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DEAN’S CORNER

POLICY RESEARCH:Public policy professor carves niche in disaster research

POLICY RESEARCH:Marriage tax may quell wedding bells

ALUMNI TODAY

STUDENTS TODAY:Visually impaired student sees opportunity in disability advocacy

REACHING OUT:Study examineseconomic impact of brownfields

FACULTY TODAY:Departures: Faculty,staff shift career paths

FRIENDS TODAY:Andrew Young Schoolremembers Jack Dunn

Thehttp://www.gsu.edu/~wwwsps/

In This Issue

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Georgia State University Andrew Young School of Policy Studies Spring 2000

be given more standardized tests to gauge howmuch they are learning. Teachers and adminis-trators would be given bonuses if their students do well. Schools that don’t improve would getstate supervision.

One of the most controversial aspects of the reform effort is a provision to end tenure for teachers. The measure has ignited the ire ofteacher organizations as well as the state superin-tendent of schools.

Henry, Rubenstein and Scafidi say the tenureissue was barely discussed in their research, andthat it isn’t likely to generate mass personnelturnover in schools.

“I kind of view it as a prime example of thestate decreasing its regulation of local schoolsystems and local schools . . . (Administrators)

SURFING BUDDIES:

Georgia Gov. Roy

Barnes got a lesson

in Internet surfing

from schoolchildren

during Georgia State

University’s annual

Leadership Night in

January. One of the

governor’s key goals

this year was to garner

legislative approval

of his education

reform plan.

R E S E A R C H E R S :

Education reform planmakes sense forGeorgiaGeorgia Gov. Roy Barnes’ proposed plan toreform the state’s lagging educational system is“an exemplar of political courage,” according toone Andrew Young School policy expert.

“There’s almost nobodywho got what they wanted (inthe bill) and almost everybodyis asked to make some kind of sacrifice,” says Gary Henry,director of the school’s AppliedResearch Center and principalresearcher for the GeorgiaState-based Council for School Performance.

“There’s nobody who’s left out of responsi-bility. It’s not a bill to please teachers or adminis-

trators, or county boards, orsuburban counties, or ruralcounties…I really think it’s avery courageous bill.”

Henry, along with AndrewYoung School faculty RossRubenstein and Ben Scafidi,and school supporter Carolyn

Young, recently assisted Barnes’ EducationReform Commission in crafting a sweeping set of proposed changes designed to better educatechildren from kindergartenthrough high school. At press-time, versions of the proposalhad been approved by boththe state House of Representa-tives and Senate, and differ-ences were being ironed outby a joint committee.

Barnes’ “A+ Education Reform Act of 2000”hinges on holding schools accountable for stu-dent performance. The proposal includes provi-sions for smaller class sizes, and students would

Henry

Scafidi

Rubenstein

Dean’s Corner

Spring 2000

The Briefing is published threetimes a year by the Office of the Dean for alumni, friends,faculty and staff of the AndrewYoung School of Policy Studies,Georgia State University,University Plaza, Atlanta, Ga.30303-3083.

Georgia State University,a unit of the University Systemof Georgia, is an equal oppor-tunity educational institutionand is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

Carl V. PattonPresidentGeorgia State University

Ron HenryProvost and Vice Presidentof Academic Affairs

Roy W. BahlDean

Paula E. StephanAssociate Dean

Betsy J. RobertsonDirector of Public Relations

Susan BullMimi FittipaldiPhotographers

For more information on the Andrew Young School,contact us at 404-651-3990.

Faculty and research associates in theAndrew Young School provide an excep-tional amount of professional service.Collectively we edit or co-edit eight journals,serve on the editorial boards of another 26, referee for more than 100 journals andprovide numerous reviews of researchproposals for organizations such as theNational Science Foundation. We serve on various boards, participate in externalreviews of policy schools and serve on theexecutive committees of several nationalresearch associations.

These assignments don’t just happen.They were earned. They are a form ofrecognition by the scholarly and policycommunities of the expertise that resides in the school. Academics love recognition.But that isn’t the only reason we take onthese assignments. They make us better.Editorial assignments and service as refereeshones our academic skills. That makes usbetter in the classroom. It also makes usbetter researchers and, we like to think,better colleagues to young faculty. Member-ship on national and international commit-tees builds networks, and keeps us focusedon policy issues of national and internationalconcern. This leads to funding for our pro-grams and jobs for our students.

Working with the state and city is one of the most rewarding forms of profes-sional service and a natural fit for an urbanresearch university. Three faculty from theAndrew Young School served on GeorgiaGov. Roy Barnes’ Education Reform Com-mission last year (see story, page 1). Facultyand research associates worked closely with the state Department of Industry andTrade to design a tax incentive program that encourages economic development.Researchers in the Georgia Health Policy

2

Center work with the state Department of Com-munity Health on a variety of projects, includingan evaluation of the PeachCare for Kids insuranceprogram. And our environmental policy group isworking closely with the state on issues related towater and air quality. Research Atlanta, an affiliate,addresses issues of concern to the Atlanta metro-politan area. In short, our professional service isnot only focused at the national and internationallevel. We’re connected locally, and we’re betterbecause of it.

Paula StephanAssociate Dean

Working withthe state andcity is one of the mostrewardingforms of professional service and a natural fit for an urbanresearch university.

From fires to floods, heat waves to ice storms, researcherBill Waugh examines disasters waiting to happen. He’s alsoa virtual catalog of those that have happened already.

