro- newly confirmedAl Fitzpayne (MPP ’98) as and meet alums from other class years. This event was organized by alumni working as Head of Research Partnerships at Reuters (Point Carbon). vide economic analysis to the Secretary of Treasury’s Assistant Secretary for Legislation. board members Jackie Bender ’11, Deb Kong ’07, and Renee Willette ’09. the Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA) State and the Under Secretary of State for at UC Berkeley. She is also managing an evalu- Nani Coloretti (MPP ’94) received the 2012 Economic Affairs on all parts of the world. New Admit Alumni Phone Bank ation of telemedicine clinics and clean water National Public Service Award from the Amer- He would be happy to field questions from kiosks in Punjab, India. ican Society for Public Administration (ASPA) GSPP students and alumni about working The GSPP Alumni Association, together with GSPP, hosted its annual new admit and the National Academy of Public Admin- on foreign affairs at the State Department Fatimah Simmons (MPP ’11) started a new phone bank in late March. Over 70 alumni volunteered to contact students who Alex Marthews (MPP ’01) is now settled in the istration (NAPA). and in Washington, DC generally. The death job as the Director of Programs for Ignite were recently admitted to GSPP, to share about their GSPP experience, their Boston area, where he runs a nonprofit help- of Professor Bill Niskanen saddened him last November. The organization deliv- professional careers after GSPP, and answer questions they may have. This alumni ing bright East African girls from poor families Nick Nigro (MPP ’09) hosted a two-day elec- greatly. He was by far his most influential ers programs to high school and college volunteer activity continues to make invaluable impact on newly admitted stu- go to high school. His 2 daughters, Elizabeth tric vehicle workshop at GSPP for seven state professor and one of the smartest people age women to provide political and civic dents as they decide their future. Organizer: Christine Frey ’10 and GSPP staff. and Cordelia, are now 4 years old. His wife transportation departments and US Depart- he’s ever known. education, exposure to women in political Catherine has just been tenured at MIT. ment of Transportation. Roland Hwang (MPP leadership, and hands on training oppor- ’92), Director of NRDC’s Energy and Trans- How often do you get to play a part in help- tunities with the goal of building a move- 2012 Board of Directors Election Nicole Coburn, née Poimiroo (MPP ’03), and portation Program, was one of the speakers. ing a society transform its legal education ment of young women who are engaged, The Alumni Association Board of Directors is seeking nominations for candi- Chris gave birth to twin boys, Andrew Nicho- system while it’s in the midst of a revolution? respond to issues, and who ultimately pur- dates to fill five available board positions, to be elected for a 3-year term begin- las and Bennett Howell, on January 29, 2012 Diana Lane Jensen (MPP ’05) and her hus- Stephen Rosenbaum (MPP ’79) recently sue elected office. ning in September 2012 (there are a total of 15 board members). Elections will in Santa Cruz, CA. They each weighed 4 lb band were thrilled to welcome their second did just that in Egypt as an Adviser to the On March 10th, Fatimah ran Ignite’s second 4 oz at birth and were about 18.5 in long. son, Caleb, to their family in November. American Bar Association Rule of Law Ini- annual conference which featured a keynote take place in May/June 2012. Candidate statements and voting will be available Everyone is home and doing well. tiative. His agenda included helping to cre- by Barbara Lee (D-CA) and a roundtable online, via GSPP’s website. To submit nominations for the Board of Directors Mitchell Bard’s book, The Arab Lobby: The ate Egypt’s first environmental justice law discussion with numerous other local elected elections, visit http://gspp.berkeley.edu/alumni/gsppaa_nomination.html. Matthew Ingram (MPP/MPH ’11) moved to Invisible Alliance That Undermines Ameri- school clinic and first national moot court officials, including Nancy Skinner, Jane a new position as a Program Officer at the ca’s Interests in the Middle East (HarperCol- competition in Arabic. “It meant working to Kim, Malia Cohen, Christina Olague, Libby Contact Us Metta Fund, a health foundation. lins) has recently come out in paperback; his change the legal education culture,” Ste- Shaaf, Desley Brooks, Hydra Mendoza, and If you are interested in learning more about the Alumni Board or becoming newest book, Israel Matters: Understand the phen says. “But it’s important to not simply Jennifer West (MPP candidate ’12). The Ben Thornley (MPP ’09) and the work of Past — Look to the Future (Behrman House) sell ‘Made in America.’ You have to adapt conference included panels about staffing a involved, please contact us at [email protected]. G Pacific Community Features was recently was published at the end of March. to the local traditions and legal system.” campaign, building across racial divides in featured in a Forbes article on impact invest- Stephen also spent a week in Doha, Qatar the women’s political movement, and get- ing. http://tinyurl.com/pcv-impact-investing Emily Novick (MPP ’89) is starting a new advising a colleague on courses for a new ting appointed to a board or commission. job as a Health Communications Specialist women and family legislative advocacy More information on Ignite can be found at Donald Smart (MPP ’71) authored the first with the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, clinic at Qatar University College of Law. http://www.igniteca.org. (and maybe only) 1) comprehensive analy- Office of Health Communication and Educa- He returned there at the end of his 7-month sis of the failure of “war on drugs,” and 2) tion in Rockville, Maryland. She’ll be working stay, to see the clinic in progress and facili- design for a future institution for effective on media campaigns to prevent and reduce tate a discussion about the future of special drug control without adverse consequences. underage smoking. education in Qatar.

