About PPA

About Public Policy Associates

Public Policy Associates is a national research firm with expertise in a wide variety of areas including:

Economic Development
Education & Workforce
Environmental Issues
Health Care

What We Do

Public Policy Associates solves information and policy-development problems for clients. These problems may include documenting the need for creating or retaining a public policy, developing insight into the needs of the members or customers of an organization, evaluating an existing or proposed program, or designing and implementing a strategic plan for improvement. Clients may be either public or private sector, Michigan-based or national.

PPA brings strong project management expertise to complex policy-development and implementation processes. Our senior staff and consultants combine significant real-world expertise in managing public policy with a strong analytical research background. PPA networks national leaders and consultants in particular content areas to meet the needs of clients.

PPA carries out accurate and objective research, policy development, and evaluations in several public policy areas, including economic development, education and workforce development, environmental protection, and health care. PPA adds to its staff and consultants expertise with customized data collection to meet the goals of the client.

Research Methods include:

Using these techniques, we are able to provide clear, tangible assessments of the current condition, develop policy recommendations, and evaluate existing programs and policies. Of course, the specific combination of research techniques is driven by the unique needs of each of our clients. The overall design of each project, as well as the specific research questions, are developed through extensive consultation with the client. We do not use a prepackaged approach to our work.

In addition to this substantive capability, we bring to the task a nuts and bolts understanding of how the policy-making process works. This allows us to integrate the information we develop into a form directly and immediately useful to our clients.

The firm has carried out policy research and development projects involving the assessment of user satisfaction with business services and needs for new services. In addition, PPA is currently involved in the development and testing of new member services. We also have the capability to assist with the implementation of new policies that affect a particular group.

Projects have been conducted on behalf of the U.S. Small Business Administration, the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Department of Education, Empower Baltimore Management Corporation, Michigan Jobs Commission, Michigan Works!, State of Oregon Economic Development Department, New York State Small Business Development Center, Arizona Small Business Development Center, Wayne State University, Michigan Small Business Development Center, Michigan State University, Michigan Health Data Corporation, Michigan League for Human Services, Northpointe Institute for Public Management, Council of Great Lakes Governors, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Michigan State Housing Development Authority, Michigan Department of Corrections, Office of Waste Reduction Services of the Michigan Departments of Commerce & Natural Resources, and the Michigan Recycling Coalition, and many others.

See additional pages for projects summaries and biographies of key associates.

Who We Are

The firm was founded by Jeffrey D. Padden, who has over 30 years of experience in the public policy arena. As a policy maker in both the legislative and executive branches of Michigan government, he has gained first-hand insight into the way in which decisions are made. His qualifications also include a master’s degree in public administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Mr. Padden is supported by a full-time staff of specialists in research, analysis, business development, and management.

Associated Consultants

In addition to the full-time staff, PPA engages a variety of expert consultants to ensure that our customers get exactly the expertise they require, without the cost generated by a large permanent staff. These consultants are university faculty, industry experts, and private independent consultants. Together, they comprise the first-rate teams that we assemble on a custom basis to meet the needs of our customers.