The University of Massachusetts Amherst

Category: Policy Viewpoints

Categories
Environmental policy Faculty Research Policy Viewpoints Public Engagement Project

Brandt Addresses Costs of Biomass

In a May 19, 2011, letter to the Springfield Republican, Sylvia Brandt (resource economics and public policy) questions the findings of a recent report about the impacts of a proposed biomass energy plant in East Springfield.

The report, produced by consultants hired by Palmer Renewable Energy, claims that the proposed plant will not harm public health.  Brandt, a member of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Council on Clean Air Compliance, argues the opposite, noting that the plant will greatly increase local pollution through higher emissions from the large-scale burning of wood and  increases in truck traffic.

Brandt cites EPA data suggesting that emissions from the plant could be anywhere from 4 to 16 times higher than that reported by the Palmer Renewable Energy consultants.

Also, according to Brandt’s calculations, “the cost of the health effects from the traffic alone would be approximately $1.53 million a year.”

Brandt calls for more extensive review of the proposed plant, noting that “[it] violates all principals of environmental justice to forgo an independent study.”

Brandt’s letter to the editor can be read in full here.

Categories
Faculty Research Policy Viewpoints Public Engagement Project Social inequality & justice

Badgett Co-Authors Op-Ed on Transgender Discrimination in MA

CPPA director M.V. Lee Badgett (economics) is the co-author of an editorial appearing in the May 11, 2011 issue of the Worcester  Telegram and Gazette.   The editorial, “The High Costs of Discrimination,” discusses Massachusetts’ failure to pass legislation prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity and the toll this takes on transgendered residents and the state’s economy.

The op-ed is based on a recent study,  “The Costs of Employment Discrimination Against Transgender Residents of Massachusetts,” conducted by Badgett’s co-author, Jody L. Herman of the Williams Institute at UCLA.

According to the study, discrimination affects almost 33,000 residents in Massachusetts.  The state spends $3 million annually on public health insurance coverage for transgendered residents who could procure private insurance if they weren’t denied employment based on their sexual identity.

In addition, the state loses millions more from foregone income tax revenues and through additional support services for transgendered individuals who cannot support themselves and their families.

The full editorial is available here.

Categories
Faculty Honors & Awards Policy Viewpoints

Fountain interviewed on social media, politics

Jane Fountain, professor of political science and public policy, was interviewed by Robert Rizzuto of the Springfield Republican for a feature story on the effect of social media on politics as an increasing number of politicians begin to reach out to their constituents via Twitter and Facebook.

“Technology has led a march toward transparency, and we now have a better view of what our elected officials are doing,” she said. “It is a good way for citizens to get more information about the process and see how it all works.”

The print edition of the article ran on March 15 on the front page of the Republican as part of Sunshine Week. For the web article, visit masslive.com.

Professor Fountain is the founder and Director of the National Center for Digital Government, which was established with support from the National Science Foundation to develop research and infrastructure for the emerging field information technology and governance. She also directs the Science, Technology and Society (STS) Initiative, a campus-wide effort based at the Center for Public Policy and Administration at the University of Massachusetts. The STS Initiative is designed to build social science, policy, and cross-disciplinary research on a range of social, political, and economic challenges posed by science and technology. Fountain is the Principal Investigator of the Ethics in Science and Engineering Online Resource Beta Site project and of the International Dimensions of Ethics in Science and Engineering project (IDEESE).

Fountain is the author of Building the Virtual State: Information Technology and Institutional Change (Brookings Institution Press, 2001), which was awarded an Outstanding Academic Title by Choice and has been translated into Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish. Her articles have been published in scholarly journals including Governance, Technology in Society, Science and Public Policy, the National Civic Review, and The Communications of the Association for Computing Machinery.

Categories
Faculty Honors & Awards Faculty Research Policy Viewpoints

Mednicoff Speaker at Harvard University’s Belfer Center

David Mednicoff (public policy), acting director of the Social Thought and Political Economy Program, spoke at the concluding session of the conference Revolution and Reform: The Historic Transition in the Middle East, held on April 8-9, 2011, in Cambridge, MA.

Mednicoff’s participation in the conference was the culminating event in his year-long fellowship as part of The Dubai Initiative, a project of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University.