22 POLICY NOTES | SPRING 2012 GOLDMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY | UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - BERKELEY 23 from the desk of Annette Doornbos GSPP Board of Advisors

Giving to the Goldman School — You Would be Surprised (Pleasantly) James D. Marver (MPP ’74, PhD ’78) Nancy Hult Ganis Co-Founder and Managing Partner, VantagePoint Venture Producer, Out of the Blue Entertainment Partners; Chair, Goldman School Board of Advisors student fellowships and “opportunity ment drives giving at GSPP, despite the Noelle Leca Annette Doornbos is funds” that underwrite everything from absence of deep personal pockets. Maren Anderson (MPP ’79) KQED Board of Directors President, MDA Consulting, Inc. Emerge Board of Directors the Assistant Dean of student group activities to events and dis- Another unanticipated source of signifi- External Relations and tinguished visitors. cant funds has emerged in recent years — Henry E. Brady, Ex-officio Mel Levine Dean, Goldman School of Public Policy; Class of 1941 Monroe Partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP Development Now the surprise: of GSPP’s seventeen gifts from graduating classes and recent Deutsch Chair of Political Science and Public Policy Former US Representative, 27th Congressional District endowed funds for graduate student fellow- grads. Again, a campus-wide match from John De Luca, PhD Jim Losi ships, over half are funded by faculty — cur- the Chancellor offered a clear opportunity Chairman of the Board, UCSF Gallo Research Center Founder & Chair, Kundebana Foundation The significant and abrupt drop in rent, emeriti or in one case, from another to compare the School with its peer units. Todd Dipaola Nancy McFadden 2011–12 of $750M in state support for the UCB unit. This is an extraordinary level of In 2009-2010 when the Chancellor first Co-founder and President, CheckPoints LLC Executive Secretary for Legislation, Appointments and Policy, University of California system, the faculty giving even at UC Berkeley, where announced a matching program for New Co-founder and former CFO, Vantage Media Office of the Governor, State of CA impact on UC Berkeley and (in turn) the individual contributions are now a mainstay Alumni (i.e. current grads and alumni who Stuart Drown (MPP ’86) Ex-officio Michael Nacht, Ex-officio Goldman School raises the question — of revenue. The comparison to other cam- have graduated in the last five years) the Executive Director, The Little Hoover Commission Thomas & Alison Schneider Chair, Goldman School of Public Policy what revenue sources are supporting Cal- pus units is telling: within one year of the Goldman School placed fourth in terms of Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Global Strategic Affairs, Joseph Epstein US Department of Defense ifornia’s institutions of higher education Chancellor’s announcement of a match for donor gifts, even though we have the small- President, Sierra Steel Trading LLC today? The answer for UC Berkeley, which faculty gifts of $10k or more to endow grad- est cohort on campus by far. Michael Peevey Robert Epstein, PhD President, California Public Utilities Commission has now experienced multiple cuts, is uate student support, the Goldman School One last thought — researchers at UC Co-founder, Environmental Entrepeneurs Former President of NewEnergy Inc., Edison International and unprecedented: for the first time in its his- was fourth in the overall campus in terms Berkeley’s Center for the Greater Good Co-founder and former EVP, Sybase Southern California Edison Company tory, federal research funding trumps all of actual number of funds, despite the fact found that “MRI studies revealed that Honorable Dianne Feinstein Gary B. Pruitt (MPP ’81) other sources; state support is at the bot- that our professors account for just 2% of making a donation activated the meso- Senator, United States Senate President and CEO, McClatchy Newspapers tom of the list of the top four sources, the overall UC Berkeley faculty. limbic pathway — the brain’s reward cen- Charles L. Frankel Thomas C. Schneider accounting for a mere 10–11% of the total The generosity of GSPP faculty is even ter…[that] releases feel-good chemicals, President, Frankel International Development Organization Retired Advisory Director, Morgan Stanley UC Berkeley budget. Philanthropy is now more impressive when considered in light triggering a feeling of physical energy.” Trustee, University of California, Berkeley John Gage, PhD the second largest contributor to the UC of the fact that professors in other units The findings show what these exception- Former Chief Researcher and Vice President Michelle Schwartz (MPP/MPH ’88) budget, just ahead of tuition. and professional schools often engage in ally generous givers have already dis- of the Science Office, Sun Microsystems Director, Mila Fine Arts Trustee, University of California, Berkeley At the Goldman School, independent outside, financially rewarding activities, cerned — giving makes you feel good and Douglas E. Goldman, MD, Ex-officio philanthropic sources have contributed e.g. dispensing high-level legal advice, is very good for you. Chairman and Founder, Certain Software, Inc. Budd Shenkin, MD (MPP ’71) $22M since the 1999 establishment of a serving on corporate boards or getting Trustee, University of California, Berkeley President, Bayside Medical Group professional development and external start-ups off the ground. Goldman School Garrett Gruener Steve Silberstein relations enterprise. Donors, largely indi- faculty are more likely to be found in the Co-Founder and Director, Alta Partners Retired Co-Founder of Innovative Interfaces, Inc. Executive Chairman and CEO, Nanomix, Inc. Trustee, University of California, Berkeley vidual, have supported programs, board rooms of leading NGO’s, testifying Founder, Ask Jeeves, now Ask.Com endowed faculty chairs and student fel- before a legislature or advising high-level Annette Doornbos Carl Vogt Thomas P. Grumbly (MPP ’74) Retired Senior Partner, Fulbright & Jaworski LLP lowships and made current-use gifts for public officials. Deep personal commit- [email protected] Vice President, Civil Government Programs, President Emeritus, Williams College Lockheed Martin Corporation Former Chair, US National Transportation Safety Board

