Truman School of Government and Public Affairs

Public opinion researchers depend on certain questions as essential public opinion barometers, like presidential job approval or Bud Roper’s right-direction/wrong-track measure. Perhaps no other question is as often used to determine what is foremost in the minds of the public than the open-ended “What do you think is the most important problem facing this country today?” Respondents offer their concerns in their own words, unaffected by potential bias introduced by limited lists of answers.

Assistant Professors Sheena Greitens (Political Science) and Harrison Kim (History) worked for more than a year to coordinate resources across campus and create the Institute for Korean Studies, which formally launched on February 9.

Professor Jay Dow has a new book, Electing the House, now available for pre-order.

More here: https://kansaspress.ku.edu/978-0-7006-2410-2.html

Lawmakers are considering the merits of Paid Family Leave for state workers in Missouri after a recent study by the Women’s Foundation and the Institute of Public Policy found that paid leave policies offer a  number of benefits aside from reducing reliance on public assistance in the year following a child’s birth.

Assistant Professor Michael Wahman gave a presentation of his recent research on LGBTIQ rights and international diplomacy in Africa, at the launch of a new unit on Gender, Sexuality & the Law at the Centre on Law and Social Transformation in Bergen, Norway.

Doctoral Candidate Kenneth Bryant Jr. has been selected by the MU Office of Graduate Studies to receive the 2016 Donald M. Suggs Dissertation Fellowship. Bryant was presented with the award on October 1st at the St. Louis American Salute to Excellence in Education Gala, which celebrates minority students, educators, business owners and leaders within St. Louis and the larger Missouri community.

You would want your doctor, dentist, accountant, therapist, or even funeral director to have a certain amount of education and training. Right? For this reason, Missouri requires people in certain occupations to hold a license to ensure they are qualified to perform their job.

The Institute of Public Policy, in partnership with the Women’s Foundation, released a new report Tuesday that investigates occupational licensing and the effect it has on Missouri women.

MU faculty members are showing up in the press as Election Day approaches.

Bill Horner talks voter fatigue with the Kansas City Star. 

Al Roberts comments on the mood of the electorate in The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 

The Women’s Foundation, in partnership with the Institute of Public Policy, has released initial findings from research on paid family leave and its impact on families in Missouri and the US.  Paid family leave is one of the many economic indicators affecting the status of women in Missouri and the study will continue as the Women’s Foundation identifies issues to promote equity and opportunities for women.