CLOSUP Research Projects

The core of CLOSUP's mission is its research component. Its major programs consist of conducting research projects run by CLOSUP, as well as supporting (financially, administratively and operationally) collaborative interdisciplinary research projects directed by other members of the University of Michigan faculty under the CLOSUP Policy Research Grants Program (for information on those awards, see the PRG prior awards page). The purpose of the projects, whether run by CLOSUP or sponsored by CLOSUP, is to bring the academic resources of the University to bear on today's pressing local, state, and urban policy problems. Each project is organized around a set of problems or issues that confront state and/or local policy makers. These might include, for example, education and local public finance; economic development, environmental protection, and land use; or the interrelated problems of regional governance. Alternatively, a project may consider the impact of specific state or local institutions, programs or projects on a number of areas of policy, such as the effect of direct democracy on economic, social, and governance policy; or the effect of tax limits on education and infrastructure.

CLOSUP Directed Research Projects

• The Michigan Public Policy Survey: CLOSUP is working to create a new survey research program focused on local government officials throughout the state of Michigan designed to track fundamental policy issues over time and to delve deeply into important topical issues. More information.
• Evaluation of Teacher Effectiveness: An evaluation project regarding teacher effectiveness in the public school system of a large southern U.S. city. More information.
• A Program Evaluation of Operation ABC: CLOSUP is working with the United Way for Southeastern Michigan to conduct a program evaluation to determine the effectiveness of Operation ABC in terms of improving reading skills and achievement for struggling readers in kindergarten through second grade in a number of schools in the Detroit Metro region. More information.

Other Research Projects

As noted above, CLOSUP sponsors work by other researchers at the University of Michigan on a wide range of issues relevant to state and local policy. Abstracts of all such CLOSUP-affiliated projects are available here.

Recently CLOSUP has provided support to Barry Rabe for research on public opinion related to global climate change and potential policy solutions, and to Meredith Fowlie for research on industrial environmental regulation. See the links below for more.

• The National Survey of Climate Change Opinion by Barry Rabe and Christopher Borick.
• Industrial Organization, Environmental Economics and Public Policy. Research by Meredith Fowlie.

Past CLOSUP-run Research Projects

• Fiscal Capacity of Local Governments
• Regional Governance
• CLOSUP Growth Management Survey
• Local Government Accountability
• Michigan at the Millennium

CLOSUP-sponsored Research Projects

See abstracts of CLOSUP-sponsored projects funded through the CLOSUP Policy Research Grant program