FSI 2016 Annual Report
Dear Friends of FSI,
I am pleased to share our annual report for academic year 2015-16, highlighting the breadth and depth of scholarly research produced at the Freeman Spogli Institute over the last year. In addition to an impressive number of publications, conferences and other scholarly activities, FSI has made important contributions to teaching and has continued engaging with policymakers around the world to offer rigorously researched ideas and solutions.
I am grateful to you and the community of donors whose gifts have made our work possible, and I hope you will share in my pride in all that we have accomplished.
The Freeman Spogli Institute and the School of Humanities & Sciences welcomed Anna Grzymala-Busse as the Kevin and Michelle Douglas Professor of Political Science and FSI Senior Fellow. Her research interests include political parties, state development and transformation, informal political institutions, religion and politics, and post-communist politics. Professor Grzymala-Busse joins more than 50 senior fellows, professors of the practice, senior research scholars and visiting scholars who conduct research at FSI. This year our work has been featured by major news outlets around the world, from BBC and The Economist stories on REAP’s projects in rural China to articles on foreign policy in the Washington Post, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.
FSI’s two undergraduate honors programs—the Fisher Family Undergraduate Honors Program on Democracy and Development at CDDRL and the Honors Program in International Security Studies at CISAC—continue to attract the best students from a wide variety of majors across Stanford. These programs have become a vital training opportunity for future scholars and policymakers. FSI also co-leads the Ford Dorsey Program in International Policy Studies, a two-year professional master’s degree that prepares emerging leaders for professional policy work. We look forward to launching a new curriculum for IPS, including joint degree opportunities, in the 2018-19 academic year.
We continue to convene world leaders for in-depth policy discussions. In May 2016, FSI jointly hosted a conference on technology, innovation and international affairs with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The invitation-only event included a special luncheon with former Secretaries of State Condoleezza Rice and Madeleine Albright.
In June 2016, FSI facilitated Stanford’s hosting of the White House’s annual Global Entrepreneurship Summit. President Obama, Secretaries John Kerry and Penny Pritzker, and several Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and executives spoke to a full house in Memorial Auditorium about entrepreneurship and economic development. It was President Obama’s second visit to Stanford with FSI’s support, after headlining our February 2015 cybersecurity conference.
All in all, FSI concluded another strong year providing much-needed research, mentorship, and policy advice. We look forward to building on this success to add new areas of important research, to expand FSI’s teaching contributions at Stanford and to provide ongoing advice to policymakers on a variety of pressing challenges.
Thank you for your engagement with FSI. Read on to learn more about the concrete impact we have made with your support.
Michael McFaul
Senior Fellow and Director
Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies
Bing Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution
Professor, Political Science
2015-16 Academic Year at a Glance
Budget Overview
CDDRL is dedicated to the study of the political and economic institutions that constitute a modern liberal democracy: where they come from, how they are supported, where they are threatened, and how they may decay. We integrate our work across academic disciplines - including political science, economics, sociology, and history - to understand this complex phenomenon.
We do this through collaborative social science research, regular seminars, workshops, conferences, media outreach, and public engagement on the part of our faculty. We don't believe we are succeeding if our only audience is other academics; we also want to have a positive effect on public policy.
While CDDRL is primarily a research center, we also have an educational mission in teaching undergraduates (through our honors program and through regular instruction by our faculty), pre- and postdoctoral students, through mid-career programs like the Draper Hills Summer Fellows Program and the Leadership Academy for Development, and by engaging the general public inside and outside of Stanford.
Democracy More or Less: America's Political Reform Quandary, by CDDRL affiliate Bruce E. Cain
In Search of Democracy, by FSI senior fellow Larry Diamond
Authoritarianism Goes Global: The Challenge to Democracy, co-authored by Larry Diamond
Solutions to Political Polarization in America, by CDDRL affiliate Nathaniel Persily
“Democracy in Decline,” by Larry Diamond, Foreign Affairs, July/August 2016 issue
“American Political Decay or Renewal? The Meaning of the 2016 Election,” by Francis Fukuyama, Foreign Affairs 95(4) 58-68
“Macro Theory and the Study of Political Development,” by Francis Fukuyama, Scandinavian Political Studies May 2016
“Governance: What Do We Know, and How Do We Know It?” by Francis Fukuyama, Annual Review of Political Science 19: 89-105
“A More Systematic Approach to Biological Risk,” by Megan Palmer, David Relman, and Francis Fukuyama Science 350 issue 6267, 18 December 2015
The Political Logic of Poverty Relief: Electoral Strategies and Social Policy in Mexico, by Alberto Diaz-Cayeros, Federico Estevez and Beatriz Magaloni, February 2016, Cambridge Studies
"Mobile Phone Coverage and Producer Markets: Evidence from West Africa," by Marcel Fafchamps in collaboration with Jenny C. Aker World Bank Economic Review, 29(2): 262-92, 2015
“Rule of Law and State Building in Afghanistan: Testing Theory with Practice,” by Erica Gaston and Erik G. Jensen, in State Strengthening in Afghanistan: Lessons Learned from 2001 to 2014 edited by Scott Smith and Colin Cookman (United States Institute of Peace: 2016) at p. 69-79.
The Mosbacher family made a $5 million gift to Stanford University to endow Francis Fukuyama’s directorship of CDDRL. The Mosbacher Directorship at CDDRL is the first endowed directorship among FSI’s centers.
Led by Beatriz Magaloni and Alberto Diaz-Cayeros, the Program on Poverty and Governance (PovGov) received a $4.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs to launch a research project to examine the nature of police corruption in Mexico and make recommendations for reforming that country’s law enforcement institutions.
Larry Diamond was awarded Stanford’s Kenneth M. Cuthbertson Award for exceptional service to Stanford University.
The CDDRL undergraduate honors Class of 2016 were recognized for outstanding theses, on topics ranging from household assessments of healthcare in Pakistan to the integration of Protestants in Mexico. Vehbi “Deger” Turan was awarded the Firestone Medal for his thesis, "Augmenting Citizen Participation in Governance through Natural Language Processing."
Amr Hamzawy, Associate Professor of Political Science at Cairo University (visiting scholar, fall 2015) on "Anti-democratic Deceptions - How Egyptian Liberals Endorse Autocracy."
President Toomas Hendrik Ilves of the Republic of Estonia on “Democracy Rebooted: The Future of Technology in Elections.”
FSE addresses critical global issues of hunger, poverty and environmental degradation by generating vital knowledge and policy-relevant solutions. Our interdisciplinary team of scholars continues to publish in a wide variety of scientific outlets, while steadily growing our research areas and projects throughout the world.
From departments such as economics, political science, biology, civil and environmental engineering, law, earth sciences, medicine, anthropology, education, and history, our scholars are engaged in more than 20 different research projects. FSE offers courses for graduate and undergraduate students at Stanford interested in issues of hunger, rural development, global resource and environmental degradation, agricultural technology, climate impacts on food security, and agricultural trade and policy.
“What aspects of future rainfall changes matter for crop yields in West Africa?" by FSE deputy director David Lobell and postdoctoral scholar Kaiyu Guan in Geophysical Research Letters
“Estimated impacts of emission reductions on wheat and maize crops," by David Lobell in Climatic Change
“Global non-linear effect of temperature on economic production," by FSE center fellow Marshall Burke in Nature
“Improving the monitoring of crop productivity using spaceborne solar-induced fluorescence," by David Lobell and Kaiyu Guan in Global Change Biology
“Opportunities for advances in climate change economics," by Marshall Burke in Science
"Oil crops, aquaculture, and the rising role of demand: a fresh perspective on food security" by FSE director Rosamond Naylor in Global Food Security
"Solar-Powered Drip Irrigation Impacts on Crops Production Diversity and Dietary Diversity in Northern Benin," by Rosamond Naylor and FSE center fellow Jennifer Burney in Food and Nutrition Bulletin
“Combining satellite imagery and machine learning to predict poverty," by Marshall Burke and David Lobell in Science
The Tropical Oil Crop Revolution: Food, Feed, Fuel, and Forests, by Rosamond Naylor, Walter P. Falcon and visiting FSE scholar Derek Byerlee
Rosamond Naylor, Director of the Center on Food Security and the Environment and the William Wrigley Professor in the School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences, gave the opening plenary lecture titled "Food Security in a Commodity-Driven World" at the five-day 2nd International Conference on Global Food Security at Cornell University.
FSE research scholar Ling Cao was named a member of the supervisory board of the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), a Netherlands-based nonprofit organization providing certification and labeling for responsibly farmed seafood. As a board member, Cao will promote more sustainable fish farming and responsible aquaculture practices to reduce negative social and environmental impacts. Cao plays a principal role in FSE’s research on aquaculture and fisheries management in China.
