Dr. Ellen Mulcahy
Dr. Ellen Mulcahy, an adjunct in the Law, Policy and Political Science Program in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, learned from other academics and public policy professionals at two recent conferences.
At the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM) Fall Research Conference in Washington D.C., she served as a discussant on a panel taking a deep dive into a paper on housing policy in Ethiopia.
“It’s a very valuable conference, a real mix of academics and policy practitioners, a place where people can bring research and share it with people who work in public policy,” Dr. Mulcahy says.
In January, she made a virtual presentation at the inaugural Conference on Policy Process Research on policy diffusion, examining the way public policies move from one jurisdiction to another. Her presentation focused on good-cause eviction laws and regulations a growing number of cities are trying to pass that would compel landlords to justify evictions of tenants. It’s a complicated issue, as municipalities and states debate whose rules should prevail.
“Being on this panel, I got a lot of very good feedback that prompted me to think about diffusion in new ways and learn more why researchers think it’s important. I’m grateful for the support Wilmington University provides in furthering my professional development,” she says.
Dr. Mulcahy is putting her experiences to work as she redevelops a course on social welfare policy at WilmU.