CLOSUP publications

This report presents the opinions of Michigan local government leaders on issues related to wind energy. It looks at the prevalence of wind turbines in jurisdictions across the state, opinions about the benefits and drawbacks of wind energy, sources...

This report summarizes results from national-level surveys on public attitudes toward climate change administered in Canada and the US in Fall 2013. Since 2008, the National Surveys on Energy and Environment (formerly the National Surveys of...

The winter of 2014 took its toll on many aspects of life in the United States. From individual level costs such as increased heating expenses and disrupted work schedules to broad economic effects including strained public works budgets and slower...

This report presents the opinions of Michigan local government leaders on issues in their communities related to the process of extracting natural gas through high-volume hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling of underground shale deposits,...

This report reviews historical and current environmental problems in the Great Lakes and discusses attempts to address them through both joint (Canada-US) and unilateral policy. It then presents the results of a telephone survey of 1,247 residents...

This report outlines the status of wind energy policy and development in the Great Lakes Region, and compares this to public opinion on wind energy within the context of existing literature. The vast majority of residents within the Basin would like...

This report presents the views of people living within the Great Lakes Basin regarding hydraulic fracturing and shale gas drilling. Hydraulic fracturing, the injection of a fluid after drilling to crack open shale rock to release oil or gas, has...

In one of the most striking developments in recent years, the fracturing of shale deposits has transformed the U.S. energy economy by sharply increasing the supply of natural gas and lowering its cost. Shale fracturing, or fracking, also poses...

The first decade of the 2000s was a period of active and largely unanticipated state engagement in the development of policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This triggered substantial social science literature that explored the drivers behind...

Property tax revenues are one of the most important sources of funding for local governments in Michigan, but jurisdictions’ revenues are constrained in part because most have at least some properties that are exempt from taxes. This report presents...

This report presents Michigan local government leaders’ opinions regarding issues surrounding municipal bankruptcies in general, as well as the city of Detroit’s bankruptcy specifically. The findings in this report are based on a statewide survey of...

With a unique approach and expanded data measures, this study attempts to contribute to the research on what leads metro economies in the United States to function the way they do, what makes some of the economies more successful than others, and...

Natural gas extraction through high-volume hydraulic fracturing, often used with horizontal drilling (“fracking”), increased by 24 percent from 2006 to 2011, and is projected to grow unabated. One of the most promising sources of natural gas is the...

This report presents Michigan local government leaders’ opinions regarding the community and economic development strategy known as placemaking, and its use by Michigan jurisdictions. By engaging in placemaking, policymakers attempt to capitalize on...

This report presents Michigan local government leaders’ opinions regarding the state’s “right-to-work” legislation, enacted in December 2012 for both private sector (Public Act 348) and public sector unions (Public Act 349). The findings in this...

This report presents Michigan local government leaders’ assessments on a range of issues regarding public employee unions in their jurisdictions. The findings are based on statewide surveys of local government leaders in the Spring 2011-2013 waves...

This report presents Michigan local government leaders’ assessments of their jurisdictions’ fiscal conditions and the actions they are taking in response to ongoing and widespread fiscal challenges. The findings are based on responses from five...

This report presents the opinions of Michigan’s local government leaders regarding the direction in which the state is headed, and their evaluations of the job performance of Governor Rick Snyder and the Michigan Legislature. These findings are...

This report presents the opinions of Michigan’s local government leaders regarding their trust in the federal, state, and other local governments, based on statewide surveys conducted in the Spring 2013 and Spring 2009 waves of the Michigan Public...

This report presents findings drawn from an April 2013 telephone survey conducted by the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion (Muhlenberg Institute), in collaboration with the University of Michigan Center for Local, State, and Urban...

This report presents the views of Michigan and Pennsylvania citizens on issues related to the extraction of natural gas through hydraulic fracturing (commonly known as “fracking”). The findings are drawn from an October and November 2012 telephone...

This is the second of several reports on the opinions of Michigan’s local government leaders regarding citizen engagement in their jurisdictions. This report presents the opinions of Michigan’s local government leaders regarding their governments’...

This report presents the views of American citizens on the existence of global warming, including their reasons for belief or disbelief, with particular attention on the role played by recent notable weather and climate events, including severe...

This is the first of several reports on the opinions of Michigan’s local government leaders regarding citizen engagement in their jurisdictions. This report focuses on the levels of trust local officials feel toward their citizens as responsible...

This report presents the views of Michigan’s local government leaders regarding both the state’s system of funding local government and their jurisdictions’ ability to provide public services in the aftermath of the Great Recession. The findings are...