Category to differentiate content of interest to students in the undergraduate major in public affairs.

Q&A with Maleeyah Frazier: Youth Activist and a Voice for Black Students Public Affairs major discusses education justice and dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline.

/0 Comments/in , /by

You are passionate about dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline and advocating for youth in marginalized communities. What early experience or moment made you realize this work was important for you?

The moment I realized this work mattered, and that I had a responsibility to step into it, came in the 10th grade, during the George Floyd protests in the middle of COVID. Up until then, I had always been placed in gifted programs and uplifted as the “right kind” of student in my community. I was constantly compared to other students of color who weren’t placed in gifted classes, and teachers often used me as the example of what being a “good student” should look like. That created a harmful dynamic and placed enormous pressure on me, because I knew the system was failing those students, they were being tracked, ignored, and underestimated.

The real turning point happened when I learned that LAUSD was spending over $75 million on school police while investing less than half of that in critical student resources: psychiatric social workers, mental health services, counselors, full-time nurses, and educators. For a district that serves a majority of students of color, including students in areas that were historically redlined, it became clear to me that policing was being prioritized over care.

That’s when I found Students Deserve, a youth-led grassroots organization committed to dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline. I wasn’t just a member, I became deeply involved in organizing actions, speaking at board meetings, and challenging school board members directly. Students Deserve taught me that youth have power, and that our voices, especially Black and brown youth voices, can shift millions of dollars.

Alongside other young leaders, I helped push forward the demand to defund school police and reinvest that money into the Black Student Achievement Plan (BSAP). I spoke out publicly, shared data, uplifted student stories, and organized with peers to make our calls for justice undeniable. That campaign wasn’t theoretical for me, our communities were experiencing the consequences every day. And when LAUSD ultimately redirected funds into BSAP, it showed me what collective youth power could do. That experience solidified my commitment to this work. It was the first time I saw how policy, activism, and community organizing intersect, and the first time I understood that fighting for students wasn’t just important to me, it was part of my purpose.maleeyah frazier stands in front of sacramento capitol building

You were present at the Capitol when AB7 passed, a historic moment for Black student representation in higher education. What was going through your mind as you stood at the press conference alongside Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, a UCLA Luskin alum leading this effort?

Being at the Capitol for the passing of AB 7 was a moment I will never forget. Standing at the podium as the Black Student Success Officer for the University of California Student Association, representing tens of thousands of Black students across the UC system, felt like history was unfolding right in front of us, and we were the ones shaping it.

Standing beside Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, a UCLA Luskin alum who has done transformational work for our communities, felt especially powerful. In that moment, I wasn’t just speaking for myself, I was speaking for generations of Black students who have been excluded, overlooked, and systemically disadvantaged in higher education.

Even though Governor Newsom later vetoed AB 7, I felt the magnitude of what we were trying to accomplish. AB 7 would have allowed universities to consider giving preference to students who are descendants of slavery, a policy aimed at addressing centuries of harm embedded in academic institutions. For me, the bill represented hope, recognition, and the possibility of healing long-standing inequities.

As I stood at that press conference, I thought about my younger self, the girl organizing walkouts, challenging school board members, and fighting for resources in LAUSD. I realized that all of that work, all of those moments, had led me to that stage. I felt proud, but more than anything, I felt responsible. That moment strengthened my commitment to continue advocating for Black student success at every level, from K–12 to higher education.

You’ve taken on major leadership roles at UCLA. From Chair of the Afrikan Student Union to Vice President of the Black Pre-Law Association. How have these roles shaped your approach to advocacy and community-centered leadership?

I’ve been rooted in community work since high school, often doing the work long before I ever held a title. But stepping into formal leadership roles at UCLA has deepened my understanding of what it means to lead with intention, accountability, and love for my community. Serving as Chair of the Afrikan Student Union during its 60th anniversary was especially meaningful. ASU has a powerful legacy of Black student activism, cultural resistance, and institutional change. Stepping into that role meant stepping into decades of history. It wasn’t just a position, it was stewardship. It meant honoring the students who fought before me while uplifting the needs of students who are coming after me. Through ASU I learned how to navigate university politics, build coalitions, and advocate for Black students in spaces where we are often underrepresented. More importantly, these roles taught me that leadership isn’t about being at the front, it’s about making sure the community’s needs are at the center. It’s about creating systems, programs, and spaces that will exist long after I graduate. Every role has reminded me that my leadership is rooted in collective power. I carry my community with me in every decision, every meeting, and every piece of advocacy work I do.

