Mike Shires is an associate professor of public policy at the Pepperdine School of Public Policy.  He has worked extensively on issues of state and local government finance and politics, economic redevelopment, education policy, and transparency in government.  His publications include analyses of the impacts of various government and citizen initiatives on state and local communities, strategies for addressing the economic challenges of urban areas, higher education finance, and disaster relief and response planning.   His current policy initiatives focus on promoting transparency and accountability in state and local government, understanding "opportunity urbanism"-a new approach to developing opportunity in America's major urban centers,  understanding the fiscal structure of postsecondary education in California, and developing approaches for balancing California's structural budget problems.
 
His publication titles include: Alternative Approaches to Funding Higher Education in California, The Future of Public Undergraduate Education in California, and The Redesign of Governance in Higher Education."  His state and local finance titles include: The Effects of the California Voucher Initiative on Public Expenditures for Education, A Review of Local Government Revenue Data in California, Has Proposition 13 Delivered?, The Changing Tax Burden in California, and Patterns in California State and Local Government Revenues Since Proposition 13.   His economic development publications include:  Our Future Neighborhoods:  Housing and Urban Villages in the San Fernando Valley,  Prosperity Tomorrow: San Fernando Valley, Southern California's Region of Opportunity and Interstate-5 Corridor: Economic and Community Development Strategy.   He has also co-authored work on United States-Japan and United States-European community trade relations and served as an economic consultant and contributor to Joel Kotkin's recent publication Opportunity Urbanism.   
 
Mike has been active as a consultant to both the private sector and state and local governments on issues related to finance, education policy, and governance and is often interviewed in the media on these topics.   He received his BA in economics from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), his MBA from the Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA, and his M. Phil. and PhD in public policy analysis from the Pardee RAND Graduate School.