Mazatlan Forum: A Blueprint for Ending Poverty...Permanently

The Mazatlán Forum seeks to discover and ask the overlooked questions about issues relevant to the United States and Mexico by taking a close look at the social, political, and economic assumptions at work in our cultures. In making the conversations intercultural, interdisciplinary and intergenerational, we hope to reframe the issues to kindle new thinking, generate new solutions, foster Mexican and American friendships, and promote cross-border collaborations.

Schedule

FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2015

9:00 - 9:45am 
Opening Ceremonies (including a greeting and blessing from Pope Francis delivered by Cardinal Levada)

9:45 - 10:00am 
Why Are We Here? (David B. Grusky)

10:00 - 11:00am 
The Backdrop: A Description of Poverty in the U.S., California, and Mexico (Moderator: Gustavo Verduzco)

Presentations

  • Patricio Solis, "Poverty in Mexico"
  • Ann Huff Stevens, "Poverty in the United States"

11:15am - 1:15pm 
Money Matters: The Case for Aggressive Tax and Transfer Policy (Moderator: Jeanne Buckeye)

Presentations

  • Kathryn Edin, "A Litmus Test for all Poverty Policy"
  • Timothy Smeeding, "The Case for a Modified Children's Defense Fund Plan"

3:00 - 5:15pm 
A Ramped-Up Labor Supply Approach: Poverty and Equalizing Opportunity (Moderator: Sandra Kuntz Ficker)

Presentations

  • Patricio Solis, "The Case for Aggressive School Enrollment Policy"
  • Raymundo Campos, "Oportunidades and School Dropout Rates"
  • David B. Grusky, "An Equal Opportunity Plan for Reducing Poverty in California"

SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2015

9:00 - 11:15am 
Poverty and Family Policy (Moderator: David Underriner)

Presentations

  • Harry Brighouse, "Setting the Stage: In What Ways Should the Government Subsidize Child-Rearing?"
  • Lonnie Berger, "Supporting Young Men in their Family Roles"
  • Will Lightbourne, "Poverty, Family Stabilization, and the Economy"

11:30am - 1:30pm 
Big "R" Reform: The Case for an Economic and Social Overhaul (Moderator: Roberto Blancarte)

Presentations

  • Fernando Cortés, "Poverty and Income Inequality"
  • Michelle Jackson, "The Point Is to Change It"

3:00 - 4:00pm 
Outlawing Poverty: A Bill of Rights and the Legal-Constitutional Approach (Moderator: Patrick Brennan)

Presentation

  • Gregory Kepferle, "Ending Poverty with an Economic Bill of Rights"

4:15 - 5:30pm 
Closing Reflections (Moderator: Agnieszka Winkler)

Presentation

  • Sheldon Danziger, "Time Well Spent?"