You’ve worked across policy, research, and community engagement—from the Department of Youth Development to the UCLA Law Fellows Program. What project or experience has been the most transformative for your future in juvenile justice?

My journey has been shaped by a combination of grassroots organizing and academic enrichment programs, but the most transformative element has been the way these experiences complemented each other. My early grassroots work taught me what justice looks like on the ground. Speaking at protests, showing up for students, and building power through youth-led organizing grounded me in the realities that young people, particularly Black and brown youth, face every day. Those experiences made the systems I want to reform feel personal, not abstract. At the same time, the programs I’ve participated in, like the UCLA Law Fellows Program, Ready to Launch, and the Vice Provost Initiative for Pre-College Scholars (VIPS), helped open doors that previously felt out of reach. VIPS has been pouring into me since high school, shaping my confidence and my academic trajectory. Through Ready to Launch, I had the opportunity to intern with Assemblymember Sade Elhawary, a UCLA alum whose leadership showed me how policy can directly uplift communities when done with intention. UCLA Law Fellows, specifically, gave me the belief that a first-generation, low-income student like me could pursue a legal career and make an impact. These programs showed me that community work and policy work aren’t separate, they strengthen each other. Together, these experiences transformed my perspective on juvenile justice. They taught me that real change requires both lived experience and institutional knowledge, and that I can carry both.

As a third year Public Affairs major, I’d love to hear what stands out most about your experience at UCLA Luskin. Was there a moment, class, project or professor that felt especially transformative or helped shape your path?

My experience at UCLA Luskin has been eye-opening, challenging, and deeply affirming. One of the most impactful classes I’ve taken is Public Affairs 80. That class helped me make sense of the systems that shaped my upbringing and the experiences of the students I advocate for. It gave me the language and tools to understand how policies around housing, education, and criminal justice intersect, and how they disproportionately impact Black and brown communities. But beyond the coursework, the professors made the difference. Professor Smalls and Professor Covington have been transformational figures in my journey. Growing up, I rarely had Black women educators, and stepping into a classroom led by Black women in higher education felt grounding and empowering. They didn’t just teach, they spoke life into me. They modeled excellence, challenged my thinking, and pushed me to see my full potential. Their presence reminded me that representation isn’t just inspirational, it’s necessary. UCLA Luskin helped expand what I thought was possible for my career and my community. It gave me theory, but also the confidence to imagine a bigger future.

As you look ahead to a possible career in juvenile justice law, what legacy do you hope to build for Black youth and future first-gen scholars following in your footsteps?

I hope to build a legacy rooted in transformation, liberation, and possibility. I want to create tangible change in the systems that have harmed our youth for generations. My goal is to dismantle the pathways that push Black and Brown youth into criminalization and instead build pathways toward healing, education, and opportunity. But my legacy isn’t only about the work I do, it’s about the doors I help open. I want first-generation students, low-income students, and Black and Brown youth to see themselves in rooms they were told they didn’t belong in. I want them to know that their voices matter, their stories matter, and their dreams are not too big. If I can show even one young person from my community that they can rewrite their story, then I’ve done my job. I hope to leave behind a legacy of courage, compassion, and faith, a legacy that reminds others that even faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains.

Redefining Belonging: First-Generation Student Sheryl Samala Finds Her Voice in Public Policy From Long Beach to Singapore, Sheryl Samala is breaking barriers and charting new ground in public affairs.

/1 Comment/in , /by

by Peaches Chung

In a field where women of color remain vastly underrepresented, Sheryl Samala, a first-generation college student from Long Beach, is forging her own path in public affairs at UCLA. She has lobbied in Washington, D.C., on issues including diversity, equity and inclusion, freedom of speech, and student support, completed a transformative summer internship in Asia, and held leadership roles in multiple student organizations. As a Filipino American, she is redefining what it means for a woman of color to belong in the world of public policy.

The first in her family to attend college, Sheryl grew up in Long Beach, Calif., but attended the Academy of Medical Arts in Carson. At UCLA, she is now a third-year Public Affairs major with a minor in Labor Studies.

