The Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy's (CLOSUP) Tom Ivacko wrote a two-part column for Dome magazine about the declining health of Michigan cities and what is being done to combat this decline.In part one, "Michigan Cities Suffer Declining...
In light of six new Michigan merger bills, Tom Ivacko spoke to Bridge magazine about cost sharing findings from the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy's Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS).These new bills, signed by Governor Rick Snyder on...
Data from the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy's (CLOSUP) latest Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS) report was cited in a Center for Michigan article, "'Shadow tax cut' deepens local budget crises."The October 2011 MPPS report found that...
Findings from a new Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS) administered by the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) have been published in a number of news sources.The poll found that local governments in Michigan are having a tough time...
Nearly half of Michigan's local governments say they are somewhat or significantly less able to meet their financial needs in 2011, though some negative trends eased this year, a new University of Michigan survey reports.Although 48 percent of the...
Faculty Recognition AwardsFaculty Recognition Awards are intended for faculty early in their careers who have demonstrated substantive contributions to the university through achievements in scholarly research and/or creative endeavors; excellence...
The results of a Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) poll of local government leaders appeared in a variety of Michigan news outlets, including two articles from the Detroit Free Press (a staff report and a report from the Associated...
More than half of the local government leaders surveyed in Michigan jurisdictions that have public employee unions say those unions have had a negative impact on their jurisdictions' fiscal health, a University of Michigan survey reports.Despite the...
Half of the local government officials surveyed in Michigan say the state is generally on the wrong track, while 32 percent think the state is going the right way, a new University of Michigan poll says.Democratic officials were most likely to be...
A new University of Michigan survey found that most communities statewide are already working together to increase efficiency and decrease costs.This cooperation is a process through which two or more units of government work together to provide...
Many of Michigan's local government leaders think fringe benefits given to their jurisdictions' employees are too generous, but they are not overpaid, a new University of Michigan study finds.In addition, many of these leaders also believe employees...
CLOSUP Program Manager Tom Ivakco played a key role in designing and implementing the center's Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS)-an innovative effort to query elected and appointed officials from every jurisdiction in Michigan. Tom spoke with...
State policymakers could better coordinate with local economic developers to improve the economy by cultivating existing businesses in their communities, a new report says.The report from the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) at the...
More than half of Michigan's local governments actively encouraged their citizens to complete their U.S. Census forms this year, helping the state rank fifth nationwide in participation rates, a new survey shows.
Maximizing participation in the...
Some local government leaders in Michigan say the federal stimulus package has been anything but stimulating.
The stimulus package—also known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act—was designed to create jobs and spur economic recovery.
"When...
Mounting evidence suggests that an economic recovery is in view. Unemployment isn't rising as quickly as it once was. Consumer spending has increased for four consecutive months. Household net worth is growing.
While the economy may be turning...
Local government officials from across the state of Michigan were surveyed in Fall 2009 during the second wave of CLOSUP's Michigan Public Policy Survey program. This wave focused on educational, economic, and workforce development issues....
Michigan's local government leaders express an alarming lack of trust in state government leaders in Lansing and significant dissatisfaction with their job performance, a new study shows.
This distrust raises questions about the potential success of...
In nearly eight years, the federal No Child Left Behind school reforms have become perhaps the most controversial yet far-reaching educational policies of the past four decades. Opponents are turning their fire on No Child now that it is up for...
The Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS) recently published by the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) has garnered local and regional media attention. The MPPS, published in conjunction with the Michigan Municipal League, Michigan...
Many local governments across Michigan expect to cut service levels in the next year, according to a new survey by the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy, a research center at the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public...
The Ford School’s Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) received a W. K. Kellogg Foundation grant to survey local elected officials statewide. The Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) received a 12-month W. K. Kellogg...
Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy Professor Brian Jacob will be presented the David N. Kershaw Award and Prize in November for his contributions to the field of public policy analysis and management.Jacob, the Walter H. Annenberg Professor of...
Michigan Public Budgeting and Finance Planning class (PubPol 715) invites you to join them for a conversation with guest speaker Robert Widigan, former CFO for the City of Flint and incoming Chief Deputy CFO of Wayne County.
Women make up over 50% of the state’s population, but just 16% of Michigan’s local chief administrative officers. The Michigan Municipal League’s 16/50 Project is transforming this leadership gap – getting more women seated in the municipal top spot in Michigan communities.
The Ford School’s Michigan Public Budgeting and Finance Planning class invites Ford students to join them for a conversation with guest speaker Janani Ramachandran Yates, Deputy Budget Director of the City of Detroit (and Ford School alum).
Join XBRL US for a session to explore government data standards, find out how governments can create their own machine-readable financial statements, and discover what impact this legislation could have on government entities. Most importantly, discover how machine-readable data standards can benefit state and local government entities by reducing costs and increasing access to time-sensitive information for policy making.
Join us for a conversation hosted at the Ford School by The Carter Center and the Gerald R. Ford Foundation that tackles how to buttress voter confidence in our democracy. Former Michigan U.S. Representatives Andy Levin (D-MI) and Peter Meijer (R-MI) and Amb (ret) Susan D. Page, Michigan Law and Ford School professor from practice and Carter Center trustee, will explore the bipartisan challenge of restoring faith in our democratic systems and highlight ways individuals can be part of the solution as we work together to uphold the standards of our democracy.
CLOSUP Lecture Series,
Policy Talks @ the Ford School
Michigan's new approach to redistricting by an independent citizens commission has now come full circle, from signature gathering for the statewide ballot initiative in 2018, to strong statewide support in that fall's election, creation of the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, their work drawing new districts with extraordinary input from Michigan citizens, and now the new districts being used for the first time in the 2022 elections. Join us for a final webinar in our redistricting series, to look back at this consequential change in state policy and to review how this new approach played out this fall, including its impacts on races and election outcomes, and how it compares to experiences in other states.
