News: Social Policy

The La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is ranked 13th among 272 graduate programs in public affairs, according to U.S. News and World Report’s 2016 rankings. It also ranked in the top 12 for four specialty areas, including second in Social Policy.

Richard A. Easterlin Professor of Economics, Population Health Sciences, and Public Affairs

Lee Rainwater Distinguished Professor of Public Affairs and Economics

Professor of Public Affairs and Sociology
Director, Center for Demography of Health and Aging
Director, WiscRDC

Professor of Public Affairs and Human Ecology
Fetzer Family Chair in Consumer and Personal Finance

Emeritus Professor of Public Affairs and Social Work
Faculty Affiliate, Institute for Research on Poverty

For Tim Smeeding, understanding the effects of public programs on poor people is paramount. "There are lots of confusing reports out there with inaccurate findings," says Smeeding, professor of public affairs and director of the Institute for Research on Poverty.

Angela Filer's desire to create change by developing policies and programs that reduce social ills brought her to the La Follette School to earn a Master of Public Affairs degree.

The opportunity to choose classes and explore possible career paths prompted Diana Rosales Mitte to change her study-abroad semester into a three-year stay — and then to pursue a Master of International Public Affairs.