“As a low-income, first-generation woman of color, I remind myself that my voice and perspective are needed in places like government, law, and policy.”

In high school, Sheryl was deeply involved in health-related leadership programs like Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) and served as a Peer Wellness Advocate, designing campaigns to promote mental health among her peers. “That’s where I first got inspired to go into the medical field,” she says. Like many students from immigrant families, she grew up hearing that medicine was the most stable, respected career path. “Coming from an Asian American background, pursuing medicine was always encouraged. It felt like the safe choice.”

So, when she started college at UCLA, she immediately declared herself a pre-med biology major. But as time went on, her uncertainty grew, and she began to question whether medicine was truly the right path for her.

The turning point came when she enrolled in Public Affairs 10, an introductory course that explores the social science approaches to solving societal problems. “It completely changed my perspective,” she says. “We were learning about government, history, and systems — and connecting them to current issues that were actually relevant to my life. It didn’t feel intimidating at all, I actually felt empowered.”

Sheryl made the leap from Biology to Public Affairs, a decision that opened new possibilities and, unexpectedly, a new sense of self. “At first, I was scared to switch. But Public Affairs is interdisciplinary — it brings together public policy, social welfare, urban planning, and other specialties. I realized it’s OK to be curious about multiple things.”

Since then, Sheryl has made the most of her time at UCLA, diving into every opportunity that aligned with her growing interest in policy and advocacy. She joined the External Vice President’s Office, where she lobbied in Washington, D.C., and Sacramento on issues like freedom of speech, immigrant student rights, and Pell Grant protections. “It was my first time seeing advocacy in action,” she says. “Being in those rooms made me realize how policy directly impacts people’s lives and how passionate I was about these issues.”

Her academic journey also took her across the globe. This past summer, Sheryl traveled to Singapore for a study abroad internship with United Women Singapore, an organization dedicated to advancing gender equality and helping women pursue careers in STEM. “It was my first time traveling outside the country,” she says. “It was such a transformative experience — learning about a different culture and seeing how their policies and government systems work. There’s a lot I want to bring back to the U.S. from what I learned there.”

The opportunity was made possible in part by the Luskin Student Opportunity and Development Fund, which supports students pursuing racial justice and diversity in the field of public affairs.

Despite her accomplishments, Sheryl still wrestles with imposter syndrome — a feeling shared by many first-generation students who find themselves navigating spaces where few people look like them. “There are times I feel undeserving, especially when I compare myself to other students,” she says.

But she’s making an effort to shift her mindset. “Someone once told me that everyone got into UCLA for a reason,” she says. “Even if we didn’t all have the same experiences, we can still find new opportunities here — or create them for ourselves.”

That message is one she now shares with others. “If you’re passionate about this work, you deserve to be in these spaces just as much as anyone else,” she says. “As a low-income, first-generation woman of color, I remind myself that my voice and perspective are needed in places like government, law, and policy.”

Shaping Hollywood’s Future: UCLA Luskin Student Mehra Marzbani Champions California’s Creative Workforce

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

As an actress and student, what does it mean to you to advocate for reforms that help keep California’s entertainment/creative workforce thriving?

As a California native and a once-little girl who was perpetually glued to the screen, I always knew I wanted to play a role in Hollywood–after all, it is a quintessential part of our state’s identity and legacy. It felt surreal to see the huge Hollywood sign on my way to a TV set for the first time, because it struck me that this truly is where dreams are born and come true. As a student, I want to leverage public policy to keep that magical feeling alive for other emerging creatives and ensure equitable access to innovation and opportunity. And that’s what advocating for reforms that sustain and uplift our creative workforce means to me–it’s cheering on that little TV-obsessed girl who doubted whether or not she had a place in the industry and ensuring future generations that the Hollywood dream will stay here, in California.

What inspired you to focus your policy work on California’s Film and Television Tax Credit Program, and why is this issue important for the state’s creative economy?

In the conversations I’ve had with filmmakers and others, I’ve been overwhelmed by comments about red tape and permitting costs. It’s impacting not only the scope of productions, but causing more filming out of state and overseas. Now that I’m dabbling in independent production work, I completely understand the struggle; finding a location that’s within our small budget and seamlessly obtaining a permit–all without sacrificing the creative integrity of the project–is a major curveball. California’s Film and Television Tax Credit Program does offer strong incentives to reclaim in-state production, but these tax credits should be paired with structural changes to be most effective–and that includes simplifying the permitting process and expanding eligibility to include student and low-budget productions.