He also organized and moderated the conference’s panel, “Between Order and Liberalization: The Rule of Law and Politics in the Arab World.”

The conference was attended by over 275 people, including many prominent scholars and policymakers from the Middle East and the United States.

Additional information about the event is available here.

Categories
Faculty Honors & Awards Faculty Research Policy Viewpoints

Thompson Winner of Richard Musgrave Prize

Jeff Thompson, assistant research professor at the Political Economy Research Institute and a CPPA faculty affiliate, has received the Richard Musgrave Prize.  The prize is awarded annually to the author or authors of the outstanding paper published in the National Tax Journal.

Thompson, who will be teaching a course at CPPA in the fall on state and local public finance, received the award with co-author Katie Fitzpatrick (Economic Research Service, USDA) for their article, “The Interaction of Metropolitan Cost-of-Living and the Federal Earned Income Tax Credit: One Size Fits All?”

Thompson received a doctorate in economics from Syracuse University and joined PERI in 2009. His expertise is in domestic economic policy and public finance, with a particular emphasis on New England.  Prior to his doctoral work, Thompson was a labor analyst at the Oregon Center for Public Policy.  Thompson also holds a masters degree in economics from the New School for Social Research.

For additional information about Thompson, please visit the PERI website.  Additional information about the Richard Musgrave Prize is available through the National Tax Association website.

Categories
Events Faculty Research Policy Viewpoints

Mednicoff Interviewed on Libya, Speaks on International Democracy

Assistant professor of public policy and acting director of the Social Thought and Political Economy program David Mednicoff is interviewed by The Republican and by WWLP-TV 22 News on the conflict in Libya.

Mednicoff says accusations that Moammar Gadhafi ordered the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988 fit in with his generally unpredictable behavior over the years, and that Gadhafi justified his rule over Libya based on anti-western and anti-colonial sentiments. “If the regime falls, I think we are going to see a lot more very specific evidence of what happened,” he said.

In addition to his comments on Libya and the general unrest in the area, Mednicoff was a guest on the public affairs television show “CrossTalk” on February 12th. He and the other guests discussed efforts by the U.S. government to promote democracy in other countries and why this sometimes produces negative policy outcomes. Check out the video at Russia Today.

Categories
Faculty Research Policy Viewpoints Social inequality & justice

Budig Interviewed About Paid Maternity Leave

Michelle Budig, professor of sociology and CPPA faculty associate, comments in a story about efforts to pass legislation that would grant federal workers four weeks of paid leave to care for newly born children. Researchers say the U.S. is one of just three nations out of 181 that don’t have such a benefit. Budig says a significant reason for earnings gaps between men and women is this lack of maternity leave.

Check out the article at Bloomberg.com and Bloomberg Businessweek.

Categories
Policy Viewpoints

Folbre Writes on Ethics in Economics, Italian Feminism

Nancy Folbre, UMass professor of economics and CPPA faculty associate, recently discussed the need for economists to maintain a high level of ethics when commenting on the current economic situation and to avoid situations where they fail to reveal conflicts of interest. Folbre also writes a column in the Economix blog about the protests in Italy of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s personal behavior and news of his dalliance with an underage young woman. She says those who protest this behavior are standing up for women’s dignity and the credibility of their country’s future prospects.

Listen to Folbre’s commentary on ethics in economics at Marketplace (NPR), and read her column on the empowerment of Italian women here.

Categories
Faculty Research Policy Viewpoints Public Engagement Project

Badgett Featured at Brown University Forum on Same-Sex Marriage

CPPA director M.V. Lee Badgett drew laughs when she opened her remarks at a recent debate on legalizing same-sex marriage in Rhode Island, noting “I’ve been outed as an economist.”  Extending marriage privileges to gay and lesbian couples is currently an important policy issue in Rhode Island.  For additional information about the debate, please see the article in the February 20, 2011, issue of The Providence Journal by Edward Fitzpatrick.

Categories
Faculty Honors & Awards Faculty Research Governance Policy Viewpoints

Fountain Featured on Davos/YouTube Video

Jane Fountain, professor of political science and public policy, is featured on a recent video taped at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.  In response to the question, “What keeps you motivated?,” Fountain notes the importance of using new media to bring the voice of the people to governance.  For more, go to the YouTube link.