Social Inequality & Justice Initiative

As a MPPA specialization
As a research strength
As an area of outreach

Curricula
Faculty at the Center for Public Policy and Administration are nationally recognized for their research, teaching and outreach on issues related to social welfare, justice and inequality.  CPPA core courses are widely informed by rigorous analytical perspectives aimed at meaningful social change; electives enable students to explore in-depth issues ranging from care and family policy to environmental justice. 

Examples of recent elective courses availalbe for a graduate program elective and/ or a specialization include:

  • Sexuality, Politics and Policy
  • Social Inequality, Technology and Public Policy
  • Health Politics
  • Global Agenda-Setting
  • Political Economy of Public Policy
  • Public Welfare Policy
  • Diversity in Public Policy and Administration

Research
CPPA faculty research is on the cutting-edge, generating innovative ideas about contemporary social and political problems and their solutions.  Students often participate in this research through paid assistantships and conduct additional research through their coursework or client-based projects. 

Examples of CPPA faculty research in the areas of social inequality & justice include:

  • M.V. Lee Badgett—Professor Badgett studies employment discrimination and has written extensively on policies related to same-sex couples, including the groundbreaking book Money, Myths and Change: The Economic Live of Lesbians and Gay Men.
  • Nancy Folbre—Professor Folbre’s research has significantly shaped the study of gender and economic inequality in the United States.  Her books include the well-known Field Guide to the U.S. Economy and The Invisible Heart.
  • Jane Fountain—Founder and director of the National Center on Digital Government, Professor Fountain examines inequalities with respect to science and technology, including access to the internet.  Her book, Building the Virtual State, has now been translated into three languages.
  • Krista Harper—Professor Harper’s work on environmental justice movements confronts notions of how societies can and do address global inequalities.  Her recent book is Wild Capitalism: Environmental Activists and Post-Socialist Ecology in Hungary.
  • Ray LaRaja—Professor LaRaja looks at how money in politics influences policymaking.  In Small Change: Money, Political Parties, and Campaign Finance Reform, he examines the influence of campaign finance systems on winners and losers in state legislative races.  
  • Dean Robinson—Professor Robinson is an expert on racial disparities in health outcomes.  He is the author of Health Disparities by Race and Class: Why Both Matter and The Black Family and U.S. Social Policy.   

Outreach
Connecting ideas with action is a core value at CPPA.  Students and faculty alike want their work and research to make a difference.  Examples of public service at CPPA include:

  • The UMass Public Engagement Project, which trains scholars to shape their ideas for use by policymakers, social movement organizations, and the media.
  • The Massachusetts Care Policy Network, designed to reach out to state policymakers concerning issues related to child, elder, foster, and health care.
  • Annual Lecture Series, including the Change Climate Policy series,that bring distinguished speakers to UMass Amherst to discuss major policy issues.
  • Testimony and briefings for congressional panels and other organizations on issues ranging from legal recognition for same-sex couples to compensation for victims of global conflict.