Mildred Warner

About

Mildred Warner is a professor in the Feminist, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program at Cornell University. Her research focuses on restructuring local government services, planning for more child and age-friendly cities, and promoting environmental sustainability at the local level. Warner is an international expert on issues related to decentralization, social protection challenges posed by devolution, privatization, and fiscal crises, and how cities can address these challenges. She has authored more than a hundred journal articles, book chapters, and professional reports, and has received major research grants from government and foundations. Warner works closely with local government officials, planners, policy analysts, economic developers, and union leaders both in the U.S. and abroad. She holds a B.A. in history from Oberlin College, an M.S. in agricultural economics, and a Ph.D. in development sociology from Cornell University.

Research topics

• Political Science
• Public administration
• Economic growth
• Economic policy
• Business
• Economics

Selected publications

• COVID-19 Policy Differences across US States: Shutdowns, Reopening, and Mask Mandates

  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · 2020-12-18 · 77 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  This work used event study to examine the impact of three policies (shutdowns, reopening, and mask mandates) on changes in the daily COVID-19 infection growth rate at the state level in the US (February through August 2020). The results show the importance of early intervention: shutdowns and mask mandates reduced the COVID-19 infection growth rate immediately after being imposed statewide. Over the longer term, mask mandates had a larger effect on flattening the curve than shutdowns. The increa…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Privatization and intermunicipal cooperation in US local government services: balancing fiscal stress, need and political interests

  Public Management Review · 2020-04-20 · 72 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  The 2007–2008 Global Financial Crisis renewed interest in New Public Management tools. Privatization and intermunicipal cooperation are the two most common forms of service delivery reforms among US local governments. Which is more responsive to fiscal stress, service needs and political interests? Our national survey of 2,109 US local governments in 2017 finds cooperation is more responsive to fiscal stress and community need, while privatization is more common in communities with higher home v…

  PublisherDOI

• Challenging austerity under the COVID-19 state

  Cambridge Journal of Regions Economy and Society · 2022 · 17 citations

  1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic represented a short-term shift in US social policy. Under the CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the federal government prioritised households by raising the floor for child support and unemployment benefits, and restoring fiscal federalism by providing increased funds to state and local governments. Our 2021 nationwide survey finds local governments with more citizen participation and Black Lives Matter protests plan to prioritise social equity inv…

  PublisherDOI

• Courts, rights of rivers and the city: insights from Ecuador

  Water International · 2025-05-30 · 6 citations

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Demographic ageing: an opportunity to rethink economy, society and regions

  Cambridge Journal of Regions Economy and Society · 2024-10-29 · 6 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract Ageing is often depicted negatively, but we challenge passive views, suggesting that an “active ageing” agenda requires rethinking economy, urban form and societal responses. We present demographic trends in ageing, migration and urbanization across global regions. Building from psychological theories of ageing regarding disengagement and continuity, we argue for an adjustment response at the societal level to address needed structural changes in economy, social policy and regional plan…

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Xue Zhang

  Cornell University

  45 shared

• Germà Bel

  Barcelona School of Economics

  20 shared

• George C. Homsy

  19 shared

• Austin M. Aldag

  14 shared

• Amir Hefetz

  13 shared

• Yunji Kim

  12 shared

• Marcela González Rivas

  8 shared

• John W. Sipple

  8 shared

Education

• PhD, Development Sociology

  Cornell University

  1997

Similar researchers at Cornell University

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