FSE was named by The James Beard Foundation and Food Tank as one of the top 1,000 organizations making the food system better in the 2016 Good Food Guide.
Joann de Zegher was one of nine finalists chosen by SAWIT to present her innovative proposal to solve the biggest challenges facing independent smallholder palm oil farmers in Indonesia. SAWIT Challenge finalists will present their proposals to organizations including Bank Mandiri, Golden Agri Resources, Cargill, KEHATI, Mondelez, Olam, and World Resource Institute in Jakarta November 17 and 18.
This year we continued our Food and Nutrition Policy Symposium Series, welcoming three speakers through the year. The Food and Nutrition Policy Symposium Series brings leading experts to Stanford to share new research in an integrated, ten-lecture series on global food and nutrition policy.
Craig McIntosh, Professor of Economics, Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies, University of California, San Diego, on "Technology Adoption in African Agriculture"
Ertharin Cousin, Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme, on "Achieving food security and nutrition for the furthest behind in an era of conflict and climate change"
Hilary Hoynes, Professor of Public Policy and Economics and Haas Distinguished Chair in Economic Disparities, on "The Role of SNAP in the U.S. Social Safety Net: Assessing effects on poverty, food insecurity and health"
Remote Sensing
New research from FSE deputy director and Woods Senior Fellow David Lobell and postdoctoral scholar Kaiyu Guan published in Global Change Biology is the first study to use remotely sensed measurements of solar-induced fluorescence from growing plants to measure crop growth rates and temperature responses. This new method significantly improves the accuracy of these measures compared to existing methods. FSE fellow, Marshall Burke, in collaboration with Stanford researchers, published a study in Science using satellite images for poverty detection in areas otherwise devoid of information. This method provides a low-cost solution to identify impoverished areas around the world.
Climate Impacts and Adaptation
A major new study in Science, led by FSE fellow Marshall Burke, finds that rising temperatures may dampen global economic productivity much more than previously thought, with incomes falling across the world by 2100 and much of the economic burden falling on developing countries due to their higher starting average temperatures.
Palm Oil
FSE’s work focuses on the large, existing palm oil industry in Southeast Asia, and on the rapidly growing industry in West Africa. FSE runs a major research project in Indonesia, Ghana and Cameroon on "Poverty Alleviation through Sustainable Palm Oil Production" with a multi-disciplinary Stanford team, collaborating with the Graduate Business School. Visiting FSE scholar Derek Byerlee, Senior Fellow at Stanford, Walter P. Falcon and FSE Director, Roz Naylor co-authored "The Tropical Oil Crop Revolution" released in October providing a broad synthesis of the major supply and demand drivers of the rapid expansion of oil crops in the tropics; its economic, social, and environmental impacts; and the future outlook to 2050.
A Fresh Look at Global Food Security
Rosamond Naylor, Director of the Center on Food Security and the Environment and the William Wrigley Professor in the School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences, gave the opening plenary lecture titled "Food Security in a Commodity-Driven World" at the five-day 2nd International Conference on Global Food Security at Cornell University. In this talk, she discussed the two most rapidly expanding sectors of the world food economy – aquaculture and tropical oil crops- and their effects on nutrition, the environment and global food security. Several Stanford scientists were also in attendance. Her research paper “Oil crops, aquaculture, and the rising role of demand: A fresh perspective on food security,” was published in the journal for Global Food Security.
CISAC core faculty publish in a wide variety of media outlets, receive awards and honors while maintaining active engagement with the policy and academic communities. CISAC is Stanford University’s hub for researchers tackling some of the world's most pressing security and international cooperation issues.
Founded 30 years ago, CISAC in its early years brought together scholars focused on U.S.-Soviet-China relations, arms control and nonproliferation, and the scientific and technical aspects of international security. Today we are building on our historic strengths to seek solutions to the many longstanding and emerging challenges associated with an increasingly complex world.
We are guided by our longstanding belief that a commitment to rigorous scholarship, openness to new ideas, and lively intellectual exchange can spur the creation and spread of knowledge to help build a safer world.
"China’s Security Agenda Transcends the South China Sea," by CISAC faculty member John W. Lewis and research associate Xue Litai, in the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists
"Pragmatic Engagement: A National Security Strategy for the Next President," by CISAC co-director Amy Zegart, in The American Interest
My Journey at the Nuclear Brink, by William J. Perry, FSI and CISAC senior fellow emeritus
Doomed to Cooperate: How American and Russian Scientists Joined Forces to Avert Some of the Greatest Post-Cold War Nuclear Dangers, by FSI senior fellow Siegfried Hecker
“Maneuvering The China-U.S. Relationship in Cyberspace,” by CISAC senior research scholar Herbert Lin, in Forbes
“Is There a Sunni Solution to ISIS?” by FSI senior fellow Martha Crenshaw, in The Atlantic
“The Common-sense Fix that American Nuclear Policy Needs,” by CISAC senior fellow Scott Sagan, in The Washington Post
“A Real War Story, in Drawings,” by Scott Sagan, in The New York Times Sunday Review
Siegfried Hecker continued to advise top U.S. government officials to assess the alarming progress on North Korea’s nuclear weapon program. He also co-authored a probabilistic estimate of North Korea’s uranium centrifuge capacity in the journal Science and Global Security, which informed the assessment of North Korea’s arsenal.
Herbert Lin was appointed by President Obama to serve on the Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity.
Rodney Ewing, FSI senior fellow, served as the chair of the federal Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board. He also had a uranium mineral named after him: “ewingite.”
Martha Crenshaw received the International Studies Association International Security Studies Section Distinguished Scholar Award for 2016. She also spoke at the World Summit on Counter-Terrorism in Herzliya, Israel, and delivered a presentation at the Paul Wilkinson Memorial Lecture, for the Handa Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence at the University of St Andrews.
2016 Cyber Media Roundtable: a partnership between CISAC and the Hoover Institution to educate the media on the magnitude of growing cyber security threats
Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity: sponsored by CISAC and the UPMC Center for Health Security, an opportunity for biosecurity leaders to gather at Stanford to participate in detailed discussions of key issues in the field
Munich Security Conference’s fourth annual Cyber Security Summit: CISAC and FSI hosted MSC's fourth annual Cyber Security Summit, where more than 140 experts from science, politics, business and the military explored all aspects of cybersecurity
Seventh Annual Conference on Sino-U.S. Security and Cooperation
Living at the Nuclear Brink: Yesterday and Today, a free online course about the looming dangers of nuclear catastrophe, led by former Secretary of Defense William J. Perry
The Face of Battle, a Sophomore College course co-taught by Joe Felter, CISAC senior research scholar, and Scott Sagan, the Caroline S.G. Munro Professor of Political Science, the Peter and Mimi Haas University Fellow in Undergraduate Education, and CISAC Senior Fellow
Hacking 4 Defense and Hacking 4 Diplomacy, Stanford courses co-taught by Joe Felter that apply “lean launch start-up” principles to solve national security and foreign policy issues. Secretary of State John Kerry visited Hacking 4 Diplomacy in September 2016.
The Europe Center’s vibrant, interdisciplinary scholarly community publishes cutting edge research and productively engages with and shapes contemporary public policy debates on issues of growing concern in Europe. Additionally, the Center provides a forum where experts and scholars productively engage with, and shape, contemporary public policy debates regarding Europe and its evolving position on the international stage.
At a time of heightened scholarly interest in Asia, Latin America, and Africa, we at the Center believe that a renewed focus on Europe’s lessons and experiences can greatly enhance our knowledge of both contemporary global affairs and Europe itself. With that end in sight, the Center promotes productive intellectual exchange about Europe from a variety of disciplinary perspectives and through an array of programs. The undergraduate program in European studies affords students opportunities to inculcate a broad understanding of the history, culture, politics and societies of Europe. Our grants and visitor programs support scholars from both Stanford and academic institutions in Europe conducting innovative Europe-focused research. Additionally, the Center organizes interdisciplinary seminars and conferences on themes such as governance, global economic relations, migration, security, and contemporary theory that are at the heart of scholarly and public policy interest in Europe.