Like the bombing of Oklahoma City’s Murrah FederalBuilding in 1995, which killed 168 people and injured 674more. And southern California’s Northridge Earthquake,which caused property losses of over $20 billion – morethan any other earthquake in U.S. history – in 1994.

Waugh details these and 17 other catastrophes in hislatest book, Living with Hazards, Dealing with Disasters: AnIntroduction to Emergency Management (M.E. Sharpe, 2000).

“Emergency management is…one of those fields thatprovides a fascinating array of issues,” Waugh writes. “Howpeople deal with risk says a lot about human nature. Howcommunities deal with risk says a lot about social values andstructures. How government deals with risk says a lot aboutour institutions and political culture…Crisis disrupts thecomplacency that normally pervades the public agenda.”

Waugh, who often advises government officials on howto deal with catastrophes, contends that hazards and disas-ters are the reasons government exists.

“That’s why we have governments to begin with – todeal with problems that are bigger than individuals,” he says.

Before World War I, government officials had few for-mal plans in place to handle large-scale disasters. Fires andfloods were the most common catastrophes, and citizensdepended on ad hoc fire brigades and nonprofit organiza-tions such as the American Red Cross to help save lives and property.

Over the decades, more people moved to potentiallyhazardous sites, such as coastal California, and the advent ofnuclear weapons increased the possibility of large-scale dis-asters. In 1978, President Jimmy Carter created the FederalEmergency Management Agency to corral state and localefforts to deal with hazards and disasters.

Emergency planning may seem futile considering thatcatastrophes can strike at any time with little or no warning.But having a crisis policy can be helpful for governmentofficials, says Waugh, who sometimes visits disaster siteswhen traveling.

“Maybe what intrigues me most about disaster manage-ment is that you can plan, but in almost no case can youactually apply the plan the way that you put it together,” hesays. “You always have to adapt, and you always have to bevery flexible in how you respond.”

Policy Research

Public policy professor carves niche in

RELATED RESEARCH: Workplace Violence in Public

Organizations (with L.G. Nigro), forthcoming by M.E. Sharpe; “The

Fiscal Risk of All-Hazards Emergency Management OR the Political

Hazards in Rational Policy,” International Journal of Public Administra-

tion, 1999; “Regionalizing Emergency Management: Counties as

State and Local Government,” Public Administration Review, May/June

1994, 54(3): 253-258; “Coordination or Control: Organizational

Design and the Emergency Management Function,” Disaster Pre-

vention and Management: An International Journal, 1993, 2(4): 17-31;

Terrorism and Emergency Management: Policy and Administration

(Marcel Dekker, 1990).

3

researchdisaster

CONNOISSEUR OF

CATASTROPHE:

Andrew Young School

researcher Bill Waugh’s

new book, Living with

Hazards, Dealing with

Disasters, chronicles

the evolution of emer-

gency management.

Waugh, a professor of

public administration

and urban studies/

political science,

teaches an under-

graduate course on

global disasters.

Policy Research

4

nal of Economic Perspectives,the Journal of Public Economicsand Economica, among others. Alm and Whittingtonalso are writing a book ontheir findings.

The research so far indi-cates that very few peopledecide to marry, cohabitate or divorce based solely on thetax consequences. But eventhough its effects on behaviorare small, the marriage tax haspolicy implications that shouldbe examined, Alm notes.

“All kinds of evidenceindicates that outcomes forchildren and outcomes forindividuals are much better…for married couples than sin-gles,” he says. “I don’t thinkyou want policies that activelydiscourage marriage andencourage divorce. And themarriage tax does that, butnot very much. Then itbecomes not so much abehavior issue as an equityissue. Is it fair to treat theseindividuals differently?”

Working husbands andwives with similar incomeswho file jointly typically incura larger tax liability than ifthey filed individually as sin-gles. The penalty affects 21million couples who paid anaverage of $1,400 extra intaxes in 1996 because theyfiled jointly, according to theCongressional Budget Office.The marriage penalty gener-ated $29 billion for the fed-eral government that year.

The tax code also pro-vides a marriage “bonus” to

The so-called “marriage tax”penalty could affect whethersome couples legally wed, livetogether or divorce, researchby an Andrew Young Schooleconomics professor suggests.

The marriage tax refers to a feature of the U.S. taxcode that causes millions of married couples to paymore income tax than if they were single.

“If you buy into the notionthat people respond at least a little bit to economic incen-tives – and the evidence forthis is overwhelming — thenthe tax consequences ofmarriage and divorce areeconomic incentives that can affect these decisions inquite noticeable ways,” saysresearcher Jim Alm. He andcolleague Leslie Whittingtonof Georgetown Universityhave spent years examininghow the marriage penaltyaffects couples’ behavior.

“Taxes are not the domi-nant reason for people gettingmarried, or divorced, or, forthat matter, having children.But they are one considera-tion,” Alm says.

To wed or not to wed?What began as “just a paperor two” has grown into abody of work published in theNational Tax Journal, the Jour-

RELATED RESEARCH: “The Marriage Penalty,” Journal of Economic Perspectives, 13(3): 193-204;

“The Marriage Tax and the Rate and Timing of Marriages,” National Tax Journal 48(4): 547-558; “The Rise and Fall

and Rise…of the Marriage Tax,” National Tax Journal, December 1996; “For Love or Money: Economic Incentives

and the Marriage Decision,” Economica, August 1999; “’Til Death or Taxes Do Us Part: The Effect of Income Tax-

ation on Divorce,” The Journal of Human Resources 32(2): 389-412; “Income Taxes and the Timing of Marital

Decisions,” Journal of Public Economics 64(3): 219-240.

