Gilens on Economic Pain and Voter Motivation

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A New Republic article on political leaders’ lopsided focus on disaffected young male voters cited Martin Gilens, UCLA Luskin professor of public policy, social welfare and political science.

The article argued that Democrats’ obsession with reaching young men is increasingly irrelevant in an economy where a diverse array of demographic groups are struggling to secure a job and pay the rent.

“The economy played a huge role with young men as it did with young women and with voters in general,” Gilens said. “But in particular, young people are going to be less tied to a political party. They have less history of politics and electoral outcomes to draw on.”

In general, presidents may have modest impacts on the economy because of factors outside their control, he said. But the Trump administration may be an exception, given the heavy hand it has placed on economic policy.

“I think it actually makes sense to attribute a lot of the sort of economic conditions, good or bad, to what the president has done, and so yes, absolutely, if the economy is perceived as being bad, then Trump and Republicans are going to be blamed,” Gilens said.

MPP 2025 Alumni Fellowship Recipient Lydia Kelley, MPP '26

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Lydia Kelley is dedicated to advancing equitable and inclusive education systems through social change. Her area of interest explores how education and workforce systems can better support marginalized communities through research-driven policy solutions.

At UCLA Luskin, Kelley serves as Co-President of the Public Policy Leadership Association (PPLA), where she leads engagements centered on leadership development and professional networking for graduate students. She has also moderated several UCLA Luskin events, including the Luskin alumni and the First-Gen, Students of Color panels, creating spaces for meaningful dialogue on access, identity, and representation in policy. Beyond campus, she is a Research Associate at Daley Strategies, a private consulting firm representing clients across California’s public, private, and nonprofit sectors.

Before UCLA, Kelley earned a Master of Science in Educational Leadership and Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from California State University, Fullerton. She received a Certificate of Special Recognition from Congresswoman Norma Torres and the UCLA Graduate Opportunity Fellowship. Her experience also includes internships with Congresswoman Katie Porter and Congresswoman Norma Torres in their district offices, as well as serving as Student Body President and two-term Sigma Kappa Chapter President at CSUF, where she represented the sorority’s National Council on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. As a woman of color, Kelley is passionate about empowering the next generation of changemakers by driving social progress through policy innovation, media influence, and community impact.

From Liberia to Luskin: A Public Policy Student’s Journey of Purpose and Impact Prince L. Jarbo, MPP ’26, is using his Air Force experience and UCLA education to drive change in his home country.

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by Peaches Chung

Prince Larmie Jarbo, MPP ’26, brings a global perspective to his studies at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. Shaped by his upbringing in Liberia, his faith, and his service in the U.S. Air Force, he’s determined to use public policy to create lasting change in his home country. 

Jarbo first came to the United States at age 12 but returned to Liberia at 14. “When I came back to the U.S. again at 18, I joined the Air Force,” he recalls. Determined to pursue a debt-free education, he served while completing his bachelor’s degree online. His military experience — and his life across two continents — instilled in him resilience, adaptability, and a profound sense of duty. 

That same sense of service guides his work today as the founder of Project Change, a youth-led nonprofit dedicated to cultivating the next generation of changemakers in Liberia.  

“Project Change inspires young Liberians to take ownership of their future,” he explains. “Through personal and professional development, we’re helping them move from dependency to possibility — giving them the mindset and tools to lead. And we instill in them a responsibility not only for themselves but also for helping rebuild our country.” 

Liberia, a West African nation that endured two devastating civil wars between 1989 and 2003, continues to rebuild from years of conflict and economic instability. Growing up amid the aftermath shaped Jarbo’s belief that lasting change requires both effective policy and governance and empowered citizens. 

“Liberia has suffered a lot as a post-conflict nation,” Jarbo explains. “I feel a sense of responsibility to help bring about change. Everything I’ve learned outside my country, I’m bringing back to improve it.” 

Jarbo is already applying what he’s learning at UCLA as chairman of Project Change and as co-president of the Public Policy Leadership Association (PPLA), a student group that fosters an inclusive and equitable learning environment for his peers while advocating for their interests across campus. In the classroom, his coursework has broadened his understanding of stakeholder engagement, data-driven decision-making, and long-term economic strategy. 