Peter D. Hart Mason Willrich Chairman, Peter D. Hart Research Associates Chair, California Independent System Operator Governing Board Director, California Clean Energy Fund Why We Give to GSPP Elizabeth Hill (MPP ’75) Senior Advisor, MIT Energy InnovationProject Retired Legislative Analyst, California State Legislature By Greg Kato MPP ’06 and Deb Kong MPP ’07 To say that our GSPP experience In a time when the entire University of Cal- was life-changing is an understatement ifornia must remake its fiscal model due to since we wouldn’t have met, married, and state funding cuts, we as alumni must step EmeritI Board Members Al Bowker (d. 2008) Prof. of Statistics Emeritus, UC Berkeley; Chancellor Emeritus; John Cummins UC, Berkeley, Assoc. Chancellor (Ret.); had our son Robby without it. However, into the breach. We give to GSPP because Aaron Estis (MPP ’85) President, The Estis Group; Richard N. Goldman (d. 2010) President, Richard & Rhoda Goldman Fund; I. Michael GSPP also means so much to us profes- we share a commitment to ensure the Heyman (d. 2011) Chancellor Emeritus, Prof. of Law Emeritus, City Planning Secretary Emeritus, Smithsonian Institution; Martha Hertelendy Vice-Chair World Affairs Council;Richard Liu Chair & Pres, Superior Holdings Lmtd; Arnold Meltsner Prof. of Public Policy Emeritus, Goldman sionally, whether launching us into our school remains vibrant and viable now and School of Public Policy, UC Berkeley; Steve Millard Entrepreneur and Investor; William Reilly President & CEO, Aqua International Partners LP; chosen careers in nonprofit advocacy and into the future. We owe at least that much Harold Smith Distinguished Visiting Scholar (former); Charles Townes Nobel Laureate, Professor Emeritus, Dept. of Physics; Osamu Yamada International Business Consultant local government, or providing us with to Robby and his generation. G invaluable mentors and colleagues.

Greg is the Policy and Legislative Manager, Office of the Treasurer-Tax Collector for the City & County of San Francisco. Deb is Director of Communications for Preschool California and is a member of the GSPP Alumni Board.

24 POLICY NOTES | SPRING 2012 GOLDMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY | UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - BERKELEY 25 Center for Environmental Public Policy (CEPP) Executive and International Programs