Mending the policy means taking a closer look atwhether the tax code shouldcontinue to favor the nuclearfamily of the 1950s, whenhusbands typically were thesole earners and wives stayedhome with the kids, says Alm.

His most recent workexamines the income taxconsequences of legalizingsame-sex marriage, a policymove that could have a rev-enue impact of as much as$1.3 billion.

“I’ve come to believe thatwhat we ought to do is to goback to the individual as theunit of taxation,” says Alm,who teaches a module on themarriage tax penalty in hisdoctoral seminar in publiceconomics. “There’s such anincredible range of family unitsthese days, much more sothan 20 years ago. It may notbe fair to treat all of thesehouseholds differently thanmarried couples.”

Marriage tax may quell wedding bells

couples with one income, orwith one spouse earning sig-nificantly more than the other.The marriage bonus affected25 million couples in 1996,reducing their tax bills by anaverage of $1,300, or $33 bil-lion total, the CBO reported.

Related research byAndrew Young School eco-nomics faculty David Sjoquistand Mary Beth Walkerexplored whether the mar-riage tax caused people todelay marriage. They foundthat an increase in the mar-riage tax results in fewer mar-riages at the end of the yearand more marriages at thebeginning of the year.

Political footballThe marriage tax has becomea point of political debate inrecent years because of thegrowing number of marriedcouples who are penalizedbecause both spouses makesimilar wages.

LOVE OR MONEY:

Economics professor

Jim Alm studies the

effects of the marriage

tax penalty on couples’

behavior. Alm teaches

about the development

of the marriage tax in

his doctoral seminar in

public economics.

Sal Alaimo (master’s in urbanpolicy studies, ’99) was pro-moted to manager of out-comes measurement for theGirl Scout Council of North-west Georgia in February. Heformerly served as memberservices manager for theorganization for three years.

Sandra Brisendine Bruce(master of public administra-tion, ’96) is state personneldirector for the GeorgiaDepartment of Defense,where she manages payroll,benefits and human resources.

David C. Chou (Ph.D. in eco-nomics, ’87) is a professor ofbusiness computer informa-tion systems at St. CloudState University in Minnesota.

Walter Coffey (master ofpublic administration, ’97) ispresident of the Georgia

Alumni Today

Association of Homes andServices for the Aging.

Charles Dale (Ph.D. in econom-ics, ’78) is a financial economistwith the Office of EconomicAnalysis, U.S. Securities andExchange Commission.

Margaret Fowke (master of public administration, ’99)works for the Division ofDiabetes Translation of theCenters for Disease Control.She is involved in a researchproject that examineswhether it costs more to eat a healthier diet.

Cody Jackson (master ofpublic administration, ’91) is chairman of the City ofDecatur’s Waste ManagementAdvisory Board.

Lenwood V. Long Sr. (mas-ter’s in urban administration,

5

’74) recently ran for a seat onthe Wake Forest (N.C.) Boardof Commissioners. He is thepastor of New Bethel BaptistChurch in Rolesville, N.C.

Lisa Love White (master’s in human resource develop-ment, ’94) is a documentationand training specialist inGeorgia-Pacific Corp.’s humanresources informationtechnology department.

William R. Voorhees (masterof public administration, ’95) is a political science instructorat Southern Illinois University’sCarbondale campus and bookreview editor of Public Budget-ing & Finance.

A. Ray Weeks Jr. (master ofscience in urban affairs, ’77)recently received the ZellMiller Public Policy LeadershipAward from the Georgia

Economic Developers Associ-ation. The award recognizedWeeks’ outstanding contri-butions and commitment toGeorgia’s economic develop-ment program. Weeks is vice chairman of Indianapolis,Ind.-based Duke-WeeksRealty Corp.

Let us know where you are! If youhave a degree from Georgia State inpublic administration, economics,urban policy studies, human resourcedevelopment or other programs nowoffered by the Andrew Young School,we want to hear from you! Contact:

Betsy RobertsonAndrew Young School of Policy StudiesGeorgia State UniversityUniversity PlazaAtlanta, GA 30303-3083

Or contact us at:Phone: 404-651-4328E-mail: b-robertson@gsu.edu

AlumniNews

HOME AGAIN: Andrew Young School alumni Larry Lucas (left)

and Mitch Haralson banter during the school’s Homecoming 2000

tailgate party in February. Lucas received a bachelor of science in

urban studies, with a specialization in community development,

in 1997. He is now enrolled in the master of public administration

degree program. Haralson graduated in 1980 with a master of

science degree in urban studies. In its sixth straight victory to end the

regular season, Georgia State claimed a share of the Trans America

Athletic Conference regular-season men's basketball crown with a

78-63 win over Central Florida during the annual Homecoming game.

can’t say teacher tenure is holding them back,” Scafidi says.Barnes’ reform measure also attempts to spread the wealth

by providing more money to poorer schools in urban and ruralareas. “Essentially the state is going to step in and do a lot moreto try to equalize the revenue that school districts, especiallypoor school districts, can raise,” says Rubenstein.

“Poor districts with high tax rates but very low tax bases aregoing to get a huge boost from this. The flip side, of course, isthat there are quite a few districts, particularly in metro Atlanta– relatively large, wealthy districts – that are going to losemoney. But that’s always the story when you talk about funding.There are winners and losers.”

