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      Virtual speaker series to focus on COVID-19 response and policy impact

      Weekly conversations will feature faculty from the School of Public Policy

      Weekly conversations about COVID-19 response will feature faculty from the School of Public Policy. Credit: PENN STATE / Penn State. Creative Commons

      UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State’s School of Public Policy is hosting a virtual speaker series, “Policy and the Pandemic,” every Wednesday at 2 p.m. beginning June 10, 2020.

      The series will highlight School of Public Policy faculty research analyzing the response to the coronavirus at the local, state and federal level. Faculty will explore policies adopted to manage the crisis and discuss the impact on policy priorities and future policy design and implementation. 

      “Most people don’t think about public policy until we confront a major crisis,” said Chris Witko, associate director of the School of Public Policy. “After every disaster, we see significant policy changes at all levels of governance. Through analysis and evaluation of new and past policies, we can find creative solutions to help alleviate the problems we’re currently facing and prevent future policy breakdowns.”  

      Each session will be held via Zoom and will consist of a brief interview followed by questions from the audience. Participants will have the option to ask questions during the live discussion or in advance of the presentation by submitting questions to publicpolicy@psu.edu.

      “Through public conversations, we can stress the importance of assessing policy success and failure and help our community understand how policies are influenced and implemented. This gives participants the opportunity to understand the crucial role policy plays in a crisis like COVID-19,” Witko said.

      Details on the series and information on joining the discussions via Zoom can be found on the School of Public Policy website.

      Event schedule:

      "State Responses to COVID-19, State Reputations and Long-Term Economic Health"

      • Wednesday, June 10, 2-3 p.m.
      • Chris Witko, associate director of the School of Public Policy and professor of public policy and political science

      "PA Local Officials Response to Coronavirus"

      • Wednesday, June 17, 2-3 p.m. 
      • Selena Ortiz, assistant professor of health policy administration and demography

      "Health Policy Scholars' Assessment of the U.S. COVID-19 Response"

      • Wednesday, June 24, 2-3 p.m.
      • Simon Haeder, assistant professor of public policy

      "Fiscal Policy Responses to COVID-19"

      • Wednesday, July 1, 2-3 p.m.
      • Tima Moldogazîev, associate professor of public policy
      Last Updated June 4, 2020

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