All eyes will stay on Russia, Ukraine, inflation and November’s mid-term elections, Michigan State University’s IPPSR podcasters are forecasting, with new State of the State results showing that Michigan has soured on the economy and President Joe Biden.
Uncertainty sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has already pushed up the price of gasoline. 
Russia and Ukraine are major wheat and corn growers, and their conflict will raise prices at the grocery stores, projects Charles Ballard, MSU economist and a member of the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research (IPPSR) podcast team.
He joined IPPSR Director Dr. Matt Grossmann and host Associate IPPSR Director Arnold Weinfeld in the monthly broadcast produced by IPPSR and WKAR, MSU's public media.
With war-strangled supply disruptions and shortages, along with rising demand powered by economic stimulus checks, extra unemployment benefits, consumers are likely to find goods and services in short supply or delayed, Ballard said.
Podcasts also cast their eyes on inflation, it's effect on national and statewide election races, tax cuts and Michigan's latest outlook measured in the State of the State Survey. They're sour on the economy, their own pocketbook, that of their community and that of Biden and his Build Back Better infrastructure initiative when it's associated with his name. They do like the initiative's components and remain positive about Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as she seeks re-election in November 2022.

Ukraine. Bread. Votes.

Michigan is a welcoming state where the state's refugee resettlement leaders work with local government and nonprofit agencies to integrate newly arriving families and individuals. The March 2022 edition of Michigan State University's State of the State Podcast is produced by MSU's Institute for Public Policy and Social Research (IPPSR). It welcomes regulars -- Host Arnold Weinfeld, associate IPPSR director. IPPSR Director Dr. Matt Grossmann and MSU Economist Charles Ballard. The edition's guest is Ben Cabanaw, Michigan state refugee coordinator working in the state's Office of Global Michigan in the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO). He's helping to coordinate the state's resettlement of refugees from around the world, most recently from Afghanistan and Ukraine.

Refugees. Economy. Redistricting.

From a policy perspective, who do we trust and why? When we think about COVID, in the U.S. and Great Britain, among those we trust, doctors, scientists and media were at the top of our lists of the most trusted sources of information. But why would we trust those sources the most? Michigan State University assistant professor Dr. Joseph Hamm, of the university's School of Criminal Justice explores key insights from his research rooted in extensive focus group conversations and national surveys in two countries.  He shares new transatlantic research results -- published by the British Academy -- with podcasters Dr. Matt Grossmann, Arnold Weinfeld and Dr. Charles Ballard from MSU's Institute for Public Policy and Social Research. Find the research report at https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/news/the-british-academy-publishes-studies-examining-covid-vaccine-engagement-in-uk-and-usa/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=announcement

Politics. Inflation. Trust?

Challenges are underway on declared candidates for Michigan's gubernatorial race. Michigan's governor and Legislature are debating how to budget $5 billion in revenues and a new ballot proposal makes changes to Michigan's toughest-in-the-nation term limits. This State of the State Podcast features host Arnold Weinfeld, associate director of Michigan State University's Institute for Public Policy and Social Research, MSU Economist Charles Ballard and guest Rich Studley. Studley is retired Michigan Chamber of Commerce CEO and now a leader of a bipartisan effort to update term limits and to call for the state's first constitutionally mandated legislative financial disclosure.

Limits: Ballot, Economy, Terms in Office

“On this month’s State of the State Podcast, Institute for Public Policy and Social Research Assistant Director Arnold Weinfeld, along with MSU Economist Dr. Charles Ballard discuss the current state of the economy including the factors impacting inflation and what does or does not constitute a recession.  The guest this month is Dr. Johannes Bauer, Director of the Quello Center at Michigan State University discussing the new “MOON-Light” project. 
Spearheaded by MSU and funded by a $10.5 million federal Broadband Infrastructure Program grant through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the Michigan Open Optical Network – Leveraging Innovation to Get High-Speed Technology (MOON-Light) will lead to equal and open access to broadband services to all Michiganders and can be leveraged to deliver education, healthcare, and employment services.  This podcast comes to you from the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research, and WKAR.”

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Each month on the State of the State Podcast, professors Charles Ballard, Associate IPPSR Director Arnold Weinfeld and Director Matt Grossmann aim for a lively discussion of Michigan policy and current events. They’ll run down three or four hot topics, pointing to research on each policy issue. In the first edition, they cover income tax cuts, Detroit’s bid for Amazon’s second headquarters, and the proposal for a part-time legislature. This podcast comes to you from the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research, where the focus is policy, leadership and research in MSU's College of Social Science.

State of the State Podcast

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