It’s still unclear whether changes in the funding structure willactually improve student achievement.

“This is one of the big, difficult questions,” Rubenstein says.“We don’t really know exactly how much spending it takes toproduce whatever level of student achievement we’re trying to get. A lot of other states have been struggling with this.”

Should the education reform measure be enacted, theresearchers predict it will take at least three years to seeimprovement in the state’s worst schools and longer for sys-temwide improvement to be reflected in national rankings.

“If you’re looking for us to become a Top 10 state, we’re notgoing to become that by 2010,” Henry says. “But I do think wecan move from ‘below average’ to ‘above average’ in that time.”

Education reform plancontinued from page 1

Andrew Young School graduate Karen Akins is setting her sights onWashington – even though a degenerative eye condition has left herlegally blind.

“For me, that means I don’t drive anymore, I don’t read smallprint, I’m colorblind and really light-sensitive,” says Akins, 38, whoreceived a master of public administration degree in December.

Doctors believe Akins, a former licensed insurance agent, con-tracted toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease that often affects the eyesand lungs, 13 years ago. For years, she sought treatment, stayed outof work and learned how to live independently with limited vision.

In 1996, Akins took a job as a secretary for an insurance agencyand decided to continue her education. She finished an undergradu-ate degree in mental health and human services, and eventually leftthe insurance agency to attend graduate school.

“I felt like, as a person with a disability, I needed as many creden-tials as I could get,” Akins says. “And ironically the opportunity pre-sented itself so that I could go and have it pretty much paid for.”

Akins’ former employer agreed to fund her graduate educationafter she complained that the company was not making adequateaccommodations for her disability, she says.

Akins took the company’s offer, and now plans to parlay hereducation and experiences into a full-time job advocating for the rights of the disabled.

“You have to become really good at being your own self-advocate,” says Akins, who contends that state laws and funding levels in Georgia have not kept track with federal disabilitylegislation such as the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act. “You have to be really proactive in getting out there and trying to find out information about your condition and what your rights are.”

Akins spent the most recent legislative session tracking bills as an intern with the Governor’sCouncil on Developmental Disabilities for Georgia, a state agency that promotes policiesdesigned to increase the independence, inclusion and productivity of the disabled.

Among the group’s legislative agenda items this year :• A proposal that would require greater accessibility to public buildings for people in wheelchairs;• A bill that would increase the number of places where guide dogs or service dogs are permitted;• And a proposal for stricter punishment of criminals convicted of crimes against the elderly

and disabled.For her part, Akins simply hopes to someday be able to walk into a restaurant and take for

granted that she’ll be able to get a large-print menu.“Maybe (in the future) you can just about work and go anywhere and people will understand

that this is what you need and you don’t have to struggle,” she says. “If I can make a difference —even in my own little way — that keeps me going.”

SEEING AND

BELIEVING:

Andrew Young

School graduate

Karen Akins, who is

legally blind, plans

to make a career

of lobbying for the

rights of the dis-

abled. Akins received

a master of public

administration

degree in December.

Visually impaired student seesopportunity in disability advocacy

Students Today

“You have to becomereally good at being

your own self-advocate. You have

to be really proactivein getting out there

and trying to find out information

about your conditionand what your

rights are.”

– Karen Akins

6

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Economics doctoral student FemiAlao is reviewing the economicevaluations of community inter-ventions for the “Tobacco ProductUse Prevention” chapter of theCenters for Disease Control andPrevention’s Guide to Commu-nity Preventive Services. Shealso co-wrote a paper, “QualityAssessment of Economic Evalua-tions Included in the Guide toCommunity Preventive Ser-vices,” to be presented at theannual meeting of the Interna-tional Society of TechnologyAssessment in Health Care in the Hague, Netherlands, in June.Wasseem Mina, also a Ph.D.student in economics, is workingon the CDC community guide aswell. The book recommends waysto promote health; prevent dis-ease, injury, disability andpremature death; and to reduceenvironmental hazards.

Suzanne Butterfield, JimKirley and Bon Lahm eachreceived the Award for Distin-guished Contribution to HumanResource Development Researchfrom the Andrew Young Schoolduring Honors Day ceremonies in March.

Economics doctoral studentRobbie Collins wrote a Jan. 29opinion column in the AtlantaJournal/Constitution entitled“MARTA has poor track record.”

Cynthia Dreier received theBest Term Paper Award, which isjudged by a faculty committee inthe Department of Public Admin-istration and Urban Studies,during Honors Day ceremonies in March. Her paper was entitled“Leadership Strategies: Environ-mental Nonprofit Organization.”Dreier is a student in the masterof public administration program.

Economics doctoral candidateStephen Everhart, seniorfinancial economist for the World Bank’s Mexico City office,recently attended a two-weekUniversity of Sao Paulo/WorldBank Institute seminar entitled“Quantitative Methods in Macro

Management.” Economics doc-toral student Adam Korobowworks in the Mexico CountryOffice at the World Bank inWashington, and has a workingpaper in progress that analyzesthe fiscal decentralization processin Mexico. Korobow received amaster of arts in economics fromGeorgia State in 1998.

Ellen Flemister and MarianSachs each received the Awardfor Distinguished Performance inthe Master of Science in HumanResource Development Programfrom the Andrew Young Schoolduring Honors Day ceremonies inMarch. The award is presentedannually to students who haveconsistently demonstrated supe-rior academic performance andmade significant contributions tothe education of fellow students.

