University of Southern California

International Issues

SPPD International Initiatives
In this era of globalization, the arena of professional practice is an international one. Today's and tomorrow's leaders must be adept at addressing issues that arise both locally and globally. The School of Policy, Planning, and Development recognizes the importance of training the next generation of professionals to be competitive in this globalized context. Explore how SPPD faculty and students shape the future of our global community through the school's International Initiatives.

News

Pachon Discusses Role of Mexican Consulate in L.A.

|
July 22, 2009

The Los Angeles Times quoted Professor Harry Pachon about the community support role of the Mexican Consulate in Los Angeles. The consulate has long served as a bridge between the U.S. and Mexico, but has become increasingly active in recent years, Pachon said. "It reflects the recognition by Mexico that a significant portion of its people are living in the United States. This is one of a series of steps helping the Mexican consulate be a relevant factor in the community."

Jeffe Analyzes Scope of Impact of CA Budget Crisis

|
July 14, 2009

NBC Nightly News interviewed SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about the California budget crisis. "[T]he eighth largest economy in the world is unable to borrow, is unable to pay its bills, and that will have an impact not only on the state economy, but on the national economy and on the global economy," Jeffe said.

New Study Reveals Economic Impact of 9/11 Attacks

|
July 9, 2009

City News Service featured a new report from USC's Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events. The study found that the economic impact of the September 11 attacks was far less than original estimates, at $35 billion to $109 billion, rather than $500 billion. "This is the most comprehensive study to date on the economic impacts of 9/11, and it can be applied towards future planning and preparation in the event of future terrorist attempts," said SPPD Research Professor Adam Rose, the center's coordinator for economics. "It shows that Osama bin Laden's policy strategy to damage the U.S. economy was short-lived in its effects due to the resiliency of the U.S. economy."

SPPD Students Earn Clinton-Orfalea Fellowships

|
May 27, 2009

Four USC students - including three from the School of Policy, Planning, and Development - have won the Clinton-Orfalea Fellowships. The fellows will head to New York in August to lend their talents to the William J. Clinton Foundation, which addresses issues of global climate change, HIV and AIDS in the developing world as well as childhood obesity, and economic opportunity and development.

SPPD to Provide Training to Korean Officials

|
April 10, 2009

Carol Rush and Hyung Kook Oh The USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development signed a memorandum of understanding with the South Korean government to provide graduate education and training for selected officials from Korea's Ministry of Public Administration and Security.

SPPD Signs Pact With World Bank

|
February 9, 2009

The USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development and the World Bank signed an agreement designed to merge scholarly research and specific program initiatives to address sustainable development in the East Asia and Pacific Region. The signing ceremony took place during a conference in Washington, D.C., focusing on challenges facing megacities in the developing world.


SPPD Celebrates Its 80th Anniversary

|
January 26, 2009

The USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development marked its 80th anniversary by hosting a special colloquium Jan. 16 at the Davidson Conference Center. During the conference, Dean Jack H. Knott noted that SPPD remains dedicated to advancing academic theory and making a vital impact in the world.

Jeffe Discusses Bush's Effect on America's Image Abroad

|
January 20, 2009

La Opinion quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about former President George W. Bush's role in tarnishing America's image in the world. Bush's policies generated the ill will abroad, Jeffe said.

SPPD Signs Pact With Peace Corps

|
December 22, 2008

The USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development signed a formal agreement to participate in Fellows/USA, the Peace Corps' graduate fellowship program. This agreement will enable former volunteers to pursue a graduate education in public administration, public policy, urban planning, health administration and real estate development.

Panel Charts Financial Market Breakdown

|
October 14, 2008

A panel of preeminent financial experts, including USC faculty, weighed in with their insights on how Wall Street plunged into a tailspin -- and also how to remedy the ailing markets. "Multi-party greed" drove the downturn, says Raphael Bostic, professor at the USC School of Policy, Planning and Development.

Pachon: New Citizenship Test May Be "Step Backward"

|
October 1, 2008

Professor Harry Pachon was quoted in the Los Angeles Times about the new citizenship test being phased in by U.S. immigration authorities. Some fear that the new format, which emphasizes concepts rather than facts, could result in examiners denying citizenship based on whims or prejudices, the story stated. For that reason, the new test is a "step backward," Pachon said. "There's latitude in answering the questions and that's where the problem lies," he explained. "There's potential for abuse and not knowing what to prepare for." Pachon is president of the Tomas River Policy Institute.