Taxing the Rich: A History of Fiscal Fairness in the United States and Europe, co-authored by TEC director Kenneth Scheve
Why Muslim Integration Fails in Christian-Heritage Societies, by TEC and CISAC affiliate David Laitin
“The Social Effects of Ethnic Diversity at the Local Level: A Natural Experiment with Exogenous Residential Allocation,” by David Laitin, in The Journal of Political Economy
“How economic, humanitarian, and religious concerns shape European attitudes toward asylum seekers,” by TEC affiliate Jens Hainmueller, in AAAS Science
The Center strives to raise interest in and awareness of the interdisciplinary study of Europe in the student community at Stanford, and supports three programs to meet this goal:
Graduate Student Grant Competition
Undergraduate Internship Program
Stanford Global Studies Minor with a specialization in European Studies
Each year the Center organizes or supports 40-50 seminars, panel discussions and conferences aligned with our programs and projects such as European security, governance, migration and inequality. Prominent speakers in the 2015-16 academic year included:
Adam Tooze, professor of history, Columbia University
Ursula von der Leyen, German Defense Minister
General Philip M. Breedlove, Commander, U.S. European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, former NATO Secretary General
Joel Mokyr, professor of economics and history, Northwestern University
Gérard Araud, French ambassador to the US
Douglas Lute, US ambassador to NATO
Miroslav Lajcak, Deputy Prime Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Slovak Republic
José Manuel Barroso, President, European Commission
Sophie Meunier, research scholar at the Wilson Center and co-director of Princeton University’s European Union Program
The Center aims to promote research and facilitate dialogue on interdisciplinary themes that are at the heart of scholarly and public policy interest in Europe.
The European Security Initiative (ESI) was launched by The Europe Center, FSI, and the Hoover Institution in response to recent Russian actions in Crimea and Ukraine. Led by FSI Director and former Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul, the initiative aims to understand Russia’s actions and develop a long-term strategy for addressing the new challenge it presents.
With The Europe Center’s support, David Laitin and Jens Hainmueller created and now co-direct the Immigration Policy Lab, a network of leading immigration scholars in the US and Europe who study what works and what does not when it comes to the various integration policies across Europe.
The Center’s program on European Public Finance, led by TEC director Kenneth Scheve, seeks to understand why European states differ in the way they prioritize and fund programs designed to meet their citizens' basic needs such as security, infrastructure, and other types of public goods.
In September 2015, Europe Center partnered with the University of Vienna to sponsor a conference of scholars working on inequality. Organized by TEC affiliate Walter Scheidel and Austrian colleagues, the attendees of “The Haves and the Have-Nots: Exploring the Global History of Wealth and Income Inequality” conference presented cutting-edge research on historical analyses of inequality across countries over three millennia.
The mission of Stanford Health Policy is to improve health through better health policy. We accomplish our mission through innovative, interdisciplinary research and training.
Stanford Health Policy comprises research groups within the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) and the Stanford University School of Medicine. FSI is a university-wide research and education institution at Stanford devoted to understanding the problems, policies, and processes that cross international borders and affect lives around the world. The School of Medicine has long been a leader in biomedical innovation, research, and health care. Our affiliation with both FSI and the SOM provides access to a wide range of researchers who span the social sciences, engineering, and medicine — from pediatrics to geriatrics, law, economics and decision science.
The research groups in Stanford Health Policy include the Center for Health Policy, which is part of FSI; the Center for Primary Care and Outcomes Research (PCOR), which is a division in the Department of Medicine; the Department of Health Research and Policy; and the Center for Policy, Outcomes, and Prevention in the Department of Pediatrics.
“An Aspirin a day should not keep the doctor away," U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends aspirin use for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease and colorectal cancer, in Annals of Internal Medicine
“Medicare Advantage plans pay hospitals less than traditional Medicare,” by Laurence C. Baker, Kate Bundorf, Daniel P. Kessler (Stanford Law), in Health Affairs
"Switching Medicare Part D coverage could save consumers hundreds every year," by Maria Polyakova, in American Economic Journal
"When it comes to health, men have long benefitted from women in power," mention of Grant Miller’s work in a The New York Times column by Nicholas Kristof
"Small share of physicians account for bulk of malpractice claims," by David Studdert and Michelle Mello, in The New England Journal of Medicine
"Panel reaffirms biennial mammograms for older women," US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation with Douglas K. Owens, on the agency’s website
"Increasing efficiency in the ER through teamwork among physicians," by David Chan, in Journal of Political Economy
"Antibiotic Use in Cold and Flu Season and Prescribing Quality," by Marcella Alsan, in Medical Care
"Medical procedures are more expensive where physicians cluster in large medical practices," by Laurence C. Baker, in Health Affairs
"Out-of-pocket health expenditures and antimicrobial resistance in low-income and middle-income countries: an economic analysis," by Marcella Alsan, Lena Schoemaker, Karen Eggleston and Jay Bhattacharya, in Lancet Infectious Diseases
"How one pesky parasite impacted economies across Africa," by Marcella Alsan in The American Economic Review
"Health Policy experts: Raise the age of tobacco sales to 21," by Michelle Mello in The New England Journal of Medicine
"Is proposed ban on smoking on public housing fair and just?" by Michelle Mello in The New England Journal of Medicine
Nancy Lonhart, associate director of the Center for Health Policy at FSI and division manager of the Center for Primary Care & Outcomes Research in the Department of Medicine, wins 2016 Amy J. Blue Award. Stanford University’s highest honor for staff earns award for being the “heart, soul and engine” of Stanford Health Policy.
Stanford Health Policy’s Laurence Baker named chair of the Division of Health Research and Policy in the Stanford School of Medicine.
Jonathan Chen, a VA Medical Informatics Fellow at Stanford Health Policy, earns a $5 million grant from the NIH to build OrderRex, a digital platform that data-mines electronic medical records.
Stanford Health Policy awards the Rosenkranz Prize for Health Care Research in Developing Countries to Ami Bhatt for her work on the first multinational microbiome research project focused on noncommunicable disease risk in Africa.
Stanford Health Policy faculty member Mary Goldstein is appointed Chief of Medical Service at VA Palo Alto Health Care Systems and the Vice-Chair of the Department of Medicine as Stanford University School of Medicine.
Shrinking donor funds looms over global AIDS conference, an interview with Eran Bendavid at the 2016 AIDS summit in Durban, South Africa
Michelle Mello discusses effects on health after Supreme Court strikes down Texas abortion law
Stanford physicians use innovation to protect children’s health in Guatemala focuses on Dr. Paul Wise’s Children in Crisis program.
The tragic legacy of the Tuskegee Study, a blog about Marcella Alsan’s working paper in the journal of the National Bureau of Economic Research
Stanford researchers: Ramping up treatment of parasitic worm disease is cost-effective, by Nathan Lo, Jason Andrews and Eran Bendavid, in The Lancet Infectious Diseases
Boston’s antique sewage system is model for impoverished nations today, research by Marcella on how infant mortality plummeted after the sewage system installed at turn of 20th century, a working paper
Overprescribing opioids is not limited to a few bad apples, research by Jonathan Chen that shows prescribing of painkillers is across the board, in JAMA Internal Medicine
Peer-Review Fraud: Hacking the Scientific Publication Process by visiting scholar Charlotte J. Haug, a commentary in The New England Journal of Medicine
Kathryn McDonald answers questions about the need to learn from diagnostic errors, after she works on landmark report on diagnostic errors unveiled by Institute of Medicine
New guidelines on screening for colorectal cancer, second deadliest cancer, Doug Owens on the US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation
Dental coverage for patients with Medicaid may not prevent tooth-related ER visits, according to research by Stanford and the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Stanford unveils its first PhD program in Health Policy
Stanford students investigate India’s pharmaceutical networks over their summer, a multimedia story
Is the U.S. health-care system any healthier under 6 years of the ACA? A daylong look at the Affordable Care Act successes and failures.
Stanford Health Policy’s Paul Wise moderates a talk by renowned economist Larry Summers, who says the threat of a pandemic claiming millions of lives and devastating economies around the world is as serious as the potential perils of climate change.
Douglas K. Owens measures the return on investment in health care at the third annual Global Health Economics Consortium, a collaboration among researchers and faculty at Stanford Health Policy, UCSF Global Health Sciences and the UC Berkeley School of Public Health.
World Bank President Jim Yong Kim tells Stanford students in a talk moderated by Stanford Health Policy’s Douglas K. Owens that they belong to the first generation that could witness the end of extreme global poverty.
Health Policy PhD Core Seminar II--First Year (HRP 201B, MED 215B) Jeremy Goldhaber-Fiebert: Major themes including health insurance, healthcare financing and delivery, health systems and reform and disparities in the US and globally, health and economic development, health law and policy, resource allocation, efficiency and equity, healthcare quality, measurement and the efficacy and effectiveness of interventions.
Introduction to Concepts and Methods in Health Services and Policy Research II (HRP 208) Corinna Haberland: Topics include health economics, statistics, decision analysis, study design, quality measurement, cost benefit and effectiveness analysis, and evidence based guidelines.
