IPPSR is MSU’s new hub for public policy information and research. Search our summaries of scientific research with implications for public policy by inputting keywords in the search box or selecting options from the menus below.
You are here
Policy Research
Opportunity Zones Should Help Modernize Public School Facilities
Mary Filardo, Jeff Vincent
October 2018
This article from the Center for Cities and Schools, a program from the University of California Berkeley, raises the issue of public-school infrastructure and asks if the opportunity zone program could help reduce the amount of inequity that currently exists in our nation’s public schools. The article states that not only would these improvements on facilities make jobs during the construction, but they would also help teacher retention due to upgraded facilities. These new schools would hopefully transform into a community center as well, including facilities such as health clinics, adult education, recreation, and elder services. Funding from opportunity zones could be just the thing these schools need to improve.
Opportunity Zones: What We Know and What We Don’t
Scott Eastman, Nicole Kaeding
January 2019
This article reviews the effects of place-based incentive programs, namely opportunity zones, as well as the effect that these zones have on their residents. The article finds that place-based incentives can be difficult to measure due to geographies, but also finds that there is no consensus on whether these programs work as intended and can often lead to replacement of nonsubsidized firms. Displacement of residents and underutilization of local workforce were also concerns raised. This displacement could be exacerbated by this economic development, pushing out the residents of the area the incentive was meant to bring economic growth.
The Education Opportunity in Opportunity Zones
John P. Bailey
July 2019
The article quickly identifies an important cause of lack of economic development in distressed areas: lack of access to capital needed for these projects. It also shows that philanthropy is concentrated in only a few areas, mainly urban areas such as New York City, while lacking in rural areas of the country. The author points out that previous incentives of a similar nature have been hard to label as successful, so it is hard to see if opportunity zones are a fix to this issue by focusing on investors rather than projects. Additionally, opportunity zones are mentioned to have been connected to gentrification, but the author remains hopeful that not only are these cases spatially limited, but are not actually cases of gentrification, but rather poverty concentration. Despite these risks, education around these opportunity zones are important, such as sharing best practices, and having access to philanthropic support. Education can be a powerful asset to a community when invested in, so developers are encouraged to work with them to expand and upgrade. This is not limited to K-12 schools. Post-secondary education centers, workforce training centers, and entrepreneurs are also highlighted. The author suggests that investment is “not guaranteed just because a community is designated an Opportunity Zone” and it is up to local government to support the people who can benefit
Did States Maximize Their Opportunity Zone Selections?
Brett Theodos, Brady Meixell, Carl Hedman
May 2018
The article questions the effectiveness of the establishment of opportunity zones on census tracts around the country, scoring each opportunity zone on investment flows and the social and economic impacts they have experienced. Data revealed that these opportunity zones, placed by state governors, were established in tracts with higher rates of poverty, vacancy, unemployment, and several other factors.
Oil Spill Economics: Estimates of the Economic Damages of an Oil Spill in the Straits of Mackinac in Michigan
Robert B. Richardson, Nathan Brugnone
May 2018
In the Straits of Mackinac, the Line 5 oil pipeline proves to be at potential risk of spilling into the Great Lakes, which would prove to be damaging for the state economically. This report is an estimation of these economic damages in the cost of natural resource damages and the cost associated with restoring it as well as the impact on the private sector and the municipalities in the surrounding area. The economic impact would be in areas like tourism, commercial fishing, municipal drinking water and sewer systems, and real estate. The total estimated economic damages from a spill from Line 5 in this report is $5.6 billion dollars.
Why The Michigan Business Development Program Is More Effective than Typical Incentives
Timothy J. Bartik
May 2019
This article covers the Michigan Business Development Program, a program to provide grants and loans to encourage investment. According to Upjohn research, the program boasts a 4-1 ratio of benefits to costs. 80% of benefits of the MBDP are from higher earnings per capita for residents. The article cites the program as being successful because of incentivized amount per job created, the incentives are front-loaded, and the incentives are aimed at firms that are effective at producing job growth outside of the directly incentivized firm.
