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Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan

Joan and Sanford Weill hall
Suite 5100
735 South State Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-3091
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Speaker Series

Real World Perspectives on Poverty Solutions introduces key issues regarding the causes and consequences of poverty through a virtual lecture series featuring experts in policy and practice from across the nation, with the goal of encouraging the formation of a broad community of learners to engage in these issues together.

Speakers are national and global experts drawn from university, business, and community contexts who explore interdisciplinary real-world poverty solutions from a wide variety of perspectives. The virtual talks, which are free and open to the public, will be livestreamed on YouTube with the opportunity for Q&A. U-M students can participate in the series as a one-credit course.

Join the conversation on Twitter using #UMPovertySolutions. Sign up for the Poverty Solutions newsletter to receive speaker series event reminders.

Fall 2021 Speaker Series

Eric Garcetti in Conversation about Affordable Housing

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti joins Taubman College Dean Jonathan Massey in conversation on housing affordability and access.

Indivar Dutta-Gupta: Approaches to Economic Redistribution

Indivar Dutta-Gupta is co-executive director of the Georgetown Center on Poverty & Inequality (GCPI), where he leads work to develop and advance policy recommendations that alleviate poverty and inequality, advance racial and gender equity, and expand economic inclusion for all people in the United States.

Moderated by H. Luke Shaefer, Hermann and Amalie Kohn Professor of Social Justice and Social Policy and director of Poverty Solutions.

In partnership with U-M’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.

Jeremy Levine: Constructing Community

Jeremy Levine is assistant professor of organizational studies at the University of Michigan. He will discuss his book, “Constructing Community: Urban Governance, Development and Inequality in Boston,” which explores the complexities of neighborhood redevelopment in Boston and shows the difficulty of achieving fairness and equity through community participation.

Moderated by Alex Murphy, assistant professor of sociology at U-M; with responses from Kristin Seefeldt, associate professor of social work and associate faculty director of Poverty Solutions at U-M.

In partnership with U-M’s Department of Sociology and Organizational Studies Program.

Carolyn Barnes: Low-Income Families and the New Welfare State

Carolyn Barnes is an assistant professor of public policy and political science at Duke University. She will discuss her book, “State of Empowerment: Low-income Families and the New Welfare State,” which explores how interacting with government-funded after-school programs can enhance the civic and political lives of low-income citizens.

Moderated by Mara Ostfeld, assistant research scientist and faculty director of communications at Poverty Solutions at U-M.

In partnership with U-M’s Program in Practical Policy Engagement.

Terri Friedline: Why Financial Technology Won’t Save a Broken System

Terri Friedline is an associate professor of social work at the University of Michigan. She will discuss her book, “Banking on a Revolution: Why Financial Technology Won’t Save a Broken System,” which takes a critical look at advancements in financial technology (“fintech”) in the banking and financial industries and makes the case for a more inclusive financial system.

Moderated by Trevor Bechtel, student engagement and strategic projects manager at Poverty Solutions at U-M.

In partnership with U-M’s Center on Finance, Law & Policy.

Jonathan Cohn: Obamacare and the Unfinished Crusade for Universal Coverage

Jonathan Cohn is a senior national correspondent at HuffPost, where he covers politics and policy. He will discuss his book, “The Ten Year War: Obamacare and the Unfinished Crusade for Universal Coverage,” which examines how the Affordable Care Act — better known as “Obamacare” — came to be, why it looks like it does, and what it has meant for average Americans.

Moderated by Luke Shaefer, Hermann and Amalie Kohn Professor of Social Justice and Social Policy and director of Poverty Solutions at U-M.

In partnership with U-M’s Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation.

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein is an assistant professor of physics and a core faculty member for women’s studies at the University of New Hampshire. She will participate in a Q&A on topics covered in her book, “The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred,” which urges recognition of how science is rife with racism, sexism, and other dehumanizing systems and lays out a bold new approach to science and society.

Moderated by Trevor Bechtel, student engagement and strategic projects manager at Poverty Solutions.

In partnership with U-M’s Physics Department and Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering Department.

H. Luke Shaefer & Panelists: The Story of the Expanded Child Tax Credit

H. Luke Shaefer is the director of Poverty Solutions, the Hermann and Amalie Kohn Professor of Social Justice and Social Policy, and a professor of social work at the University of Michigan. He is among a group of poverty scholars who have contributed significant research on the potential for an expanded Child Tax Credit that follows the design of a child allowance to reduce child poverty rates in the U.S.

Shaefer and Kathryn Edin, the William Church Osborn Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs at Princeton University, will host a panel discussion on the implications of the expanded Child Tax Credit and the potential for the U.S. to adopt a permanent child allowance. Panelists include:

Speaker Series 2020
Speaker Series 2019
Speaker Series 2018