Making the investment in California’s entertainment industry and the success of the next generation of creatives here is an investment in California’s economic strength and security. It supports thousands of jobs and livelihoods, attracts tourism, the list goes on. Especially in light of all the recent unprecedented challenges we’ve endured as a state, protecting our creative labor force now is essential.

As you look ahead, how do you hope to use your platform as both an artist and a policymaker to create systemic change or drive social change on a larger scale?

I truly believe in the power of storytelling and would like to continue doing that. Both art and policy tell a story, and the narratives we read and hear can challenge perceptions and spark tangible social change. The tricky part is to understand what makes a story effective for a given audience. Through acting, I’ve learned empathy, and through policymaking, precision. My education has given me the language and tools to translate the creative community’s needs into buzzwords legislative officials can act on, and I see my platform as a bridge–connecting arts workers, young innovators, policymakers, and local leaders to pursue mutually beneficial goals. We’ve all heard the phrase “Lights, Camera, Action,” but the call now is for the entire community to take action together, collectively shaping our dreams for the future.

Living and Learning in Bali: Anastasia Vanderpool’s Global Internship Journey Anastasia Vanderpool shares how her summer with Bamboo Village Trust gave her hands-on experience in sustainable community development and GIS research.

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Can you tell us about your internship placement in Bali — what kind of work did you do, and how did it align with your academic or career interests?

My internship this summer was with Bamboo Village Trust (BVT), a Bali-based NGO that aims to create sustainable livelihoods and restore degraded ecosystems through the creation of “bamboo villages” across the tropics.

My work with BVT ranged across a few different teams and projects. First, I was in charge of putting together a plan (including a map, sample design, field survey, and overall methodology) for the validation of a mapping model created by the GIS team. Using what we learned from conducting and analyzing the data from this study, I created a document outlining standardized methods for any map validation performed by the organization and its partners moving forward. Another project I worked on entailed analyzing discussions from a workshop hosted by the organization’s Grow Your Own City team and conducting supplementary research related to its central topics. After doing this, I helped write a “white paper” for the organization that describes this information to important stakeholders. Finally, I assisted the communications team at BVT with various smaller tasks, like creating reels for their social media.

After college, I hope to pursue a Masters of Urban Planning and go on to work in the field of sustainable community development. The projects I worked on at BVT gave me direct experience in community development in addition to other necessary skills like GIS, fieldwork, and research.

How has this experience shaped your perspective on public affairs or your role in creating positive change in the world?

My internship and time living in Bali really broadened my perspective on public affairs and the ways we can engage with our work in the field. BVT’s approach to community development is very participatory, meaning that community stakeholders are at the forefront of the process. Observing this further solidified my belief that getting to know the communities you work with and uplifting people’s voices within them is of utmost importance. I think it is also critical to engage with different kinds of communities. Bali is so different from California, where I was born and raised, so I was able to familiarize issues and strategies for addressing them that I otherwise might not have.

Do you have any advice for other students who are considering this Global Internship opportunity next year?

My experience in GIP was life-changing. It was my first time ever traveling outside of the United States and my first on-site internship experience, so it felt like taking a big leap. Getting out of my comfort zone in this way ultimately allowed me to make some of the most incredible memories and to learn so much in just two months.

Though it may sound a bit trite, a big piece of advice I have for anyone looking to participate in the Global Internship Program is to make the absolute most out of your time abroad, both in and outside of your internship. Get to know as much about the local culture as you can, try new things, meet new people, ask a ton of questions at your internship site, learn about your colleagues’ lives/experiences, and spend your off-time exploring! I tried to be very intentional about these things during my time in Bali and  I am more than satisfied with the experiences and knowledge that I gained from the program as a result.

Fiona Lu Reflects on Policy, Tech, and Professional Growth During Her Global Internship in Berlin Fiona Lu shares how her internship gave her hands-on experience, new perspectives, and a clearer vision for her future.

/0 Comments/in , , /by

What inspired you to take part in the Global Internship Program, and how did UCLA Luskin help prepare you for this experience?

