Free and open to the public – this is a virtual webinar on Zoom - please register!
Student researchers will share their research on the similarities and differences across the urban/rural continuum with respect to: the state of civic discourse; public participation in decision-making; citizen engagement; internet connectivity and access to information; and privatization of local government services.
For decades, municipalities have taken on numerous tasks that the private sector would have otherwise performed. Privatization of these services, and the way local governments prioritize them, draw into question the functioning of democracy. Be it...
Local governments in the state and across the country are trending towards outsourcing services to private companies. Although many of these services currently outsource to legal or technical companies to fill knowledge gaps among public employees,...
This report presents Michigan local government leaders’ assessments of privatizing—or contracting out—public services or government operations in their jurisdictions. These findings are based on statewide surveys of local government leaders in the...
