UC Davis experts: National policy issues
The UC Davis faculty has a broad expertise regarding national policy isues. If you need information on a topic not listed, please contact Claudia Morain at the UC Davis News Service, (530) 752-9841, cmmorain@ucdavis.edu or Julia Ann Easley, News Service, (530) 752-8248, jaeasley@ucdavis.edu.
- Middle East policies and the election
- The economy and politics
- Campaign finance
- Inequality and social programs
Middle East politics and the election
UC Davis Jewish history scholar David Biale can discuss the relationship between this year's election politics and the underlying political agendas of the Bush and Sharon governments for a war with Iraq. Biale says both governments believe a decisive victory in Iraq may trigger other governments to change (such as Iran), creating a pro-American alignment and putting Islamic fundamentalists "on the run." Israeli leaders hope a decisive victory in Iraq would take the pressure off them to deal with the Palestinian demands, Biale says. Biale is the editor of the first major anthology of Jewish history since 1969, "Cultures of the Jews: A New History," published this month by Schocken Books. Contact David Biale, History, (530) 752-1640 (office), (510) 524-9607 (home), dbiale@ucdavis.edu.
The economy and politics
How can we evaluate the positions of the candidates on tax policy, the national debt, and the future of Social Security and Medicare? Steven M. Sheffrin, dean of the Division of Social Sciences and a professor of economics, has written extensively in these areas. A former financial economist with the U.S. Treasury, a Brookings Economic Policy Fellow and a member of the board of the National Tax Association, Sheffrin is an expert on fiscal policy and politics. Contact: Steven M. Sheffrin, economics, (530) 754-8925, smsheffrin@ucdavis.edu.
Campaign finance
The collapse of Enron Corp. illustrates the potential dangers of big business corporations' prominent place in campaign finance, says UC Davis law professor and corporate law scholar Thomas Joo. He can talk about the current constitutional challenges to the new campaign finance law and the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, from a corporate law perspective. Contact: Thomas W. Joo, School of Law, (530) 754-6089, twjoo@ucdavis.edu.
Inequality and social programs
Economic historian Peter Lindert is an expert on historical trends in the inequality of income, wealth and living standards in the United States since the 18th century, as well as social programs and the welfare state. The director of the Agricultural History Center at UC Davis, he is co-author of "American Inequality: A Macroeconomic History," which introduced improved measures of the quality-of-life changes associated with industrialization. President of the Economic History Association for 2001-02, he is writing a book on safety nets and economic growth since Adam Smith. Contact: Peter Lindert, Economics, (530) 219-9823, phlindert@ucdavis.edu.
Media contacts:
- Karen Nikos, News Service, (530) 752-6101, kmnikos@ucdavis.edu
Last updated Feb. 15, 2012