Methods for Health Care Delivery Innovation, Implementation and Evaluation (HRP 218, CHPR 212, MED 212) Steven M. Asch, Donna Zulman: Focus is on implementation science and evaluation of health care delivery innovations. Students will develop a grant proposal to conduct a needs assessment or evaluate a Stanford/VA/community intervention.
Practical Approaches to Global Health Research (HRP 237, IPS 290, MED 226) Stephen P. Luby: Introduces research methods for conducting studies involving health in low-income context. Focuses on developing a concept note to support a funding proposal.
Advanced Decision Science Methods and Modeling in Health (HRP 263, MED 263) Jeremy Goldhaber-Fiebert: Advanced methods currently used in published model-based cost-effectiveness analyses in medicine and public health, both theory and technical applications.
Health Law: Finance and Insurance (HRP 391, PUBLPOL 231, LAW 348) M. Kate Bundorf, Daniel P. Kessler: Provides the legal, institutional, and economic background necessary to understand the financing and production of health services in the U.S.
Global Public Health (HUMBIO 129S) Gary Darmstadt, Paul Wise: An introduction to the fields of international public health and global medicine. It focuses on resource poor areas of the world and explores major global health problems and their relation to policy, economic development and human rights.
Health Care Systems around the World (HUMBIO 129W, MED 129) M. Kate Bundorf, Grant Miller: This course will explore the role of health care systems in societies around the world, identifying the common challenges facing health care systems and how different institutional structures in different countries perform in response to these challenges.
The Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (APARC) is a unique Stanford University institution focused on the interdisciplinary study of contemporary Asia. Established in 1983, Shorenstein APARC focuses on fulfilling its mission to produce outstanding interdisciplinary research; to educate students and the next generation of scholars; to promote constructive interaction in the pursuit of influencing U.S. policy toward the Asia-Pacific region; and to contribute to how Asian nations understand issues key to regional cooperation and to their relations with the United States.
Shorenstein APARC believes that rather than looking at a single country or discipline, much can be illuminated through examination across disciplines and with a regional lens. The Center envisions its research, teaching and outreach efforts lead to deeper, more meaningful understanding and relations between the United States and Asian nations, as well as among nations in the Asia-Pacific region, and with the rest of the world.
Shorenstein APARC has an active publishing program with a Stanford University Press imprint entitled “Studies of the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center” and a peer-reviewed series with the Brookings Institution Press. Center faculty and researchers also publish extensively in academic journals and presses. A select number of peer-reviewed publications are listed below:
Alsan, Marcella, Lena Schoemaker, Karen Eggleston, Nagamani Kammili, Prasanthi Kolli and Jay Bhattacharya. "Out-of-Pocket Health Expenditures and Antimicrobial Resistance in Low-income and Middle-income Countries: An Economic Analysis," Lancet Infectious Diseases 15, (2015): 1203-1210.
Cullen, Mark R., Michael Baiocchi, Karen Eggleston, Pooja Loftus and Victor R. Fuchs. "The Weaker Sex? Vulnerable Men and Women’s Resilience to Socio-economic Disadvantage," SSM – Population Health 2, (2016): 512-524.
Eggleston, Karen, ed. Policy Challenges from Demographic Change in China and India. Stanford, CA: Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, 2016.
Fingar, Thomas, ed. The New Great Game: China and South and Central Asia in the Era of Reform. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2016.
Hoshi, Takeo and Ayako Yasuda. "Capital Market Regulation in Japan after the Global Financial Crisis." In The New International Financial System: Analyzing the Cumulative Impact of Regulatory Reform edited by Douglas D. Evanoff, Andrew G. Haldane and George G. Kaufman. Singapore: World Scientific, 2016.
Kohrman, Matthew. "Cloaks and Veils: Countervisualizing Cigarette Factories In and Outside of China," Anthropological Quarterly 88, no. 4 (2015): 907-940.
Kushida, Kenji E. "Japan’s Startup Ecosystem: From Brave New World to Part of Syncretic “New Japan,” Asian Research Policy 7, no. 1 (2016): 67-77.
Lee, Yong Suk. "Entrepreneurship, Small Businesses and Economic Growth in Cities," Journal of Economic Geography 16, no. 4 (2016): 1-33.
Oh, Yeon Cheon, Gi-Wook Shin, and Rennie J. Moon, ed. Internationalizing Higher Education in Korea: Challenges and Opportunities in Comparative Perspective. Stanford, CA: Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, 2016.
Shin, Gi-Wook and Daniel C. Sneider. Divergent Memories: Opinion Leaders and the Asia-Pacific War. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2016.
Shin, Gi-Wook, Hilary Izatt, and Rennie J. Moon. "Asymmetry of Power and Attention in Alliance Politics: The U.S.-Republic of Korea Case," Australian Journal of International Affairs 70, no. 3 (2016): 235-255.
Straub, David. Anti-Americanism in Democratizing South Korea. Stanford, CA: Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, 2015.
Walder, Andrew G. "Rebellion of the Cadres: The 1967 Implosion of the Chinese Party-State," The China Journal 75, (2016): 102-120.
Zaw, Phyu Phyu Thin, Thant Sin Htoo, Pham Ngoc Minh and Karen Eggleston. "Disparities in Health and Heath Care in Myanmar," The Lancet 386, no. 10008 (2015): 21-27.
Shorenstein APARC was awarded the Foreign Minister’s Commendation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, in July 2016, for its promotion of mutual understanding between Japan and the United States. The award was presented in a ceremony held by the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco in October 2016.
Andrew G. Walder, professor of sociology and director emeritus of Shorenstein APARC, was awarded the Founder’s Prize from the journal Social Science History for his paper, “Rebellion and Repression in China, 1966-1971.” His paper charts the breadth of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, its evolution through time and the repression through which state structures were re-built in the post-Mao era. The journal’s editorial board selects one recipient annually for exemplary scholarly work.
Shorenstein APARC selected Yoichi Funabashi as the 2015 Shorenstein Journalism Award winner. Funabashi began his career as a correspondent for Japan’s leading newspaper the Asahi Shimbun, and later, from 2007 to 2010, served as its editor-in-chief. He is currently the co-founder and chairman of the Rebuild Japan Initiative, a Tokyo-based think tank. At Stanford, Funabashi participated in a panel discussion in May 2016, and later that evening, received the award. The annual honor recognizes accomplished journalists who are committed to critical reporting and who have helped unravel the complexities of Asia through their writing.
Shorenstein APARC awarded Joseph Seeley the 5th annual Korea Program Prize for Writing in Korean Studies for his paper titled “Frozen Paths, Fluid Barriers: The Seasonal Geographies of Yalu River Border Security, 1931-1945.” Seeley is a second-year doctoral student at Stanford. His research focuses on the environmental history of Japanese colonialism in East Asia from 1895-1945. Co-sponsored with the Center for East Asian Studies, the prize recognizes outstanding examples of writing by Stanford students in the area of Korean studies.
