The two transferable skills that the La Follette School trained me to embrace revolve around writing and data.
Ryan Baumtrog (MPA, 2008)
The rigorous nature of the school and the natural competition with students taught me what it would take to succeed and make a difference in a professional environment.
The Impact of Minimum Wage Legislation in Minnesota vs. Wisconsin: Contra Williams
In a recent CROWE Policy Brief, Noah Williams (2018) argues that the recent increases in Minnesota’s minimum wage relative to Wisconsin’s is a central reason why Minnesota’s employment in limited service restaurants (aka fast food establishments) has declined.
Brian Barnett, MPA, Ph.D. in Neuroscience
“I want to lead programs that bridge technology innovation from many different fields and utilize them to maximize the success of our neuroscience and health research endeavors.”
Purchasing Power Parity and Real Exchange Rates
Purchasing power parity (PPP), the doctrine that prices of goods and services expressed in a common currency are equalized, is described.
Marisa Ross, MPA, Ph.D. in Neuroscience
“I was aware of the La Follette School’s glowing reputation and the high quality of public administration research conducted here, so I was particularly interested in learning from some true experts.”
Ruanda McFerren, MPA, Master of Urban and Regional Planning
On a near daily basis, I am in meetings that relate to a real-world version of grad school group work. Whether it is assisting in development of a new citywide housing policy, compiling information on digital innovations, or coming up with ideas for #cityhallselfie day, much of the work I’m engaged in involves a deep level of communication and collaboration.
Mikhaila Calice, MPA/EAP
Hometown Ann Arbor, Michigan Undergraduate education Bachelor’s degree in political studies and international studies from Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia, 2015 Professional/research interests Energy policy Accomplishments La Follette School fellow; undergraduate Pi Beta Kappa and …
Kavan Kucko, MIPA ’08
At the La Follette School, I learned how to work with and manage large data sets and manipulate them with statistics. I use those skills every day.
Tracking the State Economies at High Frequency: A Primer
Tracking the business cycle at the level of state economies and discerning the impact of fiscal and regulatory policies – as well as nationwide policies – on state economies has been hampered by a limited number of available sets of high frequency indicators. In this paper, we review the data sources and series available for a cross-section of states, with discussion of the associated advantages and disadvantages. We provide estimates of the correlation and comovement of various indicators with state-level real GDP, and how different indicators define turning points in state economies. Finally, we illustrate the usefulness of high frequency state-level GDP by evaluating whether a particular state economy is performing in line with expectations.