“I feel a sense of responsibility to help bring about change. Everything I’ve learned outside my country, I’m bringing back to improve it.”

“The program doesn’t just teach theory,” he says. “It helps you design real solutions and put them into practice.” 

His time at Luskin has not only equipped him with the tools to lead change — it has reaffirmed something deeper — the “why” behind his work. For Jarbo, faith remains the foundation that ties it all together. “Faith gives me clarity about why I’m here and what I’m called to do,” he reflects. “It’s what connects my service, my studies, and my vision for Liberia’s future.”  

As he looks ahead to graduation in 2026, Jarbo is preparing to return to Liberia with renewed purpose. “My time at UCLA has given me more than an education,” he says. “It’s given me direction, a network, and the confidence to go back and make a difference.” 

For Jarbo, that difference begins with one simple idea: empowering others to believe that change is possible. 

MPP 2025 Alumni Fellowship Recipient Ana Guadalupe Lua Martel, MPP '26

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Ana Guadalupe Lua Martel is a second-year Master of Public Policy (MPP) candidate at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, with academic concentrations in Immigration Policy and Nonprofit Leadership. Ana’s career interests center on advancing equitable policies for immigrant and low-income communities through applied research and public service.

Ana is currently a Policy Fellow and Graduate Student Researcher with the UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute (LPPI), where she supports research and leadership initiatives focused on Latino civic and political representation. In Summer 2025, she was selected as a Monica Salinas Field Fellow and interned in the Office of California Assemblywoman Blanca E. Rubio, contributing to policy and community engagement work on issues affecting historically underserved communities throughout Los Angeles County.

Before graduate school, Ana worked at Jive Live Entertainment, where she supported more than 20 projects in collaboration with organizations such as Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE) and the Latina Lawyers Bar Association (LLBA). She also played a key role in organizing LPPI’s inaugural Latina Futures: Transforming the Nation Through Law & Policy symposium.

Ana is a double Bruin and earned her B.A. in Political Science and Chicanx Studies with a minor in Labor Studies from UCLA.

Please see Ana’s LinkedIn for more information.

Sending a Pointed Message Through Real Estate

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“Spite houses” — structures built or modified specifically to annoy someone — are flourishing in the United States, where private-property culture, individualism and the country’s fragmented zoning laws create ideal conditions for satisfying personal grudges through real estate.

A CNN article about the phenomenon cited Boston’s four-story Skinny House, built by a returning Civil War soldier to block his brother’s view, and more recently, the Equality House, one of two properties bought across the street from Topeka, Kansas’ Westboro Baptist Church, known for its anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and for picketing at soldiers’ funerals. The owner painted the homes in rainbow colors of the Pride Movement.

“Hostile architecture is very American,” said Paavo Monkkonen, UCLA Luskin professor of urban planning and public policy. “Your house represents more here than it does in other countries. It’s a more personal symbol because it’s a homeownership society. There’s more neighbor-to-neighbor conflict.”

Spite houses are a local, highly personal kind of hostile architecture, which more broadly includes things like uncomfortable park benches meant to keep homeless people from sleeping on them.

“The U.S. approach to urban design is often not people-centric, in the sense that in certain parts of the city you want to build things that no one will go to, plazas that will be empty, because you want to protect your own peace and quiet,” Monkkonen said.

Mullin on the Political Fight Over AI Data Centers

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The construction of AI data centers, enormous complexes that can draw enough electricity to power a medium-sized city and consume millions of gallons of water, have become a potent political flashpoint in the coming election season.

Needed to meet the massive computing demands of the generative AI boom, these data centers are welcomed by those who tout their potential to spur economic growth. But a populist backlash has pointed to sweetheart deals for Big Tech that are raising energy costs for ordinary citizens while delivering relatively few long-term jobs.

A Fortune article on nationwide campaign battles over AI and the future of energy called on Megan Mullin, faculty director of the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation, for perspective.

“Candidates are lining up the coalition that they want to bring them into office,” said Mullin, a professor of public policy at UCLA Luskin. Staying on the good side of deep-pocketed tech companies with big AI ambitions could lead to campaign funding and endorsements down the line.