Shorenstein APARC continues to actively engage academic and policy communities by hosting workshops, conferences and public seminars, both at Stanford and in Asia. A select number of events are listed below:
Stanford Summer Juku on Japanese Political Economy: Conference organized by Shorenstein APARC’s Japan Program, August 10-13, 2015
Why India Matters: Seminar featuring Richard Verma, U.S. Ambassador to India, September 25, 2015
Anti-Americanism in Democratizing South Korea: Book talk featuring David Straub in conversation with Shorenstein APARC distinguished fellow Kathleen Stephens and associate director for research Daniel Sneider, October 2, 2015
Perspectives on the U.S.-Korea Alliance: Seminar featuring Mark Lippert, U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, October 19, 2015
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) – A New Order for the Asia-Pacific?: Panel discussion featuring Shorenstein APARC fellow Thomas Fingar, distinguished fellow Kathleen Stephens, associate director for research Daniel Sneider, and Donald K. Emmerson, director of Shorenstein APARC’s Southeast Asia Program, October 23, 2015
15th Korea-U.S. West Coast Strategic Forum (held in Seoul): Conference organized by Shorenstein APARC’s Korea Program in association with the Sejong Institute, November 17, 2015
Ballots, Bullets, Bargains: American Foreign Policy and Presidential Elections: Book talk featuring Shorenstein APARC fellow Michael Armacost in conversation with Stanford professor emeritus David Kennedy, January 15, 2016
U.S. Defense Strategy for the Asia-Pacific Region: Seminar featuring David B. Shear, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs, U.S. Department of Defense, January 22, 2016
Silicon Valley and Asian Economies: Panel discussion and taping for NHK, Japan’s national public broadcasting corporation, featuring Takeo Hoshi, director of Shorenstein APARC’s Japan Program; Kenji Kushida, Shorenstein APARC Japan Program research associate; Francis Fukuyama, director of the Center for Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law; and William Barnett, professor at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, February 2, 2016
U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman on the Trans-Pacific Partnership: Seminar featuring Michael Froman, U.S. Trade Representative, in conversation with Shorenstein APARC fellow Karl Eikenberry, February 16, 2016
The Great Tohoku Earthquake & Tsunami and Fukushima Nuclear Disaster: 5 Years Later: Panel discussion featuring Kenji Kushida, Shorenstein APARC Japan Program research associate; Daniel Aldrich, a professor at Northeast University; and Kyoko Sato, an associate director at Stanford’s Program in Science, Technology and Society, March 10, 2016
Film Screening and Discussion: “The Divine Grace of Islam Nusantara”: Cultural Diversity in Islam, in Indonesia, and in the Muslim World – A Film Screening and a Conversation: Panel discussion between Yahya Cholil Staquf, secretary general of Indonesia’s Supreme Council – Nahdlatul Ulama; C. Holland Taylor, chairman and CEO of LibForAll Foundation; and Donald K. Emmerson, director of Shorenstein APARC’s Southeast Asia Program, April 6, 2016
The Impact of Taiwan’s National Health Insurance’s 20-year Journey: How has the market responded and will respond?: Panel discussion featuring Karen Eggleston, director of Shorenstein APARC’s Asia Health Policy Program; C. Jason Wang, a Stanford associate professor of pediatrics and medicine; Fred Hung-Jen Yang, CEO of MissionCare – Taiwan; and Jui-fen Rachel Len of Chang Gung University – Taiwan, April 19, 2016
The Situation on the Korean Peninsula after North Korea’s Latest Nuclear Test: Panel discussion featuring experts from Shorenstein APARC and South Korea’s Presidential Committee for Unification Preparation, April 20, 2016
America’s Pacific Future is Happening Now: Seminar featuring Daniel Russel, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, U.S. Department of State, April 21, 2016
Koret Workshop on Globalization, Innovation and Culture in Korea: Conference organized by Shorenstein APARC’s Korea Program, April 22, 2016
Open Sesame!: Alibaba and E-commerce in China: Seminar featuring Ming Zeng, Chief Strategy Officer at the Alibaba Group, in conversation with Duncan Clark of BDA China, April 27, 2016
Shorenstein Journalism Award Panel Discussion: Continuity and Change in the U.S.-Japan Alliance: Panel discussion featuring Yoichi Funabashi, the 2015 Shorenstein Journalism Award recipient, in conversation with Michael Armacost, Shorenstein APARC fellow; Susan Chira, deputy executive editor of the New York Times; and Daniel Sneider, Shorenstein APARC associate director for research, May 6, 2016
Rebuilding Trust: China – U.S. Relations: Seminar featuring Fu Ying, chairperson of China’s Foreign Affairs Committee of the National People’s Congress, in conversation with Thomas Fingar, Shorenstein APARC fellow, May 10, 2016
Inaugural U.S.-Japan Security Workshop (held in Tokyo): Conference organized by Shorenstein APARC’s U.S.-Asia Security Initiative and FSI, in conjunction with the Japan Center for International Exchange, May 19, 2016
The End of an Era: Can the Consensus on Constructive Engagement with China be Sustained? Should it?: Oksenberg Lecture featuring James Steinberg, dean of the Maxwell School at Syracuse University, in conversation with Michael Armacost and Thomas Fingar, both Shorenstein APARC fellows, and Kathleen Stephens, Shorenstein APARC distinguished fellow, June 1, 2016
Annual Forum on Community Health Services and Primary Healthcare Reform in China (held in Beijing): Conference organized by Shorenstein APARC’s Asia Health Policy Program, June 22, 2016
16th Korea-U.S. West Coast Strategic Forum (held at Stanford): Conference organized by Shorenstein APARC’s Korea Program in association with the Sejong Institute, June 28, 2016
5th Annual Hana-Stanford Conference on Korea for U.S.-Secondary School Teachers: Conference co-organized by Shorenstein APARC’s Korea Program and the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE), July 25-27, 2016
Shorenstein APARC provides support for courses and Asian-language library resources at Stanford. Each academic year, Center faculty and researchers teach undergraduate- and graduate-level courses on Asia. A select number of courses are listed below:
China on the World Stage
China’s engagement with other countries and its role in the international system is the focus of this course. Taught by Shorenstein APARC Fellow Thomas Fingar, the course aims to provide a broad overview of China’s interaction in regions and on a wide range of issues since it launched its policy of opening and reform in 1978.
Chinese Politics: The Transformation and the Era of Reform
The course aims to provide an overview of the reforms that China has undertaken since 1978. Course content is presented in a variety of different media, including lectures, readings and film screenings. The course is taught by Jean C. Oi, professor of Chinese politics and director of Shorenstein APARC’s China Program.
Chinese Society in the Post-Mao Era
Seminar-style in its format, the course provides students with a survey of major social trends that have implications for China’s political and economic future. Topics addressed range from inequality to social change, corruption, religions, nationalism and various forms of rural and urban conflict. The course is taught by Andrew G. Walder, professor of sociology and director emeritus of Shorenstein APARC.
China under Mao
The course explores the transformation of Chinese society from the 1949 revolution to the eve of China’s reforms in 1978. Taught by Professor Andrew G. Walder, the course covers the creation of socialist economy, reorganization of rural society and urban workplaces, emergence of new inequalities of power and opportunity, and new forms of social conflict during Mao’s Cultural Revolution from 1966-69 and its aftermath.
Economic Development and Challenges for East Asia
The course examines East Asia’s rapid economic development and current economic challenges, with a focus on China, Japan and South Korea. Taught by SK Center Fellow Yong Suk Lee, the course addresses government and industrial policy, international trade, inequality, demography and entrepreneurship and innovation, among other topics.
Formal Organizations
Formal organizations in contemporary societies, such as firms, schools, hospitals and government agencies, are the focus of this course. Taught by Professor Xueguang Zhou, the course introduces students to dimensions and aspects of formal organizations and basic concepts and theoretical logics for analyzing them. Course content focuses on research literature and case studies in the Chinese context.
Health and Healthcare Systems in East Asia
Students explore health and healthcare systems of China, Japan, South Korea and North Korea in this course. Topics addressed include economic development, population aging, infectious disease outbreaks and social health insurance. The course is taught by Karen Eggleston, director of Shorenstein APARC’s Asia Health Policy Program.
Higher Education and Development in Korea
The course focused on the globalization of higher education in South Korea and broader implications for social and cultural change in South Korea and Asia. Topics addressed include culture, population aging and skilled labor. The course was taught by Joon Nak Choi, the 2015-16 Koret Fellow in Shorenstein APARC’s Korea Program.
Japan & the World: Innovation, Economic Growth, Globalization, and Int’l Security Challenges
The course introduces students to the economy, politics and international relations of contemporary Japan. The course is co-taught by Takeo Hoshi, director of Shorenstein APARC’s Japan Program, and Phillip Y. Lipscy, assistant professor of political science. Several guest speakers from outside of Stanford—each an expert on the challenges Japan faces today—also delivered lectures in addition to the main instructors.
Korean Economy and Business: Theory, Practice, and Strategic Implications
The course addressed key factors behind South Korea’s accelerated growth over the past 50 years. Taught by 2015-16 Shorenstein APARC Korea Program visiting professor Hwy-Chang Moon, the course aimed to introduce students to a new framework to understand South Korea’s growth and to apply that model to examine other countries.
Political Economy of Reform in China
Taught by Professor Jean C. Oi, the course examines the content, process and problems of China’s post-Mao reforms. Students compare the experiences of reform in the communist system of China to the regimes in Eastern Europe and of the former Soviet Union.
Smoke and Mirrors in Global Health
The course aims to provide students with conceptual tools to understand how institutional actors compete to define a situation as a global health problem and to understand the sociocultural means by which something highly dangerous to health such as the cigarette is made politically contentious and inert. Co-taught by Claudia Engel and Shorenstein APARC affiliate Matthew Kohrman, the course gives special attention to case studies in China and the United States.
The United States, China, & Global Security
Seminar-style in its format, the course is taught simultaneously on the campuses of Stanford and Peking University. Led by Oksenberg-Rohlen Fellow Karl Eikenberry, the graduate-level course covers a wide range of topics that figure into U.S.-China relations and their respective roles in Asian and global security. The course uses classrooms equipped with videoconferencing software at the Stanford Center at Peking University and Graduate School of Business to connect the two cohorts.
U.S. Policy Toward Northeast Asia
Co-taught by five Shorenstein APARC scholars, the course provides a case study approach to contemporary U.S. policy towards Japan, South Korea and China. Students examine the historical evolution of U.S. foreign policy and the impact of issues such as democratization, human rights, trade, security relations, military modernization and rising nationalism on U.S. policy.
