July 2009

Douglas Almond was featured in the New York Times for his paper "Son-biased Sex Ratios in the 2000 United States Census," co-authored with Lena Edlund. The paper was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS). The article notes “New immigrants typically transplant some of their customs and culture to the United States... But a number of experts expressed surprise to see evidence that the preference for sons among Asian-Americans has been so significantly carried over to this country.”

Read the New York Times article here.
Read the paper here.

Wojciech Kopczuk and co-author Lena Edlund published "Women, Wealth, and Mobility" in the American Economic Review. In the paper, Professors Kopczuk and Edlund observe that the share of women among the very wealthy in the United States peaked in the late 1960s at nearly one-half and then declined to one-third. They argue that this pattern reflects changes in the importance of dynastic wealth, with the share of women proxying for inherited wealth. Read the paper here.

Jeffrey Sachs addresses long-term policy challenges in "Needed: A New Generation of Problem Solvers" for The Chronicle of Higher Education. Professor Sachs and co-author John McArthur write “Solutions will require theoretical knowledge and practical problem-solving skills, including the capacity to build and lead teams drawn from a variety of disciplines. They will require leaders who can cross boundaries of science, policy, geography, theory, and practice. In other words, they will require a new generation of sustainable-development practitioners.” More

Robert Lieberman co-authored "Ironies of State Building: A Comparative Perspective on the American State" in the journal World Politics. Professor Lieberman, with co-author Desmond King, writes "Nowhere has the idea of the state been more central than in the field of American politics, particularly in the study of American political development, an endeavor that arose precisely to challenge the then-prevailing view that the United States was exceptional in its 'statelessness.' It is now well established that the apparent "statelessness" of the United States is an illusion. More

Steven Cohen published "Wasted Again: What Can We Do With All of That Garbage" in Consilience: The Journal of Sustainable Development. He addresses the City of New York's trash troubles, writing "...it would be hard to invent a more environmentally damaging, or more expensive system of waste management, than the one we use.” More

Swati Desai has been appointed as Associate Professor of Practice and will teach management. Desai served in a variety of positions with the City of New York’s Human Resources Administration, most recently as Executive Deputy Commissioner of Evaluation and Research. She has previously taught at Fordham University, New York University and Long Island University, and her research interests include management analysis, performance management, and health and labor economics.

Ambassador Donald Blinken discussed his professional experiences and his new co-authored book, Vera and the Ambassador: Escape and Return. Donald Blinken was Ambassador to the Republic of Hungary from 1994 – 1997. He is co-chair of the European Institute's Advisory Board of and a member of SIPA's Board of Advisors. Watch the video here. (Flash Player)

Capstone Workshop: Montefiore Family Health Center: SIPA's capstone workshops allow students to apply practical skills and analytical knowledge to a real-world issue. In a workshop conducted for the Montefiore Family Health Center in Bronx, NY, the student team designed a program to expand the center's program for computer-based literacy screening for children ages 7 - 13.

Read the workshop report here.
Watch a team member's review of her workshop experience here.

Eric Hoplin (MIA '09) received the George C. Marshall Prize for Strategic Studies. The award recognizes a graduating student for an outstanding paper addressing issues of defense policy, military strategy, arms control, intelligence, peacekeeping, negotiation, and alternatives to the use of force as an instrument of policy. Hoplin won for his paper on the TransAtlantic Alliance. Read his paper here.

Workshop in Development Practice: Endeavor: A student team from SIPA's Workshop in Development Practice learned more about entrepreneurship and video production, while producing a video for Endeavor. Endeavor is an organization that works to transform the economies of emerging markets by supporting high-impact entrepreneurs. SIPA workshops allow students to apply practical skills and analytical knowledge to a real-world issue. More

New Student Photographs: Each year, students from nearly 100 different countries enroll at SIPA. This year, the Office of Admissions is offering a unique way to get to know some of the new students - through their photography. The Office of Admissions is calling for photo submissions from incoming students and posting them to its blog. Photos posted so far span the globe, from Tibet to South Africa, Peru to New York City. More

Gordon Gray (MIA '82) is expected to be nominated by President Barack Obama as Ambassador to the Republic of Tunisia. Gray most recently served as Senior Advisor to the Ambassador at the U.S. Embassy in Iraq from June 2008 – May 2009. Read the announcement from the White House here.

Be a Mentor: Students and alumni often need guidance when deciding their future careers. SIPA seeks volunteers to help fellow alumni and current students through the Alumni Career Advisory Program (ACAP).Through this program, you can share information about your career path to help others with their career decisions. More

Lauren Kesner O'Brien (MIA '07) recently co-produced, shot and edited "Raise the Last Glass," a documentary airing online for PBS's Wide Angle program. The documentary focuses on the bankruptcy and closing of the historic Waterford Crystal factory in Ireland, and the story of two Waterford workers as they fight to save their jobs and a piece of Irish heritage. More

It's a New Semester! The fall 2009 semester begins August 31 with new student orientation. Registration opens September 1 for continuing students, and September 3 for new students. Classes begin Tuesday, September 8. For schedule updates, monitor the Student Affairs Web page here.

Gary Sick comments in multiple outlets on the Iranian election, CBS News, PBS, USA Today, Time, The Wall Street Journal, ABC News, Council on Foreign Relations, The Washington Post, The Economist, National Public Radio

Robert Jervis on President Obama and Iran, NY Daily News

Steven Cohen on S.C. Governor Mark Sanford’s “Love Factor,” Washington Post

John Coatsworth on Honduras: "Coup or Defense of the Constitution?" WWRL-AM (New York)

Shang-Jin Wei writes on the myth of "'Made in China," Foreign Policy

Robert Barnett on China and the Dalai Lama, New York Times

Bill Eimicke on Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, New York Times

Joseph Stiglitz writes “Wall Street's Toxic Message,” Vanity Fair

Dorian Warren on President Obama and Reverend Al Sharpton, Politico

Robert Lieberman writes “What to Read on Lobbying,” Foreign Affairs

Lincoln Mitchell on Russian-Georgian relations, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Arvind Panagariya on Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, The Wall Street Journal

Richard Robb writes “Debt and Decision-Making at General Motors,” Forbes

Joseph Stiglitz writes on the U.S. pullout from Iraqi cities, Los Angeles Times

To contribute news and information for Inside SIPA, contact Alex Burnett, Communications Officer, at 212-851-1818 or ab3178@columbia.edu.