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The Future of Health Policy – A Public Talk by Theda Skocpol
Thursday, November 8th, at 3:30pm, Theda Skocpol of Harvard University will be giving a public talk on the future of health policy. The talk will be at the University Club, 2nd Floor, Fogler Library, with a reception to follow. The talk is co-sponsored by the Departments of Political Science and Sociology, and the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center. For more information, …
Read MoreTax Policy and the Principles Underlying a “Good Tax”
A “good tax”—can there be such a thing? In this essay, Kenneth Nichols explores the principles for evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of taxes on income, consumption, and wealth. Contrary to common argument, Nichols points out, there is no “best” tax, but there are five interrelated criteria for evaluating taxes that, collectively, may be used to assess whether tax reform …
Read MoreStudent Perspective: American Foreign Policy of the Twenty-First Century: Security Through the Promotion of Democracy
“The survival of liberty in our However, we have also borne witness to the fact that there are those who wish to deny this inherent right to others and who will stop at almost nothing to push their abominable agenda. Thus, in an age of ambiguity, we must remain steadfast. In a time in which others seek to rattle our …
Read MoreLoan Forgiveness and Repayment: Can They Increase Education Attainment in Maine?
Maine’s level of higher education attainment has remained stubbornly low despite substantial efforts to improve the access to and availability of higher education options in Maine. In this article, Maine’s state economist, Catherine Reilly, examines the pros and cons of two, perhaps underutilized, policy tools for increasing Maine’s higher education attainment level—loan forgiveness and loan repayment. The design and marketing …
Read MoreObesity in Maine: A Policy Approach
Compared to earlier generations, Americans are eating more, making poorer nutritional choices, and are less physically active. The result is an "obesity epidemic" facing Maine and the nation. Dora Anne Mills, director of Maine’s Bureau of Health, summarizes the extent, impact, and causes of obesity, and presents policy solutions suggested in public health and medical literature. Because the factors behind …
Read MoreRevitalizing Maine’s Service Centers
Maine’s 77 “service center” municipalities account for a large proportion of all the state’s consumer retail sales, jobs, services, and tax revenues from income, sales and property taxes, and are home to most of the state’s higher education and health care institutions. However, as John Melrose points out in this article, Maine’s public policy turns “worse than a blind eye” …
Read MoreThe Human Face of Housing Policy for Rural Elders in Maine
Here, Sandra Butler reflects on the ways in which the older households she has been encountering in her recent in-depth research in Washington County match those described by Stephen Golant in his article on the needs of elderly homeowners and the solutions to those needs. She has conducted extensive interviews with volunteers and clients of the Senior Companion Program, which, …
Read MoreThe Changing Nature of Long-Term Care in Maine
The increase in the proportion of older adults, many with one or more chronic medical conditions, will increase the demand for long-term care. Paul Saucier and Julie Fralich discuss the socio-demographic factors affecting long-term care policy, and describe various state and federal options for providing and financing long-term care. They note that Maine’s longterm care system has so far been …
Read MoreThe Aging Imperative in Maine: Present Realities and Future Prospects
Maine has one of the oldest populations in the United States. In this article, Helen Miltiades and Lenard Kaye (Kaye is guest editor for this special issue) provide an overview of our aging population and the challenges—and opportunities—we face in the “revolution in aging” that is taking place. They point out how the growing older adult population is expected to …
Read MoreEasements and Conservation Policy in the North Maine Woods
Recently Maine has embarked on a new policy direction in its use of conservation easements to protect large tracts of commercial timberland. In this article, David Lewis argues that the effectiveness of using easements as a long-term conservation policy depends on many factors that may not be fully considered in the decision making process currently used in choosing easements for …
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