Dollars and cents of good governance explored in Sichel Series

KALAMAZOO—The economics of good governance will be examined during this year's Werner Sichel Lecture Series starting this month at Western Michigan University.

Now in its 49th year, the speaker series brings highly regarded economists to the area to discuss timely and important economic issues. This year's series features six nationally known economists; lectures are free and open to the public. All six presentations take place from 3 to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesdays in 2028 Brown Hall.

The first will feature Dr. Carolyn J. Heinrich, professor of public affairs and director of the Center for Health and Social Policy in the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas. Heinrich will speak Sept. 26 on "The Role of Performance Management in Good Governance."

Carolyn J. Heinrich

Heinrich's research focuses on social welfare policy, labor force development, public management and econometric methods for program evaluation. In her research, she works directly with governments at all levels, including the federal government on evaluations of workforce development programs, states on their social welfare and child support programs, and school districts in the evaluation of supplemental educational services and interventions.

Heinrich also collaborates with nongovernmental organizations such as the World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, UNICEF and others in research to improve program and policy design and the impact and effectiveness of economic and social investments in middle-income and developing countries.

Ongoing projects involve the study of labor market intermediaries and labor market outcomes for low-skilled and disadvantaged workers, performance management and contracting, health-care reform professions and policy factors that support effective provision of substance abuse treatment services, and conditional cash transfers and related poverty-reduction interventions.

Heinrich is president and founding board member of the Public Management Research Association and served as the editor of the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory from 2005-08. She received her doctoral degree from the University of Chicago and served on the Policy Council of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management from 2004-07 and as chair of the board of Institutional Representatives through spring 2011. She received the David N. Kershaw Award for distinguished contributors to the field of public policy analysis and management by a person under age 40.

The Sichel Series is organized by the WMU Department of Economics and named in honor of longtime WMU economics professor Dr. Werner Sichel, who retired in 2004. The series is annually cosponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences and W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.

Upcoming lectures

• Oct. 17: Dr. John Ishiyama, University Distinguished Research Professor of Political Science, the University of North Texas, "Political Parties and Democratization in Developing Countries."
• Nov. 14: Dr. Susan Collins, professor of economics and the Joan and Sanford Weill Dean, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan, "Governance and Economic Growth: Showing that Metrics Matter."
• March 13: Dr. Susan Linz, professor of economics, Michigan State University, "Good Governance in Transition Economies: A Comparative Analysis."
• March 20: Dr. Seema Jayachandran, associate professor of economics and director of the Center for Study of Development Economics, Northwestern University, "Governance Challenges in Education and Health in Developing Countries."
• April 10: Dr. Stephen C. Smith, professor of economics and international affairs and director of international economic policy, George Washington University, "Governance Challenges for Local Climate Adaptation and Poverty Alleviation."