Going into my undergrad, studying or working abroad was not initially a part of my plan. However, while I was working in D.C. during the fall quarter of my second year, my internship supervisor on Capitol Hill encouraged me to take advantage of any opportunities to go abroad during my undergrad at UCLA. I quickly started researching, and I eventually decided that working abroad in Berlin over summer would be the perfect experience for me to strengthen my professional portfolio and explore a new living environment. UCLA Luskin has in particular provided me with the opportunity to earn credit for my major through the PUB AFF 195CE class, which allowed me to consistently reflect on my work experience, think about room for growth, and turn my newfound knowledge into academic exploration as well.

Can you tell us about your internship placement in Germany — what kind of work did you do, and how did it align with your academic or career interests?

This summer, I worked at a company that represents a leading online classifieds marketplace, Adevinta. Adevinta represents over 25 digital brands across 10 EU countries, with a total of 120M+ users. In Germany, I worked specifically for the in-house legal team of the German brands mobile.de and Kleinanzeigen, which are second-hand online marketplaces for cars and household items, respectively. In my role, I worked mostly on projects regarding legal compliance and regulatory and public affairs, which was the perfect intersection between the company’s specialty and my background in policy. Although this was one of my first opportunities working in the private sector, it showed me what types of skills are transferable across different industries, and I was able to use my previous public sector experience to succeed.

What were some of the most valuable skills or insights you gained during your internship that you’ll carry into your future studies or career?

As a large online classifieds company, tech has a large presence in Adevinta’s work culture. As a part of my onboarding process for the company, I took multiple courses on AI use and how Adevinta as a company has integrated AI use to create efficiency in its everyday operations. One of my projects even consisted of updating an internal AI chatbot tool to give accurate preliminary legal assessments for company compliance to the EU AI Act, an recently passed AI regulation law. This experience revealed to me how embracing technological advancements can enhance and optimize organizational operations, which is a skill I hope to carry onto future internship opportunities and my career.

Was there a moment or project during your internship that felt especially meaningful or eye-opening to you?

One of my favorite experiences throughout my internship was getting to know my colleagues, who were from all over the world. I got along especially well with my colleague Nicolaus, a legal counsel for the Kleinanzeigen branch of Adevinta. As a Berlin local, he gave me lots of recommendations for my time in Germany and also told me many stories about his time in college when he studied law and his experience when he participated in the rotational clerkship program that is mandatory for all prospective lawyers in Germany. We bonded over our shared interest in politics, where we would exchange about the differences between U.S. and German politics and their positioning in the global landscape. Through an interview I conducted with him for my PUB AFF 195CE class, I also got the opportunity to get to know him, his upbringing, and career history and aspirations better. Despite growing up and living in totally different locations, I found it to be extremely meaningful to connect with my colleague on our shared interests and had a lot of fun exchanging our political observations and opinions.

How has this experience shaped your perspective on public affairs or your role in creating positive change in the world?

This internship showed me how deeply intertwined private and public affairs are, and how both private and public affairs can spearhead innovation for the better. For example, using my knowledge of how AI can make company operations more efficient now, I plan on exploring academically and professionally how AI can be used to elevate public sector operations and services.

How did working in a global context (or with an international organization) broaden your understanding of public affairs and the impact of your work?

As a part of my internship with Adevinta, I learned a lot about the EU AI Act, and how it is the most globally comprehensive AI governance regulatory framework at its large scale. Through reading more about this piece of legislation, although it is EU-based, I learned more about how this act has influenced U.S.-based conversations about AI governance as well. This helped me recognize how understanding global current events and political trends can help me strengthen my knowledge of domestic government affairs.

Designing Patient-Centered Care: Jenny Gao’s Policy Internship with Kaiser Permanente

/0 Comments/in , , , , /by

From classroom to care strategy: A Luskin Public Policy student’s summer at Kaiser Permanente shaping patient-centered health policy.

Where are you working this summer and what are your primary responsibilities or focus areas day-to-day?

I’m working at Kaiser Permanente this summer as a Care Delivery Strategy Intern on the National Clinical Services team. Our team consists of specialists from multiple disciplines to design care that is more personalized, predictive, and coordinated for patients and members. We focus on creating seamless experiences across settings, from prevention and early intervention to acute care and long-term support. Our work spans a range of areas, from kidney care services to national initiatives like improving end-of-life care through the Dignified Journeys program. In my role, I contribute to multiple projects within these portfolios, supporting strategies that advance our goal of ensuring that patients receive the right care at the right time in the right place.