Loss Of SNAP Is Associated With Food Insecurity And Poor Health In Working Families With Young Children
Stephanie Ettinger de Cuba, Mariana Chilton, Allison Bovell-Ammon, Molly Knowles, Sharon M. Coleman, Maureen M. Black, John T. Cook, Diana Becker Cutts, Patrick H. Casey, Timothy C. Heeren, Deborah A. Frank
May 2019
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP; formerly known as “food stamps”) is a federal program that helps low-income working families with children, seniors, and people with disabilities afford to purchase food. While SNAP benefits are often insufficient to be able to purchase a healthy, balanced diet, SNAP participation is still associated with greater food security, increased health, and improved economic and educational outcomes among eligible households. SNAP participation in childhood also has lifelong benefits. Like many government assistance programs, when SNAP recipients begin to experience an increase in income, their benefits may be reduced or even terminated. In many cases, this increase in income is not enough to offset the negative effects of losing SNAP benefits. The study found that, on average, those with reductions in or the cutoff of their SNAP benefits saw greater food insecurity (including for children), housing instability, and energy insecurity. They were also more likely to forgo healthcare due to not being able to afford it and experienced poorer health outcomes.
Analysis of the Strength of Legal Firearms Restrictions for Perpetrators of Domestic Violence and Their Associations With Intimate Partner Homicide
April M. Zeoli, Alexander McCourt, Shani Buggs, Shannon Frattaroli, David Lilley, Daniel W. Webster
November 2017
This article asserts that the association between intimate partner homicide (IPH) and firearm laws depends on the broadness of situations covered by statute, the ability of law enforcement to remove firearms from scenes of domestic violence, and the methods implemented to ensure those barred from being sold a gun are prevented from attaining one. Across an analysis of gun laws related to IPH from 45 states between 1980 and 2013, the study found an association between IPH reduction and domestic violence restraining orders (DVROs) in every state that implemented firearm prohibitions for domestic violence perpetrators. Additionally, the article also found an associated reduction in IPH for states that extended DVROs to dating partners on top of spouses and domestic partners when compared to states with no additional DVRO firearm restrictions. Furthermore, the data showed a significant decrease in IPH in states where firearm relinquishment was mandated.
Record-setting algal bloom in Lake Erie caused by agricultural and meteorological trends consistent with expected future conditions
Anna M. Michalak, Eric J. Anderson, Dmitry Beletsky, Steven Boland, Nathan S. Bosch, Thomas B. Bridgeman, Justin D. Chaffin, Kyunghwa Cho, Rem Confesor, Irem Daloğlu, Joseph V. DePinto, Mary Anne Evans, Gary L. Fahnenstiel, Lingli He, Jeff C. Ho, Liza Jenkins, Thomas H. Johengen, Kevin C. Kuo, Elizabeth LaPorte, Xiaojian Liu, Michael R. McWilliams, Michael R. Moore, Derek J. Posselt, R. Peter Richards, Donald Scavia, Allison L. Steiner, Ed Verhamme, David M. Wright, Melissa A. Zagorskid
April 2013
In 2011, Lake Erie had the largest harmful algal bloom (HAB) in history, which was likely caused by environmental and farming variables in that particular spring. The article hypothesizes that high participation in agricultural land use caused the flow of dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) into Lake Erie. The unusually warm temperatures at this time might have also allowed for the HAB. DRP can be found in runoff from fields that use phosphate fertilizer, and in 2011 most agricultural land was being dedicated to corn which uses much more phosphate fertilizer than soybeans. All of these factors combined contributed to the HAB in Lake Erie.
Infants Exposed To Homelessness: Health, Health Care Use, And Health Spending From Birth To Age Six
Robin E. Clark, Linda Weinreb, Julie M. Flahive, Robert W. Seifert
May 2019
As one might expect, homeless infants experience poor health outcomes. This article mentions that children exposed to homelessness or unstable housing were more likely to have adverse childhood experiences as well as higher risks of depression, suicide, alcoholism, and smoking later in life. Homelessness (during pregnancy and the first year of life) is also associated with low birth rates and other negative health outcomes in toddlers and children. Homelessness has a much greater impact on infant health than just low income alone