Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy University of Virginia

Preserving access to and affordability of

higher education

As state support for public higher education declines, tuitions increase more rapidly than family incomes and affordability is threatened for many families and students. How do we preserve access, maintain quality, and keep costs under control?

"Higher education, normally a very stable part of the economy, appears to be at a tipping point where the traditional business model is becoming unsustainable. How we reshape the financing of this vital social enterprise will be a key challenge facing society in this decade."

a National call to

build Consensus

Building consensus requires an effective toolkit--combined with passionate advocacy. Learning about recent policy-making history and analyzing outcomes equip policy advocates to be effective change agents.

economic approach to

environmentalism

How is climate change like a noisy dorm? Environmental problems arise from broken ownership and control of important resources. If we can design solutions that mimic markets, we can lower the cost of protecting the planet by making it profitable to be green.

FOR LEADERS, ONE SIZE

DOES NOT FIT ALL

Successful leaders possess a combination of personality traits, values, and skills, that fit the specific context in which they work. Context helps explain why leaders who succeed in some settings encounter far greater difficulties in others – and why leaders who have struggled in one assignment may find their “sweet spot” elsewhere.

"Leadership is the ability to define and articulate a viable strategic vision for an organization, and then mobilize the various resources needed to attain, or at least advance, the objectives contained in that vision."

When problems don't

respect borders

In an increasingly globalized world, in which more than 30 million people have been displaced by violent conflict, many public policy problems can no longer be solved within the confines of a single country. How do governments and civil society coordinate their efforts without adding to the chaos?

"With no votes, no money, and almost no power, how can international advocates get the plight of people on the frontlines into the headlines? That’s what my students are ultimately charged with answering."

Achieving goals in a

social world

We choose, initiate, and pursue goals in a social world. How and when do social relationships facilitate, or hinder, our pursuit of important goals? And how do cooperation and competition affect these relationships?

"Social psychology is at the core of the Batten School approach. It drives us to ask scientifically rigorous questions about decision making, leadership, motivation, and organizational dynamics."

Following legislation

From Adoption to Enactment

Why do some policy reforms endure while others are reversed or eroded away? Is general interest enough to sustain reform? The passage of a reform law is only the beginning of a political struggle.

"Reform enactment could indicate a sharp permanent break with prior patterns of governmental activity. It may signal that the political climate has fundamentally changed in ways. By itself, however, the passage of a reform act does not settle anything"

A new model

of policy reform

Why are some members of Congress more effective lawmakers than others? How important is political party affiliation? A new model argues that ideology, not affiliation, drives compromise or gridlock

"Within American federalism, states and localities can serve as policy laboratories, but we don’t really know exactly how it works. How does policy spread or diffuse from one state to the next? There’s a lot of learning going on"

Measuring

social impact

Policymakers and practitioners operate under constraints. How do we evaluate programs and policies to provide the strongest evidence for making decisions? In particular, how can social science research inform policy approaches to addressing early childhood disadvantage?

"Doing rigorous policy analysis—evaluating programs and policies well—is the critical foundation in deciding which interventions and social programs are worth the investment"

Motivate and integrate individuals toward

a common goal

Leaders have to provide structures to direct behavior while establishing conditions that prompt people to find the process rewarding. How can leaders simultaneously motivate and regulate? What are the organizational, social, and psychological forces that regulate individual and group behavior?