Adolph Goldenburg and BlairWoodell both received publicadministration academic achieve-ment awards from the AndrewYoung School during Honors Dayceremonies in March. The awardis presented annually to studentswith the highest grade-pointaverages in the master of publicadministration program.

Decatur sanitation directorCharles Hammonds, a stu-dent in the master of publicadministration program, helpedinstitute that city’s “Pay-as-You-Throw” program, in which resi-dents pay for sanitation servicesbased on the amount of garbage

they individually generate. Theprogram is intended to reducethe amount of garbage andincrease recycling in an effort to meet Georgia’s requirement to reduce landfill deposits.In just under two years, the city has increased its amount of recycled trash from 80 to 150 tons per month.

Jeff Johnson and NeelamSharma each received theAward for Distinguished Contri-bution to the Thoughtful Practiceof Human Resource Develop-ment from the Andrew YoungSchool during Honors Day cere-monies in March. The award is presented annually to studentswho have demonstrated consis-tently superior academic perfor-mance in the master of sciencein human resource developmentprogram and applied thatknowledge to make a significantcontribution to the developmentof human resources in the field.

Urban policy studies majorMatthew Kirby received theUnited Airlines – Eddie CarlsonAward in Aviation Administrationfrom the Andrew Young Schoolduring Honors Day ceremonies in March. The award honors astudent in the aviation and trans-portation specialization who hasthe highest grade-point averagefor the academic year.

Jamie McMahon received aMaster of Public Administration/Juris Doctor Academic Achieve-

ment award from the AndrewYoung School during Honors Dayceremonies in March. The awardis given annually to the studentwho has the highest grade pointaverage for theacademic year in the joint MPA/JD program.

David B. Rein, asecond-year doctoral student in public policy, wrote “DirectMedical Cost of Pelvic Inflam-matory Disease and its Sequelae:Decreasing, but Still Substantial,”with William J. Kassler,Kathleen I. Irwin and LaraRabiee, published by Obstetrics& Gynecology in March.

Economics graduate studentMarcela Szymanski hasreceived funding from theUniversity System of Georgia’sEuropean Union Center for acase study of the negotiation of the European Union-Mexicotrade agreement.

Economics doctoral studentKathleen Thomas, who worksas a researcher in the AndrewYoung School’s Fiscal ResearchProgram, presented a paper,“State Aid to Public Schools andthe Determination of the Level of Spending Per Student,” at the69th annual conference of theSouthern Economic AssociationNov. 21-23 in New Orleans.

StudentNews

Andrew Young School enrollment up

The number of students majoring in programs offered by the Andrew Young School grew 11 percentthis spring, according to the school’s Office of Academic Assistance.

The school currently has 491 majors, compared to 435 this time last year. The increase occurredmainly at the doctoral level in economics and the undergraduate level in public administration andurban policy studies, said OAA Director Sue Fagan.

The total number of students enrolled in the school’s courses increased 7 percent this spring from the same time last year, and credit hours were up by 20 percent. The university’s enrollment as a whole dropped about 2 percent during the same period.

Andrew Young School Dean Roy Bahl attributed the school’s enrollment hike to improved courseofferings, and increased community awareness of the school’s programs and the career opportunitiesavailable to graduates.

Are metro Atlanta’s abandoned commercial and industrial siteshurting the city’s economic development potential?

That’s the question Andrew Young School researchers areasking in a new study on the economic impact of brownfields –properties where development is impaired by the possibility ofenvironmental contamination.

“Brownfields are typically older industrial sites or commer-cial sites that aren’t in their highest and best use,” says LauraTaylor, assistant professor of economics and a researcher in theAndrew Young School’s Environmental Policy Program. “Theyreally should be redeveloped, because there are better eco-nomic opportunities for the properties.”

Funded by a $93,000 grant from the U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency, the study looks at the loss in propertyvalues and reduced resale rates of hundreds of brownfields in Atlanta.

The project, which is due to be completed this summer,also examines whether some communities suffer disproportion-ately from the negative effects of such properties.

The results may be used to develop governmental policiesthat can enhance economic development and help keep theenvironment clean and safe, Taylor says.

Liability concernsDevelopers and lenders often shrink from investing in contami-nated land because they can be held legally liable for the cleanupand any damage that might already have occurred, Taylor says.

“Even suspected contamination can keep these propertiesfrom being redeveloped,” she says. “Anybody who touches theproperty can get pulled into the legal liability. So there are somestrong disincentives to be involved if you think there’s contami-nation on a site.”

Environmental problems aren’t limited to old garbage dumps

8

Reaching Out

Studyexamineseconomic impact ofbrownfields

or abandoned industrial complexes.Dry cleaning establishments, autobody shops and other small busi-nesses where chemicals are usedand disposed of improperly mayalso create brownfield pockets intheir neighborhoods, Taylor says.

When owners move or shutdown their businesses, the abandoned property often lan-guishes for years, exacerbating urban blight and creatingconditions ripe for urban sprawl. If a site is thought to be con-taminated, developers who otherwise might buy the propertymay flee to the suburbs, where it’s cheaper and less risky to build.

No one knows for sure the size of the problem, but morethan 2,000 properties in Fulton County alone are recorded onstate and federal lists that track environmental contamination.Fulton County encompasses the heart of metro Atlanta.

