Center for Policy and Democracy
The Center for Policy and Democracy is a hub for research, teaching, and community engagement on public policy and democracy. Working across disciplines, states, and countries, we bring various perspectives to study and inform how policies and politics impact the most important issues facing democratic societies today. This research informs our unique approach to teaching public policy, showcased in the Policy Workshop Seminar and the Master of Public Policy and PhD in Public Affairs degree programs.
The deLeon Legacy
The Center on Policy and Democracy honors the legacy of Dr. Peter deLeon, a giant in the field of policy studies and policy sciences. In his work first at RAND/UCLA, then Columbia, and finally the School of Public Affairs at CU Denver, Peter pioneered several subfields of policy and authored many insightful books and articles that continue to be cited by scholars in the field. Peter mentored at least half of the students graduating from the school's PhD in Public Affairs program during the period 1990-2010 and was a generous mentor to many junior faculty members during his time at the school. We miss him dearly.
Many thanks to Peter’s wife Linda deLeon, also a former faculty member of the school, who continues to support policy scholarship and was instrumental in the launch of the Center for Policy and Democracy through a generous gift from the Linda and Peter deLeon Fund for Policy and Democracy.
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| Tanya Heikkila, PhD
Professor | Chris Weible, PhD
Professor |
Deserai Crow, PhD
Professor
Interim Co-Director, Center for Community Safety and Resilience
Sheila Huss, PhD
Assistant Teaching Professor
Interim Co-Director, Center for Community Safety and Resilience
Alejandra Medina, PhD
Assistant Professor
Annie Miller, PhD
Associate Dean, Student Success & Strategic Initiative Assistant Teaching Professor
Pepe Sánchez, PhD
Assistant Professor
View doctoral student bios.
Kathleen Bailey
Anna Crawford
Allegra Fullerton
Aerang Nam
Betsy Smith
Jill Yordy
Josh Young
- Sojeong Kim, PhD
- Kristin Wegner, PhD
- Jongeun You, PhD
Research and Resources
Ongoing research projects staffed by our affiliated faculty and students are an important part of day-to-day operations at the Center for Policy and Democracy.
We are in the process of curating a collection of publications and resources showcasing both our work and work from the previous Workshop on Policy Process Research. Please check back soon!
Teaching Policy and Democracy
The Policy Workshop Seminar
The Policy Workshop Seminar features critical analyses of policy and democracy scholarship, in-depth discussions of student research, exploration of contemporary events, and guest lectures by scholars and practitioners.
Master of Public Policy
The Master of Public Policy (MPP) program combines the analytical features of traditional MPP degrees with the emphasis on democracy and the policy process unique to CU Denver. Learn more.
PhD in Public Affairs
The PhD in Public Affairs program has a long and proud tradition of training both practitioners and future academics. Learn more.
Featured Publication
Learning for Environmental Governance
By Tanya Heikkila and Andrea K. Gerlak
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 April 2024
Summary
Learning is critical for our capacity to govern the environment and adapt proactively to complex and emerging environmental issues. Yet, underlying barriers can challenge our capacity for learning in environmental governance. As a result, we often fail to adequately understand pressing environmental problems or produce innovative and effective solutions. This Element synthesizes insights from extensive academic and applied research on learning around the world to inform both research and practice. We distill the social and structural features of governance to help researchers and practitioners better understand, diagnose, and support learning and more adaptive responses to environmental problems.
Hear from Drs. Heikkila and Gerlak about their new book in the video below:
Elements in Earth System Governance from Cambridge University Press on Vimeo.
Herrick Roth Lecture Series
The Herrick Roth Lecture Series at the School of Public Affairs was established to honor the late activist, labor leader, and founder of the Colorado Forum, Herrick Roth. Mr. Roth was deeply committed to understanding what he called “horizon issues,” which he defined as long-term public concerns that needed thoughtful reflection, discussion, and understanding in order to facilitate Colorado’s meaningful and healthy growth. Thus, the Herrick Roth Community Seminar Series on Democracy aims to support and promote discussions around issues of civic engagement, political polarization, and other complicated public policy issues amongst communities within and beyond the University of Colorado Denver.
About Herrick Roth
The Herrick Roth Community Seminar is named after and funded in honor of Herrick Roth. Roth was an educator in Denver Public Schools before serving several formal roles that advocated for labor, community, and education during the 1950s-70s, including various positions in the American Federation of Teachers for the AFL-CIO, as an elected official in both houses of the Colorado General Assembly, as an appointed labor representative on the Governor’s Advisory Council on Employment, as the labor representative and Vice Chairman of the Planning and Development Committee of the Citizens’ Conference on State Legislatures, and as a moderator on a weekly television program called “Labor’s Language.”
Connect with Us
We’d love to connect with you! Please contact spa.cpd@ucdenver.edu to learn about ways to connect with us and to join our mailing list to receive periodic newsletters and announcements from the Center for Policy and Democracy.
There are many ways to support our work. You can make an online donation to the Linda and Peter deLeon Fund for Policy and Democracy, or contact CU Denver’s Advancement Office for other ways to give: advancement@ucdenver.edu or 303-315-3601.
Center News
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Russian Nobel Peace Prize Recipient Discusses Democracy, Peace, and Propaganda with CU Denver Opens in a new window
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Arizaga working to establish MPP student association at SPA
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Roth series convenes panelists on media and democracy
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CPD partners with Czech university on project utilizing Policy Conflict Framework
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Weible joins stakeholder advisor board for project to strengthen EU's role in global governance
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Weible appointed visiting professor at LTU in Sweden