Building Policy Though Collaborative Deliberation: A Reflection on Using Lessons From Practice to Inform Responses to the Mortgage Foreclosure Crisis

This essay on the recent housing crisis focuses on the efficacy of using lessons learned at the local level to inform federal policy-making. The author examines the extent to which local information was utilized during the buildup to the crisis, as well as during the eventual response. The article focuses on a particular local response in New Haven, CT, the role of HUD-certified counselors, and a joint project led by the Opportunity Funding Corporation and the Yale School of Management