‘Small’ problemsOne example of a splashy brownfield redevelopment pro-

ject is Jacoby Development Inc.’s plan to turn the 138-acreAtlantic Steel site in Atlanta’s Midtown into a combined office,retail and residential complex.

But Taylor’s project is unique mainly because it examines the combined impact of smaller properties. Large industrialcomplexes such as the Atlantic Steel site probably comprise less than 25 percent of all brownfields, Taylor says.

“Atlantic Steel and other large sites have been studied inthe past,” Taylor says.

“There’s very little evidence on what the economic impactsare of these small undeveloped sites on their surroundings.And these things may really bring down a neighborhood.”

BROWN DOWNTOWN:

Environmental policy

researcher Laura Taylor is

examining the economic

impact of Atlanta’s brown-

fields, properties that are

or might be environmentally

contaminated. Taylor plans

to incorporate her research

into the undergraduate and

graduate environmental

economics courses she’ll

be teaching this fall.

The Andrew Young Schoolrecently completed a success-ful series of training programson fiscal decentralization overa five-week period in Entebbe,Uganda, as part of a $500,000grant from the Ugandan gov-ernment through the WorldBank. The programs coveredthe principles of fiscal decen-tralization, particularly expendi-ture and revenue assignmentsand the design of fiscal trans-fers. Faculty members alsocreated a computer lab toallow participants hands-onexperience in modeling fiscaltransfers and the fiscal impacton local governments inUganda. Finally, the participantswere given an introduction to the principles of publicaccounting and budgeting.Andrew Young School facultyprovided training to nearly 100government officials, includingabout 50 chief administrativeofficers from district govern-ments throughout the country;10 commissioners from avariety of central governmentministries; 10 permanent sec-retaries and their assistants;and 25 trainers from a widevariety of institutions through-out the country. In all, thetraining program consisted of five separate courses, with14 faculty members and con-sultants from the AndrewYoung School visiting Ugandato conduct the training. Fac-ulty and associates involved in the teaching were programdirector Mark Rider, RoyBahl, Ross Rubenstein,Jim Alm, Bob McNab andShannon Mudd.

Andrew Young School DeanRoy Bahl traveled to Banga-lore, India, in January to pre-sent a lecture on Indian publicfinance reforms for the Inter-national Institute for SocialChange, then trekked toHyderabad as part of a WorldBank initiative to advise the

Indian government on fiscaldecentralization issues. Healso traveled to South Africa in February to advise theDepartment of Provincial andLocal Government Finance on intergovernmental fiscaltransfers and taxation. Bahlvisited Indonesia in Februaryto advise the government ondecentralization matters andpresent a series of lectures atseveral Indonesian universities.

Ron Cummings and formervisiting faculty member MikeMcKee recently traveled toSouth Africa and Botswana to demonstrate the AndrewYoung School’s experimentaleconomics lab.

Carol Hansen, associateprofessor of human-resourcedevelopment, is serving as a visiting professor throughJune at ESSEC Business Schoolin Paris. She is teaching andconducting research in themaster of business administra-tion program shared withCornell University.

GeorgiaHealth Pol-icy CenterDirectorJim Led-bettertraveled to Cape

Town, East London, Pretoria,Johannesburg and other areasof South Africa in Novemberwith several colleagues tofinalize an application for aproject that would provide job training for the disabled.

International Studies ProgramDirector Jorge Martinez-Vazquez served as commen-tator for “Centralization-Decentralization: The Role of Intergovernmental FiscalRelations in Shaping EffectiveStates within Fragmented Soci-eties,” a conference sponsored

by the World Bank Instituteand the Institute of Federalismin Switzerland, in February.

Felix Rioja,assistantprofessor ofeconomics,gave thekeynoteaddress at aconferenceon globalization and economicdevelopment by the InstitutoTecnico de Estudios Economi-cos of Santo Domingo, Domin-ican Republic, in February.

EconomicsprofessorFrancesW. “Bill”Rushing,who holdsthe BernardB. and Euge-

nia A. Ramsey Chair of PrivateEnterprise, participated in astudy tour on economic edu-cation in Russia and Ukraine inSeptember. He visited Moscowin December to meet with theMinistry of Science and Tech-nology on the topic of Russianfunding for research and devel-

9

On the Go

Ledbetter

Rioja

Rushing

opment. Rushing also traveledto Sydney, Australia, in Januaryto present papers and attendmeetings of the InternationalWestern Economic Association.

Ben Scafidi Jr., assistant pro-fessor of economics/publicadministration and urban stud-ies, presented a paper on thecauses of housing segregationat the International RegionalScience Association Confer-ence in Montreal in November.Economics professor KeithIhlanfeldt co-wrote the paper.

Bruce Seaman, associateprofessor of economics,chaired a conference sessionduring “Incentive Compatibilityin the Arts” Jan. 27-29 inVienna, Austria. The confer-ence was co-sponsored by the Association for CulturalEconomics International andFOKUS of Austria. Seaman is president-elect of ACEI.He also traveled to BuenosAires, Argentina, in December,where he visited several eco-nomics professors at Argentin-ian universities regardingexpanded participation in thefield of cultural economics.

A TAXING PROBLEM:

Gary Cornia, associate dean

of the Marriott School of

Management at Brigham

Young University, discusses

the implications of electronic

commerce on sales taxation

during a November policy

forum coordinated by the

Georgia Department of

Revenue and the Andrew

Young School’s Fiscal

Research Program. Cornia,

who formerly served as

Utah’s tax commissioner,

is an expert in public finance

and budgeting. He spent last

fall as a visiting scholar at

the Andrew Young School.