Have you drawn on any skills, concepts, or lessons from your Luskin coursework in your summer role? If so, how have they come into play?

One of the most valuable skills I’ve been able to apply from my Luskin coursework is stakeholder engagement. At Kaiser, this takes on a unique context because the organization is both the insurance plan and the care provider. My projects have involved collaborating with a wide range of stakeholders that include operations leaders, managerial consultants, project managers, physicians, nurses, and more. Through these projects, I’ve gained a deeper understanding of how each stakeholder’s background, training, and responsibilities shape the way they approach challenges. 

Drawing on what I’ve learned at Luskin, I’ve practiced actively listening to their perspectives while identifying common priorities and finding ways to cater towards different viewpoints to move projects forward. I’ve also been able to apply lessons on decision making analysis, particularly around balancing multiple priorities such as efficiency, equity, and cost. Our Luskin coursework has given me the lens to carefully consider how each decision impacts our overall goal of optimizing the quality of care and quality of life for patients and members.

Describe a specific project, interaction, or milestone this summer that made you think, “Yes, this is why I chose this field.” What did you take away from that moment?

One of my goals this summer has been to connect with colleagues across Kaiser and learn from their career journeys. A memorable conversation I had was with a senior operations leader working on a falls prevention initiative. He shared his journey from starting out as a physical therapist to now leading national research and advocacy efforts to reduce falls, while still working directly with complex case management. Hearing the statistics behind this initiative was compelling, for example, in older adults, a serious fall can increase mortality rates by nearly 50%. In more complex cases, families and clinicians face difficult decisions about whether surgery will improve quality of life, given the risks of recovery. What inspired me was how he balances both the individual impact of serving vulnerable patients with the large scale change of shaping policy and strategy within Kaiser. His work showed me that improving care for vulnerable populations requires both empathy and strategy, understanding lived experiences while building solutions that can optimize their quality of life. Witnessing how much meaning he finds in connecting direct patient care with national strategy deeply inspired me and reinforced why I want to dedicate my career to advancing health policy. 

 

Rising Temperatures Cause Students to Underperform Across the World UCLA’s Edith de Guzman highlights how overheated classrooms are widening educational inequities.

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , , , /by

An article published in the Los Angeles Times quotes Edith de Guzman, a climate researcher at UCLA’s Luskin Center for Innovation, highlighting how rising temperatures are undermining students’ ability to learn—particularly in underserved communities. A comprehensive review, analyzing data from 14.5 million students across 61 countries, found that heat exposure reduces cognitive performance, especially in complex subjects like math. Even moderately warm days, between 80 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, impair students’ attention, memory, and focus.

Heat doesn’t affect all students equally. Black, Latino, and low-income students experience up to three to four times more learning loss from heat exposure compared to white and affluent peers. This disparity is largely due to inequalities in infrastructure—many under-resourced schools lack adequate air conditioning, shade, or green space, making classrooms unbearably hot during warmer months.

“As classroom temperatures rise over time — especially during extended heat waves or in schools with less shade, poorer insulation and lacking access to air conditioning — students tend to show declines in attention, memory and test performance,” said Edith de Guzman, a climate researcher at UCLA’s Luskin Center for Innovation. Heat can also affect students’ abilities to enjoy outdoor recreational activities, having serious effects on their physical, mental and social well-being, she said.

The study also found that these effects are cumulative, with heat exposure throughout the school year having a greater impact on learning than just exam-day temperatures. Simple solutions—such as air conditioning, improved ventilation, and increasing tree canopy around schools—can dramatically reduce heat-related learning loss. However, many schools lack the funding to implement these upgrades.

Indonesia’s Democratization at a Crossroads: BGI Report Highlights Rising Challenges Despite robust economic gains and improved public goods provision, Indonesia faces mounting hurdles in governance.

/0 Comments/in , , , , , /by

The newest BGI report reveals striking insights for Indonesia, which faces complex governance dynamics as an archipelagic state and the country with the largest global Muslim population. Achieving full democratization proves a challenge for Indonesia, with the BGI report revealing a decline in democratic accountability. State capacity measures appear to remain stagnant, despite the country experiencing significant economic growth. However, this trend is not uncommon to its Southeast Asian neighbors- illustrating that Indonesia must continue to invest its economic gains in state capacity. Public goods provision has significantly increased, but the country’s complex regional governance system may prove a challenge to maintaining these gains. As Indonesia accelerates its development, it must face these challenges head-on– struggles which have been amplified due to authoritarian tendencies, crippling regional inequality, geopolitical challenges, and struggles with trade diversification as it emerges as a leader on the global stage.

