#HumansofDukeSanford Megan Yeh MPP'18
“I’m currently working on my readings for ethics. It’s for the MPP class. It’s really cool. Jay Pearson is the professor and he’s really great. I think he really contextualizes a lot of issues and also looks into the intersectionality of those issues. So things aren’t just isolated problems, they’re all interconnected. To be honest, I had never really considered public policy as something I wanted to pursue in graduate school. I was a history major in undergrad, I worked for 2 years in a AmeriCorps program in St. Louis city and I worked at a public high school in education and it kind of made me realize that a lot of the issues I was seeing with my students didn’t solely stem from problems within the education system but other things too such as their health, home life, and stress levels, and that was why they were having trouble. I looked into public policy, and I realized that I wanted to make more of a concrete change within the system in order to improve the lives of others.
Two MPP Students Named Margolis Scholars as Part of First Student Cohort
The Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy today announced the first cohort of Margolis Scholars selected from exceptional candidates from the Master of Public Policy (MPP) program at the Sanford School of Public Policy and the JD program at the Duke School of Law. The program will be expanded to graduate and professional students in other programs at Duke over the next two academic years.
Ways & Means Season 3 Premiere: Slum Detectives [podcast]
For our Season 3 premiere of Ways & Means, we begin a three-part series, New Ideas for Policy in the Developing World. In this episode, high-tech meets high-need. How researchers are using Google Earth to find the undocumented slums of India.
#HumansofDukeSanford Daniel Ntim & Isabelle Doan (PPS'20)
“Well initially, taking public policy 155 (Introduction to Public Policy), I was not very sure about my decision to go through the public policy track. However, taking more electives and core courses, I see that there’s much more to public policy than the core courses. It’s a very interdisciplinary major which features research, business implementation, micro and macroeconomics, and even facets of cultural anthropology. So it’s just a very diverse major that’s for so many people.”
The Missing Gun Control Movement [Podcast]
Earlier this week a lone gunman perpetrated the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history. Why does the U.S. lack a comprehensive gun control policy? After the violence at Columbine High School, Kristin Goss began studying the gun control movement in America.
#HumansofDukeSanford Naina Soin Kapil MIDP'18
“I come from India. I’m an officer of commute in Indian government service. And I have been dealing with taxes for the past 18 years. I was just looking for an opportunity where I can get an overall global perspective and exposure to what I have been doing all these years. So public policy will give me a holistic perspective of things. Essentially I’m looking to learn about taxation policies in an international perspective – how other countries go about it, the comparison. I will also be learning about the U.S. federal taxation law. So everything will give me a very broad perspective and it will add to my experience and work. I think it’s going to be a very wonderful input and look forward to my stay of 1 year here. I look forward to a lot of takeaways from here.”
Study Finds New Program Reduces Absenteeism in Primary Schools
A pilot program reduced absenteeism in elementary schools by an average of 10 percent, according to a new study by Duke researchers. Chronic absenteeism is linked to poor grades, low test scores and eventually, dropping out of high school. While most truancy prevention efforts focus on middle and high school students, the Early Truancy Prevention Program concentrates on first- and second-grade students. The pilot was field-tested at five schools in a mid-sized North Carolina school district. This is among the first programs for primary school students that has been effective in improving absenteeism rates.
North Carolina Leadership Forum Begins Second Year with Focus on Energy
In these days of extreme political polarization, how do you get people from all political stripes working together and finding solutions? You start with a story. Such as the story of Horace Pritchard, whose family has lived in Pasquotank County for five generations. On the family land he farms corn, wheat, soybeans and now, wind. Or the story of how an energy cooperative on Ocracoke Island is weathering hurricanes and keeping the power on through North Carolina first micro-grid of alternate energy sources. The North Carolina Leadership Forum (NCLF) -- launched last year by POLIS: The Duke Center for Political Leadership, Innovation and Service -- brings together civic, business and political leaders to discuss the problems facing North Carolina and develop possible solutions acceptable to both liberal and conservative leaders.
DukeEngage Detroit Experience Inspires Student’s Honors Thesis
When Keiley Gaston first set foot in Detroit in summer 2016, she had no idea the city would end up informing her studies for the next year. Gaston, a senior public policy and economics double major who is also pursuing a 4+1 MPP program at Duke University, was in Detroit the summer after her sophomore year to intern at Build Institute as part of DukeEngage Detroit. She quickly fell in love with the city and its “cool, entrepreneurial vibe,” even getting her parents and friends to visit so she could show them around during her free time. During the fall semester of her junior year, Gaston went abroad, but she couldn’t stop thinking about Detroit.
Knight Foundation, Facebook and Craig Newmark provide funding to launch Duke Tech & Check Cooperative
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Facebook Journalism Project and the Craig Newmark Foundation are awarding grants to the Duke University Reporters’ Lab for a $1.2 million project to automate fact-checking. The Duke Tech & Check Cooperative will bring together teams from universities and the Internet Archive to develop new ways to automate fact-checking and broaden the audience for this important new form of journalism.
Not your parents’ foreign aid: The shift from power to proximity and poverty
When President Donald Trump released his proposed budget earlier this year, policymakers on the left and right criticized his cuts to foreign aid and declared them a non-starter. Foreign aid, many lawmakers said, is a form of soft power, helping the United States achieve its interests in the world without resorting to more forceful tactics. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation also responded to the proposed cuts, noting that aid saves the lives of children, decreases poverty, and is crucial to fighting disease.
Sanford faculty books published in 2017
Sanford faculty have been busy writing! This year has been marked by an unusually high number of book releases by members of the Sanford School’s faculty.