Joe White, Ph.D. – Luxenberg Family Professor of Public Policy and Director, Center for Policy Studies at Case Western Reserve University

Dear Colleagues:

Budgeting and legislating are much harder than campaigning. The difficulty is, both eventually have to get down to details: how much for whom or from whom, to do what. In budgeting the details, at least under normal circumstances, have to add up to totals. People – voters, interest groups, members of Congress – have preferences about both. And the majority preferences about details almost never add up to numbers which fit majority preferences about totals.

Matching details to totals may be easier if the President and his partisans in Congress either decide to ignore one of them, possibly lying about the figures, or convince themselves they can avoid consequences for unpopular moves. For instance, they could deny that the “American Health Care Act” would lead to many more people not having health insurance; or convince themselves angry people would not blame the Republicans in the next election. Or, as it turns out, that might not work. One of the key questions about the new government, then, is how it will address the policy and political risks of its preferences. We will discuss what the failure to abolish “Obamacare” (yet) suggests about the prospects for “tax reform,” the “skinny budget,” and other battles to come.

All best regards,
Joe White
Luxenberg Family Professor of Public Policy and Director, Center for Policy Studies 

About Our Guest

As Director of the Center for Policy Studies, Joe White organizes and usually moderates the Friday Lunch discussions, as well as sponsoring 3-6 other public programs each year. His appointment as Luxenberg Family Professor of Public Policy is in the Department of Political Science, and he also has a secondary appointment as Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. His research focuses on federal budget politics and policy; health care, especially cost control and reform; the politics of social insurance programs such as Medicare and Social Security; and differences between rich democracies’ health care systems. He is author or co-author of three books and about six dozen articles, with his most recent work being on relations between the president and Congress in federal budgeting and on budgeting for healthcare programs around the world.

Where We Meet

Mather House is located next to the Thwing student center two buildings to the right of Kelvin Smith Library on Euclid Avenue. Please enter the front door to Mather House and turn right. Mather House Room 100 is at the end of the hall.

Parking Possibilities

The most convenient parking is the lot underneath Severance Hall. We regret that it is not free. From that lot there is an elevator up to street level labeled as Thwing Center. Then turn to the right and walk down the pathway between the Thwing Center on the right and the new Tinkham Veale University Center on the left. The next building on your right is Mather House.

Schedule of Friday Lunch Upcoming Topics and Speakers:

April 14: Brazil’s Political Crises. With Juscelino F. Colares, Ph.D., Schott-Van den Eyden Professor of Business Law and Associate Director, Frederick K. Cox International Law Center.

April 21: New Research on Police Use of Deadly Force. With Meghan E. Rubado, Assistant Professor of Urban Studies, Cleveland State University Levin College of Urban Affairs.

April 28: Putin’s Russia. With Kelly M. McMann, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Political Science and Director, International Studies Program.