The Stanford Center at Peking University (SCPKU) is the university's headquarters for faculty, students, staff, and other community members engaged in research, teaching, training and outreach activities in China. SCPKU is located on the Peking University campus in Beijing’s Haidian District, which is known for its rich intellectual community including top universities, research academies and government agencies. The center is designed as a resource for the entire Stanford community, providing collaborative spaces, offices and support services to facilitate the work of scholars and programs. SCPKU is a focal point for building academic and educational networks throughout East Asia, bringing together established researchers and a new generation of young scholars to create a vibrant and dynamic hub of intellectual exchange and multi-disciplinary collaboration.
SCPKU Faculty Fellows
Karen Eggleston, Senior Fellow, Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center/FSI
Olivier Gevaert, Assistant Professor, School of Medicine (SOM)-Biomedical Informatics Research
Jin Billy Li, Assistant Professor, SOM-Genetics
Josef Parvizi, Associate Professor, SOM-Neurology
Jianghong Rao, Associate Professor, SOM-Radiology
Hua Tang, Associate Professor, SOM-Genetics
SCPKU Distinguished Mingde Fellows
Karl Eikenberry, Oksenberg-Rohlen Distinguished Fellow at the Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center; Director of the U.S.-Asia Security Initiative at the Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center
Martin K. Whyte, John Zwaanstra Professor of International Studies and Sociology, Emeritus, Harvard University
Ezra Vogel, Henry Ford II Professor of the Social Sciences, Emeritus, Harvard University
SCPKU Team Innovation Faculty Fellows
Randall Stafford, Judith Prochaska, Michael Baiocchi – SOM, Stanford Prevention Research Center
Admiral Harry B. Harris, Jr., Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, made a special visit to SCPKU in November 2015 and spoke off the record about U.S. nautical movements in the South China Sea. Using SCPKU's Highly Immersive Classroom (HIC), Admiral Harris fielded questions from participants in Beijing and on the Stanford campus. The participants at SCPKU were experts from Peking University and Chinese think tanks including representatives from the military. Participants at Stanford included a diverse group of scholars from across campus with a number from the Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center.
Using HIC, FSI director Michael McFaul gave a lecture from Stanford to SCPKU and the Friends of Beida Philanthropic Group titled “An Analysis of the Upcoming Presidential Election and the political/economical implications to Asia Pacific."
Admiral Scott H. Swift, Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, spoke off the record about new developments in military relations between the US and China in the context of continuing tensions in the south and east China Seas. Using SCPKU’s Highly Immersive Classroom, participants included those in Beijing and on the Stanford campus. Admiral Swift’s remarks were followed by a roundtable discussion with Chinese and American scholars on both sides of the Pacific. The participants at SCPKU included experts from Peking University and Chinese think tanks. Participants at Stanford included a diverse group of scholars from across campus with a number from the Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center.
Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, Deputy Secretary at the U.S. Department of Energy, spoke on technology innovation, and clean energy R&D
Martin King Whyte, John Zwaanstra Professor of International Studies and Sociology, Emeritus, Harvard University, “Challenging Myths about China’s One-Child Policy, “ October 20, 2015
Ezra Vogel, Henry Ford II Research Professor of the Social Sciences, Emeritus, Harvard University, “China-Japan Relations: The Long History,” October 28, 2015
Leslie B. Lamport, winner of the 2013 Turing Award for imposing clear, well-defined coherence on the seemingly chaotic behavior of distributed computing systems, “Programming Should be More Coding,” October 30, 2015
Reid Hoffman, Co-founder and Executive Chairman of LinkedIn, “Future of Business,” November 8, 2015
Josef Parvizi, Associate Professor of Neurology, spoke on “Electrical Stimulation of the Human Brain throughout the History of Neuroscience,” November 10, 2015
Jindong Cai, Associate Professor of Performance in the Center for East Asian Studies conducted 15 musicians from the Peking University Orchestra in a program on “Beethoven in Beijing.” During this special lecture-concert, Cai explained how Beethoven became so deeply rooted in modern China, playing a role in many major historical events from the May Fourth Movement to the normalization of U.S.-China relations. November 12, 2015
Eric Wakin, Deputy Director of the Hoover Institution, and Robert H. Malott, Director of the Institution’s library and archives, discussed Hoover’s strategic direction and operations, May 22, 2016
Inaugural Lee Shau Kee World Leaders Forum, featuring Condoleezza Rice, 66th United States Secretary of State, in Conversation with Chinese policy leaders and experts addressing “Technology and Urban Development. ” Ann Arvin, Michael McFaul, and Jean Oi hosted the event, with Karl Eikenberry as the Chair of the Roundtable Discussion, September 22, 2015
Stanford-China Technical Collaborations on Nuclear Risk Reduction, CISAC, November 6, 2015
Asian Philanthropy Conference, Stanford Center for Philanthropy and Civil Society (PACS), March 2016
Stanford Law School Seminar, Professor Marcus Cole, March 2016
CISAC SU-IAPCM Workshop, April 12, 2016
Asian Liver Center “JoinJade for China Summit: Building Inclusive Workplaces” Conference, April 22, 2016
Peking University Health Care Conference, May 14, 2016
Human Cities@China Symposium, Professor Frank Zephyr, Stanford Urban Studies, May 29, 2016
PKU-Stanford Forum “A Changing Global and Political Order: Perspectives from China-United States Cooperation,” organized by Jean Oi and Thomas Fingar in conjunction with the Institute of International Relations. Keynote speakers included former US Ambassador John Negroponte and former Chinese Ambassador Wu Jianmin, June 6-7, 2016,
Annual Forum on Community Health Services and Primary Health Care Reform in China, Asia Health Policy Program, featuring 1) Xiaofang Han, Former Director of Beijing Municipal Development and Reform Commission, 2) Jifu Zhan, Deputy Mayor of Sanming, Fujian Province, 3) Xinbo Liao, Inspector of the Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province, 4) Su Xu, Deputy Director General of Shanghai Health and Family Planning Commission and Director of Shanghai health care reform office, June 22, 2016
China Arts Forum hosted by Professor Jindong Cai of Stanford’s Center for East Asian Studies, featuring 1) Jiang Jie, artist and professor at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts, 2) Cui Xiuwen, artist, 3) Chen Man, one of the most celebrated photographers in China, 4) Zhao Cong, renowned pipa player, and 4) Jinqing Cai, chairman of Christies’ China, July 2, 2016,
Symposium on "Non-Communicable Disease Prevention in China,” Professors Randall Stafford, Judith Prochaska, and Michael Baiocchi, School of Medicine, Stanford Prevention Research Center, July 6, 2016
World Lab Summer Institute Exhibition, Professors James Landay and Ge Wang，August 11, 2016
CISAC Young Professionals Workshop, August 29-30, 2016
Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in China: A Multi-Disciplinary and Cross-National Approach, with Professors Stafford, Prochaska and Baiocchi, School of Medicine, Stanford Prevention Research Center
Designing Solutions to Global Grand Challenges, with Professors James Landay (School of Education) and Ge Wang (Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics)
China Digital Health Bootcamp: Needfinding, Prototyping, and Business Modeling to Transform Healthcare in China, with Professor Robert Chang (School of Medicine)
The U.S., China and Global Security, with Gen. Karl Eikenberry, FSI Professor of the Practice, and Professor Fan Shiming in the School of International Studies, Peking University. The course is held in the SCPKU Highly Immersive Classroom (bringing together students in Beijing and on Stanford's campus via high-definition teleconference)
China’s Financial Market with Professor Darrel Duffy, Stanford Graduate School of Business and Professor Li Jing, Peking University Guanghua Management School. Course is held in the SCPKU Highly Immersive Classroom (bringing together students in Beijing and on Stanford's campus via high-definition teleconference)
The Program on Energy and Sustainable Development (PESD) at FSI studies global energy markets and their impact on environmental quality and human welfare. What makes PESD unique among university research centers is its combination of economic rigor with a keen understanding of the political economy context around energy. In the real world, many technologically feasible and economically efficient solutions fail to be implemented in practice because of institutional barriers. Our comparative advantage is the study of feasible policy and regulatory leverage points for change.
PESD has a three-fold mission of research, teaching, and policy outreach. We publish our research in peer-reviewed journals and books; we advise masters and Ph.D. students and teach courses for undergraduate and graduate students in the Department of Economics, Graduate School of Business, and Law School; and we engage policymakers on timely topics through an annual conference, policymaker workshops, and direct engagements with governments seeking advice on design of energy markets.
