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Welcome … Welcome … Welcome!

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UCLA Luskin kicked off another academic year in late September during Welcome Week 2017, with events that included Orientation, Research Center lunches, EPA Training  and the 7th annual Luskin Block Party. Assisted by a swarm of volunteers from throughout UCLA Luskin, Director of Events Tammy Borrero juggled hundreds of details to ensure the School was able to, in her words, “make a spectacular week come alive!”  A sample of images from the week’s activities can be found on the Luskin Flickr feed, including this gallery of images from the Block Party:

Block Party 2017

Grant to Fund Research on Community Engagement

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A National Service and Civic Engagement Research grant of $100,000 to Laura Wray-Lake and Laura Abrams of UCLA Luskin Social Welfare will contribute to research dedicated to increasing and strengthening the nation’s understanding and knowledge of civic engagement in America. Wray-Lake will be principal investigator and Abrams will be co-principal investigator for a study that aims to generate a more comprehensive understanding of what youth civic engagement looks like in urban contexts. This project will draw from interviews with urban youth as well as nationally representative survey responses. It will document how urban youth of color define their communities and describe their positive contributions. It will also identify obstacles that prevent youth from becoming more engaged in their communities, and researchers will study the kinds of opportunities and relationships that empower youth to become civically engaged in the face of adversity. UCLA is among 14 U.S. higher education institutions receiving Corporation for National & Community Service grants totaling more than $1.3 million. The federal agency oversees AmeriCorps and the nation’s volunteer initiatives.

Wes Yin Coauthors Report on How Graham-Cassidy Plan Could Have Impacted Health Care in California

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An analysis of the potential impact of a proposed amendment to the American Health Care Act of 2017, known as the Graham-Cassidy plan, found that the now-abandoned proposal could have triggered the near-term collapse of California’s individual health insurance market. The analysis, developed by John Bertko, chief actuary for Covered California, and UCLA Luskin’s Wes Yin modeled two scenarios that examined how California leaders might respond to a federal funding cut of nearly $139 billion between 2020 and 2027. In both cases, the consequences of the cuts would start taking effect in 2020 and quickly lead to millions losing their coverage. In one scenario, California’s individual market could experience what is commonly referred to as a death spiral, according to a news release issued Sept. 25, 2017, by Covered California. “The decline in the number of those receiving financial help to buy individual market coverage, while requiring health plans to provide coverage to those with pre-existing conditions, would very likely lead to the collapse of the individual market by 2021 if not before,” said Yin, an economist and coauthor of the analysis who is also an associate professor of public policy and management at UCLA Luskin.

 

Conference Shares Research on Global Policy Problems 

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Scholars and policymakers came together Sept. 21-22, 2017, on the UCLA campus to help launch a new initiative that is dedicated to finding policies that promote welfare, peace and accountability in resource-rich countries. The two-day conference at the UCLA Luskin Conference Center focused on research by a global network of social scientists and practitioners known as the Project on Resources, Development, and Governance (PRDG). The founding members of PRDG include Darin Christensen, assistant professor of public policy at UCLA Luskin, and UCLA colleagues Michael Ross, professor of political science, and Graeme Blair, assistant professor of political science. Hover over the image below to access a Flickr gallery of photos from the conference taken by Les Dunseith of UCLA Luskin Communications.  

PRDG Conference

Views Among College Students Regarding the First Amendment

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In a new podcast episode for the Brookings Institution, UCLA Luskin Public Policy Professor John Villasenor discusses college students’ views on the First Amendment, based on a recent survey of 1,500 current undergraduate students. Villasenor finds that a concerning number of students lack essential knowledge regarding what the First Amendment does and does not protect.

Women in Medicine Honor MPP Student

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Public Policy student Stacy Songco is also working toward a degree in medicine, and she will be recognized with the medical student of the year award at the Women in Medicine event in September 2017. This event is held by the L.A. County Medical Association Women’s Physician Action Committee. Click to see all of the 2017 honorees.

Education amidst fragility, conflict and violence

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By Steve Commins, Associate Director, Global Public Affairs
From the Luskin Global Public Affairs Faculty Blog

Access to schooling and quality learning can be undermined by various manifestations of fragility, conflict and violence (FCV). The effect of different elements of FCV on education has both immediate and long lasting impacts on children’s learning, their well-being and their future prospects.  […]

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