Reporting from Durban, South Africa

The Goldman School’s CEPP Director out the conference, Goldman School Blas Pérez Henríquez (MPP ’92/PhD ’02) alumni and California delegates were at participated this past fall as an academic the center of the action. observer at the 2011 United Nations Cli- In other news, CEPP hosted its annual mate Change Conference (COP17). Pérez seminar series to much acclaim. The first Henríquez served as a member of the seminar hosted Dr. Takanori Ida, a visiting working groups on carbon markets, for- scholar to GSPP and CEPP from Kyoto estry and climate finance engaged in University, who spoke on Japan’s commit- strengthening the frameworks for carbon ment to renewable energy and smart grid emission reduction. Following the con- technology following the devastating ference, he remarked, “While COP17 is earthquake that crippled much of the one step forward in the global commit- country’s energy infrastructure. Accord- ment to advance climate mitigation and ing to Dr. Ida, Japan will be looking adaption — we are running out of time.” towards replacing much of its former The COP17 — officially referred to as nuclear power generation capacity with the 17th session of the Conference of the renewable energy sources, cementing its Parties to the United Nations Framework status as a global leader. Darren Bouton, Convention on Climate Change — First Solar’s Vice President for State Gov- Hong Kong Spring 2012 group visiting the Mehdi Al Amine (Morocco), the Hong Kong Fall 2011 group, the IPPLP focused on securing a global climate ernment Affairs, joined CEPP students for mayor’s office of San Francisco scholars with Blas Pérez Henríquez, Professor Eugene Bardach and agreement as the Kyoto Protocol’s first a talk about the opportunities and chal- Gan, Bai at the Welcome Luncheon commitment period (2008–2012) was set lenges of the renewable energy industry. From Left to Right: Blas Pérez Henríquez to end. For the final seminar of the fall, Canada’s By Blas Pérez Henríquez and Gan, Bai presented policy analysis methods and coached each partici- (MPP ’92/PhD ’02), Director of CEPP; The conference concluded with a Consul General Cassie Doyle addressed Program for Officials of the Hong Kong Special pant through a policy project. Finally, the program provided Jelena Simjanovic (MPP ’08), Senior Mar- legally binding deal to be prepared by Canada’s status as an energy powerhouse Administrative Region Government of China a variety of opportunities for participants to visit government ket Analyst for Point Carbon Thomson 2015 and to take effect in 2020. There and the prospects of a more integrated Policy Analysis and Public Management agencies and to meet with local practitioners. The hosts of Reuters; Derik Broekhoff (MPP ’99), Vice was also progress regarding the creation North American energy partnership. Ms. (Fall 2011 Group: August 22 – October 12, 2011 these visits included US EPA Region IX, the Mayor’s Office President for Policy at the Climate Action of a Green Climate Fund (GCF) for Doyle served as Canada’s Deputy Minister Spring 2012 Group: January 16 – March 14, 2012) of San Francisco, SF Bay Conservation and Development Reserve; Linda Adams, former CalEPA which a management framework was of Natural Resources from 2006–10. As part of an ongoing