“Expecting the unexpected: Emissions uncertainty and environmental market design,” working paper by Severin Borenstein, James Bushnell, Frank A. Wolak, and Matthew Zaragoza-Watkins, June 2016.
“Level versus variability trade-offs in wind and solar generation investments: The case of California,” by Frank A. Wolak in The Energy Journal 37, June 2016.
“Coal, gas, or nuclear: Asia’s inconvenient energy choice.” Conference paper by Mark C. Thurber, Pacific Energy Summit, Singapore, June 2016.
“Electricity markets: Designing auctions where suppliers have uncertain costs,” working paper by Pär Holmberg and Frank A. Wolak, August 2016.
“Assessing the impact of the diffusion of shale oil and gas technology on the global coal market,” working paper by Frank A. Wolak, September 2016.
“High frequency evidence on the demand for gasoline,” by Laurence Levin, Matthew S. Lewis, and Frank A. Wolak, American Economic Journal: Energy Policy, October 2016.
“Why isn’t natural gas in India’s climate strategy?” by Mark C. Thurber, Stanford Natural Gas Initiative Natural Gas Brief, Number 1, September 2016.
Game-Based Simulation of Energy and Environmental Markets
In a game-based experiment (and educational activity) involving almost 130 graduate students at theEnergy@Stanford&SLAC 2016 conference, we found that a carbon tax produces a significantly tighter distribution of electricity prices than a cap-and-trade system. Electricity generating companies were more profitable under cap and trade. We also applied the game in a policymaker workshop to teach energy officials in the U.S. West about the advantages and disadvantages of regional market integration.
Coal, Natural Gas, and Climate Change
Our new spatial equilibrium model of global coal-on-gas competition showed that the emergence of shale gas in the United States appreciably reduces U.S. and EU coal consumption. Exports of Western coal from the Pacific Northwest could conceivably decrease global CO2 emissions by decreasing U.S. coal consumption without significantly increasing coal consumption in Asia. We also considered the qualitative dynamics driving substitution between coal, natural gas, and nuclear power in Asia, finding that a $20-30 carbon tax would probably be sufficient to make gas competitive there over the long term.
Integration of Renewable Energy into Electricity Grids
We used actual California ISO data for electricity prices and wind and solar output to compare the existing capacity mix across locations to the “efficient frontier” capacity mix, finding significant differences between the two. A small number of wind resource locations offered the most benefit in moving the system closer to the efficient frontier (i.e. highest possible output for a given variance and lowest possible variance for a given output). This kind of analysis can help policymakers better assess the value that a specific wind or solar project would offer to the grid.
Low-Income Energy Services
Field experiments in Uganda and Kenya showed that small solar home systems lead to almost complete displacement of kerosene for lighting and a major reduction in phone charging outside the home. However, the solar home systems are not used for income-generating activities to any significant degree. Data collection is nearly complete in a randomized-controlled trial of the impact of solar lights on educational outcomes in Zambia.
The Rural Education Action Program (REAP) is an impact evaluation organization that aims to inform sound education, health and nutrition policy in China. REAP’s goal is to help students from vulnerable communities in China enhance their human capital and overcome obstacles to education so that they can escape poverty and better contribute to China’s developing economy.
"More is Not Always Better: Evidence From a Randomised Experiment of Computer-Assisted Learning in Rural Minority Schools in Qinghai," by Fang Lai, Linxiu Zhang, Yu Bai, Chengfang Liu, Yaojiang Shi, Fang Chang, Scott Rozelle in Journal of Development Effectiveness
"Nutritional Deficiencies, the Absence of Information and Caregiver Failures: A Qualitative Analysis of Infant Feeding Practices in Rural China," by Ai Yue, Lauren Marsh, Huan Zhou, Alexis Medina, Renfu Luo, Yaojiang Shi, Linxiu Zhang, Scott Rozelle in PLoS ONE
"Who Drops Out From Primary Schools in China? Evidence From Minority-Concentrated Rural Areas," by Meichen Lu, Manlin Cui, Yaojiang Shi, Fang Chan, Di Mo, Scott Rozelle, Natalie Johnson in Asia Pacific Education Review
"To Board or Not to Board? Evidence From Nutrition, Health, and Education Outcomes of Students in Rural China," by Aiqin Wang, Alexis Medina, Renfu Luo, Yaojiang Shi, Ai Yue in China and the World Economy
"The Impact of Vocational Schooling on Human Capital Development in Developing Countries: Evidence from China," by Prashant Loyalka, Xiaoting Huang, Linxiu Zhang, Jianguo Wei, Hongmei Yi, Yingquan Song, Yaojiang Shi and James Chu in Economic Review
"Can Social-Emotional Learning Reduce School Dropout in Developing Countries?" by Huan Wang, James Chu, Prashant Loyalka, Tao Xin, Yaojiang Shi, Qinghe Qu, Chu Yang in Journal of Policy Development and Management
"Adult Child Migration and Elderly Parental Health in Rural China," by Fang Chang, Yaojing Shi, Hongmei Yi, Natalie Johnson in China Agricutural Economic Review, June 2016
"Educational Expectations and Dropout Behavior Among Junior High Students in China," by Fang Chang, Wenbin Min, Yaojiang Shi, Kaleigh Kenny, Prashant Loyalka in China and World Economy, May 2016
"Who Are China's Rural Clinicians?" by Xue Hao, Yaojiang Shi, Alexis Medina in China Agricultural Economic Review, June 2016
"Exploring the Dropout Rates and Causes of Dropout in Upper-Secondary Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Schools in China," by Hongmei Yi, Linxiu Zhang, Yezhou Yao, Aiqin Wang, Yue Ma, Yaojiang Shi, James Chu, Prashant Loyalka, Scott Rozelle in International Journal of Educational Development, May 2016
"Maternal Health Services in China’s Western Rural Areas: Uptake and Correlates," by Chengfang Liu, Linxiu Zhang, Yaojiang Shi, Huan Zhou, Alexis Medina, Scott Rozelle in China Agricultural Economic Review, May 2016
"Implementation of Teacher Training in China and its Policy Implementations," by Hongyan Liu, Chengfang Liu, Fang Chang, Prashant Loyalka in China & World Economy, May 2016
"Unequal Access to to College in China: How Far Have Poor, Rural Students Been Left Behind?" by Hongbin Li, Prashant Loyalka, Scott Rozelle, Binzhen Wu, Jieyu Xie in The China Quarterly, March 2016
"Impact of Text Message Reminders on Caregivers’ Adherence to a Home Fortification Program in Rural Western China: a Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial," by Huan Zhou, Shuai Sun, Renfu Luo, Sean Slyvia, Ai Yue, Yaojiang Shi, Linxiu Zhang, Alexis Medina, Scott Rozelle in American Journal of Public Health, 2016
"The Impact of Integrating ICT with Teaching: Evidence From a Randomized Controlled Trial in Rural Schools in China," by Yu Bai, Di Mo, Linxiu Zhang, Matthew Boswell, Scott Rozelle in Elsevier, 2016
"China’s Looming Human Capital Crisis: Upper Secondary Educational Attainment Rates and the Middle Income Trap,"by Niny Khor, Lihua Pang, Chengfang Liu, Fang Chang, Di Mo, Prashant Loyalka, Scott Rozelle in The China Quarterly, 2016
Human Capital and China’s Future Growth, by Hongbin Li, Prashant Loyalka, Scott Rozelle, and Binzhen Wu in Journal of Economic Perspectives, 2017
Effect of deworming on indices of health, cognition, and education among schoolchildren in rural China: a cluster-randomized controlled trial, by Chengfang Liu, Louise Lu, Linxiu Zhang, Renfu Luo, Sean Sylvia, Alexis Medina, Scott Rozelle, Darvin Scott Smith, Yingdan Chen, and Tingjun Zhu in American Journal of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene, 2017
We welcome Huan Wang as a new REAP postdoctoral scholar. Dr. Wang is a key architect behind both the Smart Focus social enterprise and the Supertest project.
Congratulations to long-time REAPee Dr. Di Mo for her promotion from postdoctoral scholar to a member of the academic staff as a Research Associate.
REAP Director Scott Rozelle shared key REAP findings at the Gates Foundation's Grand Challenges Meeting in London. In front of hundreds of development workers from around the world, Professor Rozelle presented data showing that China is in danger of falling into a middle income trap…unless swift and immediate steps can be taken to improve rural education.
REAP’s social enterprise, Smart Focus, won a Clearly Vision Prize, beating out 100 other leading eye care organizations from around the world, including cutting-edge handheld auto-refractors and telehealth companies. News of this award was broadcasted through NewsWeek, BBC, Wired, BT.com, News Medical, and other news magazines with tens of millions of monthly readers worldwide.