Dean’s CornerDean’s CornerFaculty Today

Faculty, staff shift career pathsThe Andrew Young School says adieu this semester to four well-known faces.

Sam Skogstad, chair of the economics department for the past threeyears, retires from his position April 1.

“Sam was incredibly instrumental in building the department in the 1970s,repeatedly chairing search committees that set the department’s direction,”said Andrew Young School Dean Roy Bahl. “He was an early supporter ofAndrew Young, and his reputation and contacts have greatly benefited theschool in building an international program. In the past three years, Sam has setthe economics department on a new and exciting path.”

Skogstad has served 20 years at Georgia State in various stints since 1964. He rejoined theeconomics faculty in 1994 after serving 14 years with the U.S. Agency for International Develop-ment. While with USAID, he served as senior economic advisor in the U.S. assistance programsto Chile, Jamaica, Guatemala and Egypt, and as chief economist in the Bureau for the Near Eastand the Task Force on the Former Soviet Union. He has worked on the problems of economicpolicy and growth in Latin America, the Middle East and the former Soviet states.

Also retiring is the South’s best-known economist, Don Ratajczak, eco-nomics professor and director of Georgia State’s Economic Forecasting Center.He leaves his position at the end of the academic year.

“Don joined the economics faculty 27 years ago and has taught economicsto countless students over the years,” Bahl said. “No one has brought moreattention to our economics department — or to Georgia State — than DonRatajczak. We look forward to continuing our relationship with him as hedelves into a fascinating new research area.”

Ratajczak plans to use his retirement to explore the economics of the Internet, he said.Consistently recognized as one of the nation’s top economic forecasters, Ratajczak received

the Annual Economics Forecasting Award by Blue Chip Economic Indicators newsletter in 1994and was named the most accurate economic forecaster in the United States by BusinessWeek in1996. The Wall Street Journal has described him as one of the 20 most widely quoted econo-mists in the world.

John Hutcheson Jr., professor of public administration and urban studies, retired in January.Hutcheson taught research methods courses in urban studies and formerly served as director of the Center for Urban Research and Service, now known as the Applied Research Center.

“John’s research and publications did much to enhance the reputation of the urban studiesprogram and Georgia State University throughout the country, especially through the UrbanAffairs Association,” said colleague Harvey Newman, associate professor of public administrationand urban studies.

Weyandt joins Atlanta Regional CommissionUrban planning and development guru Tom Weyandt resigned as executive director ofResearch Atlanta Inc. on March 3 to become director of comprehensive planning for the AtlantaRegional Commission.

Under Weyandt’s leadership, Research Atlanta has helped put issues like air quality and trans-portation at the forefront of the city’s public agenda. The organization’s research reports andforums have assisted community leaders and the general public in understanding the causes ofand solutions for a plethora of metro-area problems.

“Tom Weyandt has done a fabulous job for Research Atlanta and we support him fully in hisnew position,” said Research Atlanta President Raymond King, first vice president of SunTrustBank. “The fact that Tom was sought for a position of such importance to the community is apositive testimony to the impact he and Research Atlanta have had on public policy discussions in recent years.”

Awards/honors/grants

Amy Helling (public admin-istration & urban studies) and Keith Ihlanfeldt (economics) have beenappointed to the editorialboard of Economic Develop-ment Quarterly.

Gary Henry (AppliedResearch Center) has beenasked by North Carolina Gov.Jim Hunt to serve as technicaladvisor for “First In Americaby 2010,” North Carolina’sperformance report aimed atmoving that state to the toptier in education.

Bill Kahnweiler (publicadministration & urban stud-ies) has been selected toserve on the American Soci-ety for Training and Develop-ment, a national committeebridging research and practice.

KarenMinyard(GeorgiaHealth Pol-icy Center)has beenelected tothe positionof president-elect of the Geor-gia Rural Health Association.

Harvey Newman (publicadminis-tration &urban stud-ies) wasnominatedas GeorgiaAuthor ofthe Year in

the “creative nonfiction” cate-gory for his book SouthernHospitality: Tourism and theGrowth of Atlanta, Universityof Alabama Press, published in June.

Newman

10

Minyard

Skogstad

Ratajczak

David Sjoquist (FiscalResearch Program), editedThe Atlanta Paradox, part of a Russell Sage Foundationseven-book series entitled“The Multi-City Study ofUrban Inequality.”

Verna Willis (public admin-istration & urban studies),“Invited Reaction: Commentson Self-Directed LearningResearch,” accepted for publi-cation in Human ResourceDevelopment Quarterly; and abook chapter, “Strategy andthe Chief Learning Officer :Change at Millbrook Distri-bution Services,” with GaryMay, forthcoming in May inKnowledge Management inPractice: Chief KnowledgeOfficers and Chief LearningOfficers, published by theAmerican Society for Trainingand Development.

Yongsheng Xu (economics),“On Ranking OpportunitySets in Economic Environ-ments,” with Prasanta K.Pattanaik,forthcomingin theJournal ofEconomicTheory;“Non-Discrimina-tion and the Pareto Principle,”in The Economic Review; and“Choice Under CompleteUncertainty: AxiomaticCharacterizations of SomeDecision Rules,” with WalterBossert and Prasanta K.Pattanaik, forthcoming inEconomic Theory.

