Inspiring evidence-based policymaking
Whether she is helping upgrade public transit for Wisconsinites around the state or empower women who pursue public service, Smith puts her La Follette degree to work for positive change.
Director Yackee and Barbaro’s conversation touched on a wide range of issues, from polarization to being a journalist during the Trump presidency.
Hometown Tucson, Arizona Educational/professional background Economics and Public Policy, University of Michigan – Ann Arbor Previous position Postdoctoral Associate, Better Government Lab, McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown University What types of questions do you address in your research? I study how U.S. safety net programs mitigate or exacerbate economic instability using administrative data. In …
You’ve heard his distinctive voice reporting “the biggest stories of our time” in your headphones, now see him live on stage. Michael Barbaro is the founding host of The New York Times’ hit podcast, The Daily, and an award-winning journalist. On October 20 he will sit down with Susan Webb Yackee, director of the La …
Hometown I’m from Independence, Missouri, on the eastern side of the Kansas City metropolitan area, home of Harry S Truman. Educational/professional background My PhD is in Political Science, and I completed it at the Truman School of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Missouri. Previous position I was a PhD student at Mizzou …
A few years ago, most Wisconsinites had never heard of data centers. Now it has rapidly become one of the top issues in the race for governor, and a hot-button topic in communities across the state. On September 16, the La Follette School hosted a joint event with the Wisconsin Policy Forum titled The Data …
La Follette is partnering with the Department of Political Science to host the State Capitol Eat & Greet, where alumni working in and around the capitol are invited to meet the next generation of policy leaders. The networking event, which takes place September 30 from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. in the Assembly Parlor of the …
This past year was transformational for the La Follette School, marked by incredible growth, exciting new opportunities for our students, and important milestones that will shape La Follette for years to come. As you will read in this year’s report, inspiring highlights from the past year include: We are at a pivotal moment in the …
Associate Professor Lauren Schmitz of the La Follette School was one of just 18 UW–Madison faculty members to receive a coveted 2026-2027 H.I. Romnes Faculty Fellowship this summer. Named after the late Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation Trustee President, the H.I. Romnes Faculty Fellowship is awarded annually by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research …
Michael Powell joins La Follette as an assistant professor. He earned his PhD in Political Science at the University of Missouri after spending nearly a decade as a nonprofit executive and attorney working in the conservation land trust sector. His research focuses on comparative environmental policy, specifically the intersections between humans, ecology, and land use, …