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The Public Policy Center completes research and public service in the areas of education, health, housing, and economic development.
Dr. Michael Goodman is the executive director of UMass Dartmouth’s Public Policy Center and a professor of public policy at the university. An economic sociologist, he and his team seek to inform evidence-based policymaking through collaborative engagements that are designed to help make communities better places to live, work, and do business.
The Center completes research and public service projects in the areas of applied social science research, policy-relevant public service, economic development research, and technical assistance to state and municipal government agencies and non-profit organizations.
In Fiscal Year 2017, the Center completed a detailed study of the Massachusetts Maritime Economy, which shed new light on the workforce needs of life sciences firms in Southeastern Massachusetts, and helped the Town of Provincetown align its economic aspirations with its environmental constraints and infrastructure capacity.
In addition, the Center worked on 12 projects. Nine of these projects were completed, and three projects continue in Fiscal Year 2018. Collectively, these projects covered education and health policy, housing issues, and regional economic development.
The Center’s staff also spends a significant amount of time on pro bono projects for UMass Dartmouth and the regional community that provide a valuable service to the public but are not readily funded by external resources.
Over the past two decades, Professor Goodman has authored or co-authored more than 50 professional publications on a wide range of public policy.