Elisabeth Gerber, Jack L. Walker, Jr. Professor of Public Policy and Political Science, co-authored a study on the economic impact of refugees in southeast Michigan. Professor Gerber's current research focuses on regionalism and intergovernmental cooperation, transportation policy, state and local economic policy, land use and economic development, local fiscal capacity, and local political accountability. Gerber serves as the associate dean for Research and Policy Engagement at U-M's Ford School of Public Policy and is the author of The Populist Paradox: Interest Group Influence and the Promise of Direct Legislation (1999).