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Home / Michael A. Stoll
headshot of man with glasses in suit
  • Public Policy, Urban Planning

Michael A. Stoll

Professor of Public Policy and Urban Planning

Michael A. Stoll is Professor of Public Policy in the Luskin School of Public Affairs at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He serves as a Fellow at the American Institutes for Research, the Brookings Institution, the Institute for Research on Poverty at University of Wisconsin, Madison, and the National Poverty Center at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and served as a past Visiting Scholar at the Russell Sage Foundation.

Dr. Stoll’s published work explores questions of poverty, labor markets, migration, and crime. His past work includes an examination of the labor market difficulties of less-skilled workers, in particular the role that racial residential segregation, job location patterns, job skill demands, employer discrimination, job competition, transportation, job information and criminal records play in limiting employment opportunities.

His recent work examines the labor market consequences of mass incarceration and the benefits and costs of the prison boom. A recently completed book, Why Are so Many Americans in Prison, explores the causes of the American prison boom and what to do about it to insure both low crime and incarceration rates.

Much of his work has been featured in a variety of media outlets including NPR, PBS, the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Economist, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, and Washington Post, ABC, NBC, CBS, Univision, among other outlets.  He also regularly advises the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services and Labor, as well as for state and local governments in various capacities.

Read More

Educational Background

  • Ph.D. in Urban Studies and Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • B.S. from the University of California, Berkeley

Areas of Expertise

  • Crime, Economics, Labor and Employment, Poverty, Race and Ethnicity

Latest News

African American female warehouse worker wearing an orange vest doing her job.
New report finds sharply rising rates of unemployment for Black Californians
June 10, 2026

In the latest report in the State of Black California series, the team found that across all racial and ethnic groups, Black people had the largest single-year increase in unemployment.

Darkened photo of Governor Gavin Newsom on the left and another darkened photo of the flags of California and United States of America on the right, overlay by a headshot of Michael Stoll in the center.|Meeting to discuss budgets.
Michael Stoll Appointed to Governor Gavin Newsom’s Council of Economic Advisors
May 15, 2026

UCLA public policy professor Michael Stoll joins California’s top economic advisory council amid evolving statewide economic challenges.

Latest News

African American female warehouse worker wearing an orange vest doing her job.

New report finds sharply rising rates of unemployment for Black Californians

June 10, 2026

In the latest report in the State of Black California series, the team found that across all racial and ethnic groups, Black people had the largest single-year increase in unemployment.

Darkened photo of Governor Gavin Newsom on the left and another darkened photo of the flags of California and United States of America on the right, overlay by a headshot of Michael Stoll in the center.|Meeting to discuss budgets.

Michael Stoll Appointed to Governor Gavin Newsom’s Council of Economic Advisors

May 15, 2026

UCLA public policy professor Michael Stoll joins California’s top economic advisory council amid evolving statewide economic challenges.

Route 66

Looking Back on Route 66’s Historical Role in Westward Migration

April 28, 2026

Michael Stoll highlights how transportation continues to influence displacement and communities today.

Welcome to Nevada sign.

Why California’s Retired State Worker Population is Migrating Out

February 3, 2026

An increasing number of California’s retired state worker population receiving CalPERS pension benefits are moving away and public policy experts weigh in on the reason why.

Stoll on the Factors Influencing Migration Patterns within the U.S.

January 9, 2026

Most Americans move 11–12 times in their lives, often driven by family, jobs, and affordability.

No more articles to load

Contact Information

Phone

(310) 206-4774

Email

mstoll@ucla.edu

Office Location

6331, Public Affairs

Media Contact

For media inquiries, contact Kate Shirley at kshirley@luskin.ucla.edu (email preferred) or 310-206-5252.

SELECTED BOOKS & PUBLICATIONS

Why are So Many Americans in Prison? jointly authored with Steven Raphael, New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation, 2013.

Do Prisons Make Us Safer? The Benefits and Costs of the Prison Boom
edited with Steven Raphael, New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation, 2009

Barriers to Reentry? The Labor Market for Released Prisoners in Post-Industrial America edited with David Weiman and Shawn Bushway, New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation, 2007 (Selected as a Noteworthy Book in Industrial Relations by Princeton University’s Industrial Relations Section.)

