Policy Talks @ the Ford School

Join for a conversation with former New York City mayor, Bill de Blasio. In conversation with STPP Director Professor Shobita Parthasarathy, the discussion will explore how urban tech is shaping social policy in “smart cities” like New York and beyond. How can we ensure that emerging technology serves the public interest, and what role can local, state, national, and even international policy play?    

Join Dr. Abdul El-Sayed - physician, epidemiologist, and newly appointed Director of the Wayne County Health, Human & Veterans Services Department, and a Ford School Towsley Policymaker in Residence - for a conversation with policymakers at the intersection of social justice and environmental concerns. Dr. El-Sayed will be joined by Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and Michigan Senator Stephanie Chang (MPP/MSW '14) to reflect on their work to address environmental injustice in Michigan and beyond, and the challenges and opportunities ahead.

Join us for a conversation on deploying science, technology, and data for the public good, with Kumar Garg, senior managing director at Schmidt Futures and former assistant director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Professor Shobita Parthasarathy.

A conversation with Dr. Lisa D. Cook, professor of economics and international relations at Michigan State University, on the connections between economics, diversity, and innovation. 

In this conversation, Paul Abbate, Associate Deputy Director of the FBI, and David Levy, Vice President of Amazon Web Services, will discuss some of the challenges in addressing current cybersecurity threats, formulating policy, and calibrating responses. 

Join us to hear Christopher Hart, former Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board discuss opportunities of autonomous vehicles and the challenges they present to federal, state and local governments.

This event has been postponed.

This event has been canceled.

*Stream* Kalil will discuss some of the S&T policy priorities of President Obama as well as “lessons learned” from his service at the White House, and address future challenges for U.S. S&T policy.

In Automating Inequality, Virginia Eubanks systematically investigates the impacts of data mining, policy algorithms, and predictive risk models on poor and working-class people in America.

FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, a fierce dissenter from the FCC's May 2018 decision to end network neutraility, will have a conversation about the issues with the U-M's associate general counsel, Jack Bernard.

Join us as we welcome Dr. Thirumalachari Ramasami, former secretary of science and technology for India, as he discusses the role of science and technology policy in developing countries.

Severin Borenstein will discuss the economic changes that are likely to occur in the utility business model as renewables expand: how wholesale electricity markets will be affected, the impact on retail electricity distribution, and the incentives created for generators, distributors and consumers of electricity. He will also examine the role of demand response, storage, and transmission in adapting to the new realities of the electricity business.