collaboration between the Goldman School Commission, the Berkeley Mayor’s Office, the National Park Secretary, now Chair of the Climate Action adopted to distribute $100 billion USD Please stay tuned to CEPP for informa- and the Hong Kong Civil Service Bureau, Executive and Interna- Services and the California State Legislature. These meetings Reserve and President of R20 — Regions per year to help poor countries mitigate tion about our exciting upcoming events. tional Programs (EIP) hosted two new groups of Hong Kong with various levels of American government have been a valu- of Climate Change. and adapt to climate impacts. Through- gspp.berkeley.edu/programs/cepp.html G officials during the Fall 2011 and the Spring 2012 semesters. This able complement to what the Hong Kong officials learn from ongoing program in Policy Analysis and Public Management is GSPP classes. designed for mid-career government officials from Hong Kong and has helped train more than 60 policy makers from many International Public Policy Leadership Program branches of the Hong Kong government. The most recent cohort (IPPLP) (August 18 – December 16, 2011) included 11 government officials. Their policy fields included During the Fall 2011 semester, EIP hosted another international SPRING 2012 police affairs, public works, consumer protection, electoral regu- scholar who came to GSPP through the IPPLP. Mehdi Al Amine lation, building code, government engineering services, environ- Fichtali was a French trained Moroccan investment banker work- Policy Notes is published twice a year by UC Berkeley’s Goldman mental assessment, labor policy, personal data privacy, food and ing in Dubai. Mehdi decided to put his successful financial career School of Public Policy. Send questions or comments to Bora Reed, health, and highways. with Morgan Stanley on hold after witnessing the Arab Spring. 510.642-7591, [email protected] During the eight-week program offered at the Goldman Through IPPLP, Mehdi took part in many GSPP classes and activ- School, these government practitioners were integrated into ities with the goal of equipping himself with the knowledge and Assist. Dean for External Relations and Development: Annette Doornbos regular Master of Public Policy classes, auditing various GSPP tools to make effective social changes in his native land. Mehdi Editor: Bora Reed courses and interacting with GSPP students on a regular basis. describes his time at GSPP as extremely fruitful; he is now a vis- Photos: Peg Skorpinksi and Gan, Bai In addition, the program offered a mini policy analysis sem- iting scholar at Georgetown University’s Center for Contempo- Design and Layout: Matt Vanderzalm, Design Site inar tailored for the Hong Kong participants. These courses rary Arab Studies, while commuting to Dubai to maintain his included weekly meetings with Professor Eugene Bardach who financial career.G

26 POLICY NOTES | SPRING 2012 GOLDMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY | UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - BERKELEY 27 Goldman School of Public Policy University of California – Berkeley Nonprofit Organization 2607 Hearst Avenue #7320 U.S. Postage Paid Berkeley, CA 94720-7320 University of California gspp.berkeley.edu

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