Repercussions From the U.S.’ Plummeting Birth Rate

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UCLA Luskin’s Michael Lens spoke to KCBS News’ “Ask the Expert” program about repercussions from the plummeting birth rate in the United States.

The trend is caused by several factors. Many women are more financially independent than in past generations and may choose to delay childbearing. Others, however, are deterred from starting a family due to the high cost of living.

“It’s a much more financially daunting landscape for today’s 18- to 30-year-olds starting out in the world than it was 30 years ago,” said Lens, a professor of urban planning and public policy. “It’s a really damaging thing if young people who want to have children feel financially unable to make that work.”

Advanced economies in the modern era often see declining birth rates, and the consequences include fewer people of working age who are able to hold up the social safety net for those who are retired, Lens said.

UCLA Housing Voice Podcast Celebrates 100 Episodes Hosted by Shane Phillips, the podcast continues to bridge the gap between academic research and real-world housing solutions.

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The UCLA Housing Voice Podcast, produced by the Randall Lewis Housing Initiative at the UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies, will release its 100th episode on October 22. The podcast, a biweekly program managed by Shane Phillips and joined by UCLA Luskin professors Michael Lens, Paavo Monkkonen, and Mike Manville as occasional co-hosts, aims to translate emerging housing research into practical insights for practitioners, policymakers, and the broader public.

Each episode features conversations with housing researchers on topics such as affordability, displacement, land-use policy, and tenant protections. The Randall Lewis Housing Initiative supports this work by producing research and public programming to shape public discourse. 

As a recent review from HousingForward Virginia put it, “What makes this podcast particularly valuable is how Phillips and his co-hosts translate academic jargon into practical insights. They don’t just present findings—they dig into what the research means for practitioners, policymakers, and communities.” 

Since its debut, the podcast has explored a wide range of topics, from California’s Senate Bill 9 duplex law and inclusionary zoning policies to comparative housing laws in countries such as Japan and New Zealand. Across its first 99 episodes, the series has traced the evolving global conversation on housing equity and policy innovation. 

The 100th episode will be available October 22 on all major podcast platforms. 

Two New Faculty Members Join UCLA Luskin Department of Public Policy

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This fall, the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs welcomes two new assistant professors to its Department of Public Policy: Isaac Opper and Carlo Medici. Both scholars are economists who use empirical research and data-driven methods to explore policy-relevant questions that shape education, labor markets, and public institutions.

“We are excited to have recruited two extremely talented economists who we expect will not only contribute to scholarly research but also contribute to informing policy,” says Robert Fairlie, professor and chair of the public policy department. “They are both studying topics of utmost relevance. Students in our program and more broadly at UCLA will benefit from their expertise in microeconomics, statistics, and policy topics around immigration, labor, education, and other topics.”

Isaac Opper, an applied microeconomist, focuses on education policy and the statistical methods used to evaluate its effectiveness. “My largest body of work studies how education policy can be designed to improve student outcomes,” he said. This year, he will teach required statistics courses for both undergraduate Public Affairs and Master of Public Policy students. Opper added that he’s eager to “move from evaluating specific policy interventions to thinking more broadly about public policy,” continuing a career devoted to evidence-based reform. 

Carlo Medici, whose expertise spans labor economics, political economy, and economic history, studies the interaction between immigration, labor markets, and institutions. “I’m especially looking forward to working with colleagues and students who are passionate about how institutions and policies shape the economy,” Medici said. His research draws on both contemporary and historical data to illuminate the roots of modern policy challenges. 

California vs. Texas: How ICE Enforcement Differs, According to New UCLA Report

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ICE arrests in California and Texas look dramatically different, according to new research from the UCLA Center for Neighborhood Knowledge.

While California has a larger immigrant population, Texas experienced arrest rates three to four times higher, reflecting differences in state cooperation with ICE and broader political climates.

The report notes significant variation in the profiles of those detained. In California, fewer individuals had pending criminal charges, and there were fewer transfers from jails and prisons compared with Texas. California also experienced a higher proportion of arrests among immigrants without prior criminal records, suggesting that state-level policies and political orientations heavily shape ICE enforcement outcomes.

These findings highlight the differences in federal immigration enforcement across states and underscores the importance of considering local policy environments when assessing the human and social consequences of ICE operations.