SPPD Students Tackle Policy Issues Abroad

|
This past summer, more than 40 master's students representing all programs of study with the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development took part in the school's international lab program, doing research in Foshan, China, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Green Discusses Inflated Global Real Estate Prices

|
September 18, 2008

Professor Richard Green, director of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, was quoted in Forbesabout the types of houses one can buy these days with $1 million. In many U.S. cities, inflated real estate prices can hold firm or slide only slightly in the city center, even as they collapse in the surrounding areas, Green said. "In the inland areas of Los Angeles, you can get a 4,000-square-foot house -- a huge house," he noted. But in popular Santa Monica or Marina Del Rey, "You'll get a shack."

Counties Feel Impact of Hispanic Immigrants

|
June 29, 2008

Dowell Myers was quoted the USA Today about baby boomers and Latino immigrants. For a nation bracing to support 79 million baby boomers in their old age, the growing and younger population of Latinos should be viewed as economic salvation, Myers said. "Children are always a fiscal burden, yet children are also the lifeblood of every community," he explained. "What's killing Japan and threatening the economic future of Europe is that they don't have enough kids, and that's what's depriving these rural areas in America," he added. Myers is the author of Immigrants and Boomers: Forging a New Social Contract for the Future of America, the story noted.

June 11, 2008

Professor Dowell Myers served as an expert witness before the California Senate Select Committee on Immigration and the Economy on June 9. His testimony before state lawmakers was featured on BBC Radio World Service. Myers' research suggests that immigrants can help fill the gap left in the work force as aging baby boomers retire, the BBC story noted. "People view immigration as being a problem about immigrants, but really our problem today is not immigrants but is the rest of us," Myers said. "The number of seniors is skyrocketing. We have to figure out how we're going to live in an aging society. Immigrants are part of the solution, they're not the problem."


Myers Examines Public's Misperception of Immigrants

|
May 15, 2008

Prof. Dowell Myers was quoted in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal about immigration policy. Public discourse on the subject can be colored by what Myers calls the "Peter Pan Fallacy," the story stated. "Many of us assume, unwittingly, that immigrants are like Peter Pan, forever frozen in their status as newcomers, never aging, never advancing economically, and never assimilating," Myers said. In this naive view, "the mounting numbers of foreign-born residents imply that our nation is becoming dominated by growing numbers of people who perpetually resemble newcomers," he said.

Research Centers and Groups

The National Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events (CREATE) is an interdisciplinary national research center based at USC and funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. CREATE's mission is to improve our nation's security through the development of advanced models and tools for the evaluation of the risks, costs, and consequences of terrorism and to guide economically viable investments in homeland security.


SPPD and the USC College of Letters, Arts and Sciences have created a new center addressing the urgent need for knowledge about the successful integration of immigrants. The center aims to sponsor research and facilitate civic dialogue about the intersecting issues of immigrant settlement, economic mobility, social cohesion, and social equity.


Research Contracts and Grants

Center for Risk and Economic Effects of Terrorism Events (Create - Yr 3)

|
Principal Investigator: Detlof von Winterfeldt
Sponsor: Office of Naval Research
Amount Awarded: $1,567,169.14

Center for Risk and Economic Effects of Terrorism Events (Yr2)

|
Principal Investigator: Detlof von Winterfeldt
Sponsor: Office of Naval Research
Amount Awarded: $1,454,881.71

Center for Risk and Economic Effects of Terrorism Events (Create - Yr 4)

|
Principal Investigator: Detlof von Winterfeldt
Sponsor: Office of Naval Research
Amount Awarded: $1,317,718.00

Principal Investigator: Detlof von Winterfeldt
Sponsor: METRANS
Amount Awarded: $89,999.00

Variable Tempo of Dimensions of Immigrants' Assimilaton

|
Principal Investigators: Dowell Myers, Jennifer Unger and Harry Pachon
Sponsor: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Amount Awarded: $923,610.00

Master's Degree in Public Policy and Mangement (International Program)

|
Principal Investigator: Glenn Melnick
Sponsor: Republic of Indonesia, Ministry of Health
Amount Awarded: $20,055.39

Academic Programs

International Specialization

|
The School of Policy, Planning, and Development offers an International Specialization. It provides students in the Master of Planning, Master of Public Administration, Master of Public Policy, Master of Health Administration and Master of Real Estate Development the opportunity to focus on their respective field from an international perspective. This specialization consists of 12 units.