Read the full report here.

Underpaying and Overusing Our Roads: The True Cost of Driving UCLA Luskin’s Mike Manville is challenging how we think about traffic, housing, and fairness.

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , , , , , , /by

If you’ve ever been stuck in gridlock traffic on the 405 or circled the block looking for parking in L.A., you’ve experienced the kinds of problems Michael Manville has spent years researching and trying to solve. As professor and chair of urban planning at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, Manville is reshaping how we think about transportation and housing in a sprawling city like Los Angeles and turning his research into real-world impact.

At the center of Manville’s transportation research is a deceptively simple idea: the way we price things matters and how we price things shapes how we use them.

” Driving costs less than it should, because the full social costs of driving, like congestion, pollution, infrastructure wear, aren’t reflected in what we pay to use our roads.”

“Driving is too cheap, and housing is too expensive,” he says. “Driving isn’t cheap in the absolute sense of the word ‘cheap’ because cars aren’t cheap and gas isn’t free, but in the sense that it costs less than it should, because the full social costs of driving, like congestion, pollution, infrastructure wear, aren’t reflected in what we pay to use our roads.” The price of housing, meanwhile, is driven up by restrictive land-use policies that limit supply.

Manville’s first introduction into urban planning began in a newsroom while covering transportation and housing topics as a local reporter. When the newspaper he worked for went bankrupt, he joined the local planning commission. Eager to turn his newfound passion into a career, he enrolled in the urban planning master’s degree program at UCLA and after a summer as a research assistant, decided to pursue a Ph.D. Today, he leads the department that jumpstarted his second career.

Building on the groundbreaking work of his mentor Donald Shoup, former UCLA urban planning professor and pioneer in parking reform who famously argued that free or underpriced parking distorts urban development, Manville and many other experts in the field have expanded this logic more broadly, emphasizing that it’s not just parking that’s mispriced, it’s also the roads themselves.

One proven strategy to address this is congestion pricing, a transportation policy that charges drivers a fee to use certain roads during peak traffic times. A controversial idea that has gained some traction in recent years, the goal primarily is to improve traffic flow and lower pollution, although it can also generate revenue for public transit and infrastructure.

It’s the idea that using roads during peak times should come with a price, just like electricity or water. “We meter every other government-owned utility,” Manville explains, “but not roads.” “It’s the only system that we don’t charge prices for, and it’s not a coincidence that it’s the only system that colossally breaks down about two times a day.” Manville argues that the same basic principle we apply to everything else in our economy, pricing goods and services based on demand, should also apply to road usage.

“We meter every other government-owned utility, but not our roads. It’s the only system that we don’t charge prices for, and it’s not a coincidence that it’s the only system that colossally breaks down about two times a day.”

Cities like Singapore prove it can work. In Singapore, dynamic tolling keeps traffic flowing at 45–55 mph even in a city as densely populated as San Francisco. Manville argues that Los Angeles could reap similar benefits if it embraced the idea. “We’ve normalized the dysfunction of our transportation system,” he says. “But there’s nothing inherently fair about free roads, or unfair about charging for their use.”

For Manville, reimagining cities isn’t just about policy; it’s about turning research into practical, real-world implementation. At UCLA Luskin, he says, that happens through teaching the next generation of planners, working directly with policymakers, and ensuring research is more accessible to community members. “The biggest impact we can have,” he explains, “is making sure our students leave with the ability to weigh tradeoffs—not chase perfect solutions.”

When asked what he hopes for the next generation of urban planners who will be tasked to solve some of the most complicated issues our cities face today, Manville had some wisdom from his own experience as a young planner.

“I came to UCLA convinced there were a bunch of right answers,” he reflects. “But the biggest lesson I’ve learned, and hope to pass on, is that progress comes from understanding the nuance and complexity of the issues we hope to solve. In a city as vast and diverse as L.A., differing perspectives are inevitable and real change begins with listening, especially to those you may not agree with.”