IPPSR grants extend applied public policy research across Michigan

New research projects exploring teaching, public schools, affordable housing, the health of the Great Lakes and community fiscal health are winners of the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research’s 2018-19 Michigan Applied Public Policy Research, or MAPPR, grants.

More than 30 proposals were submitted for competitive grants made by IPPSR, located in MSU’s College of Social Science.

The grants were announced Monday by IPPSR Interim Director Arnold Weinfeld. 

“We are excited to see the depth of these projects,” he said. “They ask, and will propose applied policy to answer, some of the state’s most important questions on education, the environment and community solvency.”

They also reflect interests expressed by the Michigan Legislature and communities around the state, he said. The MAPPR program is designed to link faculty research to current public policy discussions and to connect research with practice. 

IPPSR accepts MSU faculty research proposals for grants of up to $25,000 on an annual basis.

More details about this year’s program, including project summaries, is available online at http://ippsr.msu.edu/public-policy/michigan-applied-public-policy-research-mappr.

This year’s winners include the colleges of Social Science, Education, Engineering, Agriculture and Natural Resources and MSU Extension:  

• Substitute Teaching Shortage: Exploring Substitute Teaching in Michigan.
• Spatial Mismatch in Housing and Employment: A Tool for Targeted Intervention in Michigan Neighborhoods. 
• Line 5: Oil Spill Detection, Remediation, and Risk Perceptions in Winter Conditions.  
• Crime-Prevention through Environmental Design for Public Schools in Michigan: An Assessment of Safe School Environments and Suggestions for Public Policy.
• Partnership Reform: Turning around Michigan Schools
• Deploying a Fiscal Stress Indicator System for Michigan Local Governments.

Past research papers can be seen at http://ippsr.msu.edu/public-policy/michigan-applied-public-policy-research-mappr/paper-archive.

IPPSR, which specializes in political leadership, public policy discourse and survey research, is also home to MSU’s Public Policy Forums, Michigan Political Leadership Program, State of the State Survey, State of the State Podcast and the Office for Survey Research.

More information can be found at ippsr.msu.edu.