Inside SIPA: December 2008

1. Ester Fuchs on Creating a Competitive Workforce: SIPA’s Ester Fuchs, professor of public affairs and political science, unveiled a case study on New York City’s workforce development policy and the restructuring that began during Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s first administration. The primary focus is the adult workforce system and the new policy, programs and operating technologies developed by the Department of Small Business Services. More
2. Guillermo Calvo Honored for Essays: In September 2008 MIT Press released a collection of essays in honor of SIPA’s Guillermo Calvo, entitled Money, Crises and Transition, celebrating the significant contributions his work has made to the field of international economics, especially in relation to emerging economies. More
3. Steve Cohen, William Eimicke and Tanya Heikkila were published in the November edition of “PA Times,” the newsletter of the American Society of Public Administration. They authored an article entitled “Enhancing Information Flow in Public Organizations.” More
4. Jagdish Bhagwati, Guillermo Calvo and the Program in Economic Policy Management (PEPM) hosted a panel discussion on “The Growth Report: Strategies for Sustained Growth and Inclusive Development.” The report was released in October from the Commission on Growth Development. The panel discussion featured two members of the Commission, Robert Solow, Nobel Laureate and MIT Professor Emeritus, and Danny Leipziger, Vice-President of the World Bank.
   View a video of the panel discussion.
   Download the full report here.
5. Fellowship for NYC Employees: A new program will provide employees of New York City with expanded opportunities for executive education, through the Executive MPA program. SIPA will provide fellowship support to a small number of the most competitive and promising applicants from among the City’s vast pool of talent, beginning with the class that enters in the fall of 2009. More
6. Associate Dean for Development: SIPA welcomes Shalini Mimani as the School’s first Associate Dean for Development. She previously served as deputy director of Global Initiatives at Columbia’s Office of Alumni and Development, and returns to her SIPA roots where she began as a development officer.
7. The Politics of Food: In a conference sponsored by the Manhattan Borough President, SIPA, the Earth Institute and the Office of Environmental Stewardship, attendees focused on one of New York City’s biggest policy challenges: delivering wholesome, quality food in a timely manner to those who need it. Speakers included Lee Bollinger, President of Columbia University, Scott Stringer, Manhattan Borough President, Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City, Maya Wiley, Director of the Center for Social Inclusion, and H.E. Father Miquel d’Escoto Brockmann, President of the United Nations General Assembly. More |
8. Mayor of Mexico City: In the first of SIPA’s Mayors’ Speaker Series, Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard spoke on “Transforming Mexico City: Creating a City for the 21st Century.”
   Read Mayor Ebrard’s remarks here.
9. A Deeper Understanding of Conflict: SIPA’s Center for International Conflict Resolution, in partnership with the Center for Transformative Education and Abraham’s Vision, will host a unique course in Conflict Transformation Facilitating. The course is being offered January 2–10, 2009, using the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a case study. It will allow participants to deepen their understanding of conflicts worldwide and qualify to begin facilitating groups in conflict. More details, application and tuition information are available here.
10. More news, events and media appearances:
    • SIPA’s Sharyn O’Halloran is chairing the University Senate committee overseeing the streamlining of Columbia University’s financial conflict of interest policy. The intent is to meet new, stricter federal regulations and to create a policy consistent across all the schools. More
    • Steve Cohen and William Eimicke recently published “The Responsible Contract Manager: Protecting the Public Interest in an Outsourced World,” Georgetown University Press, 2008.
    • Steve Cohen, William Eimicke and Tanya Heikkila recently published “The Effective Public Manager: Achieving Success in a Changing Government,” Jossey-Bass, 2008.
    • “The Three Trillion Dollar War: The True Cost of the Iraq Conflict” by Joseph E. Stiglitz, and “India: The Emerging Giant,” by Arvind Panagariya, were picked by The Economist for its list of best books of 2008.
    • Betty Wu Adams Joins HHS: SIPA congratulates 2004 MPA alum and adjunct professor Betty Wu Adams on her new position with the federal government. Ms. Adams joins the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Grants. More
    • Paper: Quorum Requirement May Depress Voting: Many nations require a quorum when holding a national referendum – a minimum number of voters. In a paper to be presented in the Journal of the European Economic Association, SIPA’s Helios Herrera demonstrates that the requirement of a quorum actually results in fewer voters turning out than if the referendum were conducted without such a requirement. More
    • Jeffrey D. Sachs, Earth Institute Director, speaks on “Global Cooperation and Sustainable Development” at a lecture sponsored by SIPA and the Earth Institute.
      And SIPA introduces a new graduate degree program in sustainable development. More
    • Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks on Turkey's growing role in world affairs and the hope for a continued strategic partnership with the United States. More
    • Bolivian President Evo Morales appears at Low Library. More
    • Ester Fuchs discusses President-elect Barack Obama’s urban policies and NYC on public radio station WNYC.
    • Guillermo Calvo discusses the Latin American Credit Markets in the Financial Times.
    • Arvind Panagariya writes in Forbes about the economic cost of the tragedy in Mumbai, India.
    • Irene Finel-Honigman on the U.S.’s role as the world’s economic leader on CNNMoney.com.
    • James Rubin writes about “Russian aggression and the genocide excuse” in The New Republic.
    • Steve Hammer discusses the sustainability of New York City on Danish public TV program Deadline 22:30.
    • David Dinkins discusses the election of Barack Obama and his election night experience in The New York Times.