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Departments
  • Public Policy
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  • Urban Planning
  • Public Policy
  • Real Estate Development
  • Social Welfare
  • Undergraduate Program
  • Urban Planning
Graduate Programs
  • Master of Public Policy (MPP)
  • Master of Real Estate Development (MRED)
  • Master of Social Welfare (MSW)
  • Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP)
  • PhD in Social Welfare
  • PhD in Urban Planning
  • Master of Public Policy (MPP)
  • Master of Real Estate Development (MRED)
  • Master of Social Welfare (MSW)
  • Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP)
  • PhD in Social Welfare
  • PhD in Urban Planning
Undergraduate Programs
  • BA in Public Affairs
  • Minor in Urban and Regional Studies
  • Minor in Gerontology
  • Minor in Public Affairs
  • BA in Public Affairs
  • Minor in Urban and Regional Studies
  • Minor in Gerontology
  • Minor in Public Affairs
Professional Certificates
  • Data Analytics Certificate
  • Data Analytics Certificate
Admissions
Program Specific Admissions
  • Public Policy
  • Real Estate Development
  • Social Welfare
  • Urban Planning
  • Undergraduate Program
  • Public Policy
  • Real Estate Development
  • Social Welfare
  • Urban Planning
  • Undergraduate Program
Faculty
Our Faculty
  • All Faculty
  • Public Policy
  • Real Estate Development
  • Social Welfare
  • Urban Planning
  • All Faculty
  • Public Policy
  • Real Estate Development
  • Social Welfare
  • Urban Planning
Leadership
  • Our Dean
  • Board of Advisors
  • Faculty Executive Committee
  • Our Dean
  • Board of Advisors
  • Faculty Executive Committee
Research Centers
  • Agile Visual Analytics Lab (AVAL):

    Uses data visualization to improve decision-making for family and child services.

  • Berggruen Governance Index

    Evaluates the quality of political governance and democracy worldwide.

  • Center for Neighborhood Knowledge (CNK)

    Specializes in spatial analysis of socioeconomic disparities in neighborhoods.

  • Center for Policy Research on Aging (CPRA)

    Explores the societal and policy implications of an aging population.

  • Agile Visual Analytics Lab (AVAL):

    Uses data visualization to improve decision-making for family and child services.

  • Berggruen Governance Index

    Evaluates the quality of political governance and democracy worldwide.

  • Center for Neighborhood Knowledge (CNK)

    Specializes in spatial analysis of socioeconomic disparities in neighborhoods.

  • Center for Policy Research on Aging (CPRA)

    Explores the societal and policy implications of an aging population.

  • Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS)

    A national leader in transportation policy and mobility research.

  • Institute on Inequality and Democracy

    Advances scholarship addressing displacement and dispossession in Los Angeles and beyond.

  • Latin American Cities Initiative

    Connects urban planning and policy networks across the Americas.

  • Latino Policy & Politics Institute (LPPI)

    Addresses policy challenges facing Latinos and communities of color.

  • Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS)

    A national leader in transportation policy and mobility research.

  • Institute on Inequality and Democracy

    Advances scholarship addressing displacement and dispossession in Los Angeles and beyond.

  • Latin American Cities Initiative

    Connects urban planning and policy networks across the Americas.

  • Latino Policy & Politics Institute (LPPI)

    Addresses policy challenges facing Latinos and communities of color.

  • Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies

    Researches housing, transportation, and economic development in Southern California.

  • Los Angeles Education Research Institute (LAERI)

    Collaborates with schools to improve educational outcomes for L.A. students.

  • Luskin Center for Innovation (LCI)

    Focuses on environmental policy, clean energy, and climate justice.

  • UCLA Voting Rights Project

    The flagship project for voting rights litigation and policy research.

  • Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies

    Researches housing, transportation, and economic development in Southern California.

  • Los Angeles Education Research Institute (LAERI)

    Collaborates with schools to improve educational outcomes for L.A. students.

  • Luskin Center for Innovation (LCI)

    Focuses on environmental policy, clean energy, and climate justice.

  • UCLA Voting Rights Project

    The flagship project for voting rights litigation and policy research.

All Research Centers
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