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About the Conference
The conference provides an opportunity for analysts and policy-makers to explore timely topics that reflect the importance of analysis in formulating policy decisions in government. Conference sessions provide an opportunity to:

• Gain insight into current trends and changes in the policy-making environment
• Explore current policy issues and processes in concurrent workshop sessions
• Share ideas with others from around Minnesota

Who Should Attend
Economic and policy analysts from all levels of government and education; administrators; appointed and elected officials; representatives from the business and nonprofit communities; and others interested in policy analysis.

Schedule
7:30 a.m. Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:30 Welcome and Opening Remarks - Libby Starling, Metropolitan Council

8:45 Plenary Session I - Is a New Social Contract Possible?
     Moderator: Sean Kershaw, Executive Director, Citizens League
     Keynote Presenter: Miles S. Rapoport, President, Demos: A Network of Ideas and Action

9:45 Plenary Session II - A Social Contract? The Minnesota Perspective
Moderator: Sean Kershaw, Executive Director, Citizens League
Panelists: Mary Brainerd, President and CEO, HealthPartners; Robert Jones, Senior Vice President for System Academic Administration, University of Minnesota; Sandra Vargas, President and CEO, Minneapolis Foundation; Bill Blazar, Senior Vice President, Business Development and Public Affairs, Minnesota Chamber of Commerce

11:45 Luncheon

12:45 p.m. Concurrent Sessions 1-4

1. Social Disparities Research: Moving Interventions Up-Stream
Moderator: Stefan Gildemeister, Assistant Director, Health Economics Program, Minnesota Department of Health
Panelists: Kathleen Theide Call, Associate Professor, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota; Myron Orfield, Executive Director, Institute on Race and Poverty, Law School, University of Minnesota; Barry Cohen, Executive Director, Rainbow Research; Joan Cleary, Vice President, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation of Minnesota

This panel will discuss disparities across areas of investigation and disciplines to highlight opportunities for meaningful reductions in disparities.... Panelists will address the state of measurement in disparity research, the degree to which “targeted communities” are involved in disparity research, why disparity initiatives have historically been so narrowly focused, and what role foundations have in elevating disparity research and the science of intervention to reduce disparities.

2. Strategies and Policies for Ending Poverty in Minnesota
Moderator: Andrea Lindgren, Research and Policy Analyst, Legislative Commission to End Poverty in Minnesota by 2020
Panelists: Rose Brewer, Professor, African American and African Studies, University of Minnesota; Senator John Marty, Minnesota Legislature; John Poupart, President, American Indian Policy Center

Though Minnesota enjoys a lower poverty rate relative to the rest of the country, areas of concern exist, particularly large racial and geographic disparities in poverty rates. This panel will discuss best practices, the roles of state government, the faith community, the private sector and philanthropy in ending poverty, and strategies that are currently being used in Minnesota.

3. Minnesota’s State and Local Tax System – Who Pays, How Much, and How is it Changing?
Moderator: Mark Haveman, Executive Director, Minnesota Taxpayers Association
Panelists: Paul Wilson, Director of Tax Research, Minnesota Department of Revenue; Representative Debra Hilstrom, Member, Committee on Taxes, Minnesota House of Representatives; Tom Hesse, Vice President, Government Affairs, Minnesota Chamber of Commerce; Nan Madden, Director, Minnesota Budget Project, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits

This session will examine tax incidence – the issue of tax burden on Minnesota households and businesses – covering 20 years of economic up-ticks and downturns. Given the everchanging funding needs for education, transportation, health care, environmental preservation, and even ballparks, how have Minnesota taxpayers fared? How can the system be improved?

4. The Impact of Alternative Fuels on the Rural Economy
Moderator: Rachel Walker, Manager, Policy Analysis, League of Minnesota Cities
Panelists: Gene Hugoson, Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Agriculture; Brent Olson, Retired Farmer, Ortonville, Minnesota; Linda Meschke, President, Rural Advantage; Steve Taff, Professor, Department of Applied Economics, University of Minnesota

Speakers will present a range of perspectives on the impact of ethanol and other alternative fuel production on rural economies. The Commissioner of Agriculture will kick off the session with a discussion of “food versus fuel.”

2:30 Concurrent Sessions 5-8

5. Minnesota Population Center Web-based Data Projects
Moderator: Will Craig, Associate Director, Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota
Panelists: Michael Latterner, Research Assistant, Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota; Katie Genadek, Research Assistant, Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota

The Minnesota Population Center is a University-wide interdisciplinary cooperative for demographic research. One of their central missions is to provide tools for the study of economic and social change and to encourage a historical approach to social policy analysis. To that end, they have created a wide variety of data sets, developed innovative tools for the electronic dissemination of demographic data, and improved the comparability and documentation of microdata across time and space. This session will provide an overview of their data projects and Web site (www.ipums.umn.edu).

6. Mortgage Foreclosure: Impacts on Communities and Neighborhoods
Moderator: Michael Grover, Community Affairs Manager, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
Panelists: Jeff Crump, Associate Professor, Department of Design, Housing and Apparel, University of Minnesota; Marcia Moermond, Legislative Hearing Officer and Lead Policy Analyst, St. Paul City Council; Stephanie Omersa Vergin, Director of Special Projects, Greater Minnesota Housing Fund; Jeff Skrenes, Housing Director, Hawthorne Neighborhood Council

Mortgage foreclosure is one of the top policy issues of 2008... This session will present an analytical framework for understanding the foreclosure crisis, followed by a panel discussion of current legislative and partnership efforts designed to address the issue.

7. Financing Transportation: Is the Conversation Over?
Moderator: Bob DeBoer, Director of Policy Development, Citizens League
Panelists: Margaret Donahoe, Executive Director, Minnesota Transportation Alliance; David Montebello, Vice President, SRF Consulting; David Levinson, Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minnesota

The Minnesota 2008 legislature provided an additional $6.6 billion for transportation over the next 10 years. Will a large infusion of money be sufficient to meet all of our transportation needs? Is it sustainable? Transportation advocates and local officials estimate that the new funds will not cover even half of the needs across the state.

8. Closing the Gap: The Next Great Challenge for Our Region?
Moderator: Craig Helmstetter, Senior Research Scientist, Wilder Research/Twin Cities Compass
Panelists: Cathy ten Broeke, Coordinator to End Homelessness for Minneapolis and Hennepin County, Hennepin County; Claire J. Chang, Director, Program Planning and Special Initiatives, Saint Paul Foundation; Rodolfo Gutierrez, Executive Director, Hispanic Advocacy and Community Empowerment through Research (HACER); Jesse Bethke Gomez, President, Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio (CLUES)

Closing racial and ethnic gaps is no longer just an issue of social justice. With the increasing diversity of our region, and the approaching retirement of the baby boom generation, addressing disparities will be crucial to the continued success of the region as a whole. This session will begin with a brief review of the demographic, social, and economic data before moving to a discussion of policies, programs, and proposals for closing racial and ethnic gaps.

4:00 Reception
5:00 Adjourn

Fee: $125.

For Registration Questions
Contact 612-624-4000

For Program Questions
Contact Sara Van Essendelft, 612-624-3708 or cceconf5@umn.edu

 Conference Program (pdf)  
 More Information & Online Registration