Mi Zhou, Lecturer, College of Economics and Management, Shenyang Agricultural University
Xiaobo Qu, Associate Professor, Institute of Population and Labor Economics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Peng Huo, Doctoral Student, Agricultural Science and Development, Renmin University
Chao Guo, Postdoctoral Student, Peking University
Smart Focus
Having extended care to 40,000 children (and counting) this year alone, 2016 has been a productive year for REAP’s vision care social enterprise, Smart Focus. We are showing that a sustainable, accessible, high quality vision care system can serve the 15 million poor sighted rural children currently without care. We opened 2 new pilot centers serving a population of 300,000 each, and have 6 more locations set for expansion in the coming 6 months. We have a strong proof of concept showing that vision centers can support themselves by earning revenue, while also extending subsidized care to vulnerable communities. We also upgraded our screening regimen beyond refractive error care to include eye health. With cutting edge screening technology and a telemedicine platform, we are able to share screening results with doctors anywhere in the world.
In 2017, we hope to outperform even this year’s progress!
Perfecting Parenting
Using state of the art metrics, REAP has identified a startling shortfall in cognition among rural Chinese children. In their critical first 1000 days, two out of three rural babies lag far behind urban peers and international averages, posing a daunting public policy challenge. REAP is now transforming the Family Planning Commission—the sprawling bureaucracy once charged with enforcing China’s one child policy—into an army of parenting trainers who are teaching rural parents and grandparents how to engage more with their children. Together, we are building "parenting centers” in villages across rural China. These centers act as a community resource for caregivers to learn how to play with and read to their babies and toddlers. In 2017, we will be expanding this platform to include pediatric public health services, a text messaging program, and the use of multimedia.
Supertest
In a globalized world, it is critical to understand and compare how much university students are learning across different countries. To this end, we are conducting the world’s first large-scale assessment of university learning to measure and compare skill gains for nationally representative populations of university students within and across countries and to assess what factors influence student learning. So far, we have conducted pilot and baseline surveys of nationally representative populations of first and third-year university students in China and Russia. Preliminary results indicate that entering freshmen in China are roughly 2-3 years ahead of freshman in Russia in academic skills and similarly ahead of both Russia and the United States in critical thinking skills. But whereas US and Russian students make positive skill gains the longer they stay in college, Chinese students made no skill gains over time.
Pigs & Parasites: Neurocysticercosis in Tibetan villages
Over 15 percent of Tibetan schoolchildren in China's southwestern highlands suffer from a rare form of food borne parasite that can cause seizures and other debilitating symptoms. In partnership with Stanford's School of Medicine, REAP launched a program to better understand the disease's unlikely cycle of transmission and stop it before it starts. We find that poor sanitation and low awareness in rural villages make scaling interventions difficult, but together with an interdisciplinary team of researchers from FSI and the School of Medicine, we are working to pilot new ways of stopping infectionbefore it begins.
REAP is writing a book!
The Other China will tell the overlooked story of China’s rural areas, where the poor health and education of millions of children is putting the entire country’s long-term development at risk. This book will bringover a decade of REAP researchand stories to a wider audience, and hopefully contribute to further policy efforts to improve the lives of children in rural China. Due out in late 2017!
School Lunch Program
The government is investing $20 billion in nutritious school lunches to fight anemia but it isn't working. We find that shortfalls in funding, administrative know-how, & nutritional expertise at the local level have crippled one of China's most ambitious social programs.
Study Finds Chinese Students Excel in Critical Thinking. Until College. The New York Times discusses the Prashant Loyalka’s latest research findings.
Weighing the Strengths and Shortcomings of China’s Education System, an interview with REAP Director Scott Rozelle.
REAP’s social enterprise, Smart Focus, wins the Clearly Vision prize to help bring low-cost eye care to rural communities in China.
Rural children in China have “systematically low cognition”, partly as a result of being reared by grandparents who pay them little attention while parents work in cities.
In Rural China, One-Child Policy Enforcers Push a New Message. Workers who once pursued violators are now teaching parents how to better raise their children
Reinventing China's abortion police, REAP is transforming China’s notorious Family Planning Commission into an army of parenting trainers who are teaching rural parents and grandparents how to engage more with their children.
This Is How China Preps for the Big Test. REAP helps show how the gaokao benefits urban youth more than rural students.
The class ceiling. REAP shows how undernutrition and a variety of other health conditions limit the potential of rural students in China.
The Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE) serves as a bridge between Stanford University and K–12 schools and community colleges by developing multidisciplinary curricular materials on international topics, conducting teacher professional development seminars, and teaching distance-learning courses.
Since 1976, SPICE has supported efforts to internationalize K–12 and community college curricula. As a program of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) at Stanford University, SPICE draws upon the diverse faculty and programmatic interests of Stanford University broadly—and FSI specifically—to integrate knowledge, inquiry, and practice in its curriculum development, teacher professional development, and distance-learning course offerings.
SPICE addresses the Common Core State Standards and other national standards in its work, and recognizes its responsibility to present multiple perspectives and enhance critical thinking and decision-making skills in social science classrooms.
Sekiguchi, Rylan. “School Textbooks and East Asia’s ‘History Wars’: A Comparative Approach to Teaching About Perspective, Bias, and Historical Memory,” Education About Asia, Vol. 21, No. 1, Spring 2016.
Buchanan Prize interview (of Rylan Sekiguchi), Education About Asia, Vol. 20, No. 3, Winter 2015. Two Curriculum Materials Reviews of SPICE’s “My Cambodia” & “My Cambodian America” were also published by EAA in the same issue.
Sekiguchi, Rylan. “Divided Memories: Using International Textbooks to Teach About Perspective, Bias, and Historical Memory” and “Divided Memories: Classroom Exercises”) National Council for History Education, History Matters!, Vol. 28, No. 4, December 2015.
Rylan Sekiguchi received the Buchanan Prize from the Association for Asian Studies, March 27, 2015
Gary Mukai received the Stanford Alumni Award from the Stanford Asian Pacific American Alumni Club, May 7, 2015
Scholars Corner
Scholars Corner features videos of scholars from FSI discussing contemporary issues and research in their fields of expertise, reflecting FSI’s research interest in the problems, policies, and processes that cross international borders and affect lives around the world. Each video is accompanied by a suggested short activity and/or lesson developed by SPICE that can be used in the classroom to help students better understand the content being discussed.
“Doomed to Cooperate: Averting Post-Cold War Nuclear Dangers,” Siegfried Hecker, CISAC
“Terrorism and Counterterrorism,” Martha Crenshaw, CISAC
“Immigration and Integration,” by Jens Hainmueller and Duncan Lawrence, The Europe Center
“China Under Mao,” by Andrew Walder, Shorenstein APARC
“The Use of Lethal Force by Police in Rio,” by Beatriz Magaloni, CDDRL
“Climate Change and Food Security,” by David Lobell, FSE
“Climate Change and Conflict,” by Marshall Burke, FSE
Curricular Guides and Websites
Rylan Sekiguchi, Jonas Edman, and Grace Kim, “Economic Development: The Case of South Korea”
Gary Mukai, Study Guide for “Art in a Time of Crisis”
Stefanie Lamb, Rylan Sekiguchi, Johanna Wee, “The Road to Tokyo”
Johanna Wee, Waka Brown, Rylan Sekiguchi, “The Rivers of Asia”
Hidehiko Yuzaki, Governor of Hiroshima, Japan, November 19, 2015 (meeting in Japan)
Zandanshatar Gombojav, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mongolia, January 14, 2016
Shin Chae-Hyun, Consul General of the Republic of Korea in San Francisco, July 25, 2016
Jun Yamada, Consul General of Japan in San Francisco, August 9, 2016
Hirofumi Nakasone, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Education, Japan, August 31, 2016
Iwao Horii, House of Councilors, Japan, August 31, 2016
Harold Begay, Superintendent, Tuba Unified School District, Navajo Nation, November 2, 2016
Wang Zhanjun, Ministry of Education, China, November 18, 2016
SPICE and the Korea Program, Shorenstein APARC, completed the fifth and final “Hana-Stanford Conference on Korea for U.S. Secondary School Teachers.” Over 150 teachers from the United States and Korea attended the conferences.
SPICE offered educational seminars at the National Council for History Education, Association for Asian Studies, and Center for Global Education (Asia Society) annual conferences.
SPICE offered two 30-hour teacher seminars on East Asia for middle school and high school teachers in the San Francisco Bay Area.
SPICE supported the Education Partnership to Internationalize Curriculum (EPIC) initiative, which provides professional development opportunities for community college instructors. The other collaborators are Stanford Global Studies Division and Lacuna Stories.