Recent presentations

Arthur Brooks (publicadministration & urban stud-ies/economics), “The Religious

Economy Under GeneticDynamics” at the AmericanEconomic Association Meet-ings in January in Boston;“Nonlinear Crowding Outand Subsidy Traps,” “The‘Income Gap’ and the Healthof Arts Nonprofits: Argu-ments, Evidence and Strate-gies” and “Thinking AboutCultural Districts,” withRoland J. Kushner, at theAssociation for Research onNonprofit Organizations andVoluntary Action AnnualConference in November in Crystal City, Va.; and “An Experimental Design for Understanding the Effects on Scientific Researchof the Commercial Space Act of 1998” at the StanfordInstitute for Economic PolicyResearch at Stanford Univer-sity in October.

Jorge Martinez-Vazquez(International Studies Pro-gram), “Stability of Intergov-ernmental Transfers and Local Own-Source RevenueGeneration,” at the GlobalConference on Capital Mar-kets Development at theSubnational Level, SubnationalCapital Markets: Challenges at the National and LocalLevel in the 21st Century,Feb. 15-17 in New York.

BruceSeaman(economics),“Method-ological Issues in Measuringthe Impact ofDeregulation: Lessons from a Case Study” Oct. 7-9 at the 11th annual conference ofthe Association for Budgetingand Financial Management in Washington.

11

Research Atlanta Inc. hasreceived an $80,000 grant –the largest in its history —from the Community Founda-tion to do a major study oncharitable giving by metroAtlantans. The principalresearchers are David VanSlyke (public administration& urban studies) and ArthurBrooks (public administration& urban studies/economics).

Ross Rubenstein (publicadministration & urbanstudies/educational policystudies), along with colleagueMichele Moser, recentlyreceived a $15,000 researchgrant from the American Edu-cation Research Associationfor the study “The Equity ofPublic Elementary and Sec-ondary School DistrictResources in the UnitedStates, 1992-1995.”

New publications

Arthur Brooks (publicadministration & urbanstudies/economics), “PublicSubsidies and CharitableGiving: Crowding In, Crowd-ing Out or Both?,” forthcom-ing this summer in Journal ofPolicy Analysis and Manage-ment; “Is There a Dark Side to Government Support forNonprofits?,” forthcoming thisspring in Public AdministrationReview; and “The Use andMisuse of Adjusted Perfor-mance Measures,” forthcom-ing this spring in the “Insights”section of the Journal of PolicyAnalysis and Management.

Kelly Edmiston (econom-ics), “Urban Malls, Tax BaseMigration and State Intergov-ernmental Aid,” with co-authors Stanley Chervin and

Xu

Matthew Murray, accepted for publication in PublicFinance Review.

Shif Gurmu (economics),“Generalized Bivariate CountData Regression Models,”with John Elder, forthcomingin Economic Letters.

Gregory B. Lewis (publicadministration & urban stud-ies), “Does the Public SupportEqual Employment Rights forGays and Lesbians?,” with co-author Marc A. Rogers,in Gays and Lesbians in theDemocratic Process: PublicPolicy, Public Opinion and Politi-cal Representation, Ellen D.B.Riggle and Barry L. Tadlock,eds., Columbia UniversityPress, 1999.

Julia Melkers (publicadminis-tration &urbanstudies),“Value-MappingState R&DPrograms,”

with Gordon Kingsley, forth-coming in Research Evaluation;“Citizen Contacting of Munici-pal Officials: Choosing BetweenAppointed Administratorsand Elected Leaders,” withJohn C. Thomas (publicadministration & urban stud-ies), forthcoming in Journal ofPublic Administration Researchand Theory; and “The Viewfrom the Trenches: Budgeters’Views on State PBB Systems,”with Katherine Willoughby(public administration & urbanstudies), forthcoming in Public Administration Review.

Melkers

Seaman

Friends Today

Andrew Young School of Policy StudiesUniversity PlazaAtlanta, GA 30303-3083

J A C K D U N N

NONPROFIT ORGU.S. Postage

PAIDPermit #152Atlanta, GA

INDUSTRY LEGACY: Many bankers credit the late Jack Dunn

(above) with the success of Georgia’s banking industry during a

time when financial institutions all over the United States were

failing, said Sam Skogstad, chair of the Andrew Young School’s

economics department.

Andrew Young Schoolremembers Jack DunnThe Andrew Young School of Policy Studies offers its condolences tothe family of benefactor E.D. “Jack” Dunn, former commissioner of theGeorgia Department of Banking and Finance, who died in December.He was 74.

A 1950 graduate of Georgia State University, Dunn was thelongest-serving state banking commissioner in the United States uponhis retirement in 1997. Members of the Georgia Bankers Association in 1998 established an endowed graduate fellowship in the AndrewYoung School to honor Dunn’s 25-year career. The fellowship isawarded annually to an outstanding master’s or doctoral studentpursuing studies in banking and financial sector policy.

“Jack and I both…wanted to say ‘thank you’ to Georgia State andto help other young people complete their education,” said Dunn’swife, Betty. “The scholarship is a wonderful way to remember Jack andto continue his legacy of public service.”

Contributions may be made in his memory to the E.D. “Jack”Dunn Scholarship Fund through the GSU Foundation. For more infor-mation, you may contact Anne Bramlette at 404-651-3927 or e-mailabramlette@gsu.edu.