MAPPR Grants awarded to 7 MSU faculty teams to research current public policy topics

September 5, 2022 - Karessa Weir

East Lansing, MI – The Institute for Public Policy and Social Research (IPPSR) is pleased to announce that seven team faculty research proposals have been selected to receive funding through the Michigan Applied Public Policy Research (MAPPR) grant program. IPPSR is housed in the College of Social Science at Michigan State University.

The grants of up to $30,000 are designed to link the work of MSU faculty teams to current state policy discussions and influence future public policy. The 2022 recipients are:

  •       Dr. Julie Libarkin, Associate Dean for STEM Research and Education, for the proposal “Understanding stakeholder perspectives on invocation of treaty rights in environmental decision making.” Dr. Libarkin will investigate how stakeholders perceive treaty rights and what barriers prevent policy makers from considering Native American perspectives.
  •       Dr. Jerome Graham, K-12 Education Administration, “Use of social and emotional learning and restorative practices.” This grant will be used to look into the challenges and practices of implementing restorative practices in elementary, middle and high schools.
  •       Sandra Lupien, Director of Mass Timber, Department of Forestry, “Assessing Mass Timber Public Interest and Demand in Michigan.” Dr. Lupien and her team will leverage existing funding to expand the scope of a current data project including members of the general public in Michigan, and renters and owners of units in multi-family housing developments. Policymakers can then design and implement policies that fully realize potential for mass timber in the state
  •       Dr. Dawn Goldstein, College of Nursing “Mental Health Parity in Michigan: A Policy Analysis.” This project will review current legislation and assess what prevents the passage of parity laws in relation to mental health access.
  •       Dr. Ann Annis, College of Nursing and Institute for Health Policy “Integrated behavioral health care in Michigan.” Dr. Annis will analyze current policy related to integrated care in Michigan and develop recommendations for a single care delivery model for the state.
  •       Dr. Sarah Reckhow, Department of Political Science, “Assessing Public Perceptions of Government Capacity and Services in Michigan.”  This will expand the State of the State Survey to include questions of satisfaction and expectations of local public service.
  •       Dr. Mark Skidmore, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, “The Effect of Blighted Property Removal: Evidence from the neighborhood stabilization program in Detroit.” Dr. Skidmore will look into the impact of the Neighborhood Stabilization Project on property values in Detroit.

All of these projects involve applied research and collaboration, and will culminate in a policy brief on the research findings intended for policymakers. For more information on MAPPR grants and previous policy briefs, please go to: Michigan Applied Public Policy Research (MAPPR) | IPPSR


For questions about the MAPPR program and about IPPSR, please contact IPPSR Associate Director Arnold Weinfeld at weinfel8@msu.edu.