Democracy

CLOSUP Updates

MPPS Report: Michigan local leaders report little change in the tone of civic discourse in their communities, but are concerned about local impacts of increasingly hostile national partisan politics

Jan 26, 2022

A new report presents the opinions of Michigan’s local government leaders regarding the state of public discourse in their communities, including how constructive or divisive it is. In addition, it looks at local leaders’ assessments of...

MPPS in the news

Mich. local officials' confidence in democracy in the state and country wanes, survey finds

Nov 20, 2021 Holland Sentinel

While Michigan local officials continue to express confidence in democracy's functioning in their own backyards, their confidence in democracy in the state and country has withered significantly over the past year, according to a...

MPPS in the news

Mich. local officials' confidence in democracy in the state and country wanes, survey finds

Nov 20, 2021 Yahoo! News

MPPS in the news

Mich. local officials' confidence in democracy in the state and country wanes, survey finds

Nov 20, 2021 Cheboygan Daily Tribune

MPPS in the news

Mich. local officials' confidence in democracy in the state and country wanes, survey finds

Nov 18, 2021 Detroit Free Press

CLOSUP Updates

MPPS Report: Michigan local officials' assessments of American democracy at the state and federal levels decline sharply

Nov 17, 2021

A new report from the Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS) presents local government leaders’ views regarding the functioning of democracy in their jurisdictions, the State of Michigan, and the United States as a whole, as well as their confidence...

MPPS in the news

U-M expert: Challenges abound as leaders assemble for Mackinac Policy Conference

Sep 20, 2021 Michigan News, University of Michigan

Many of Michigan’s business, political and academic movers and shakers are gathering this week for the annual Mackinac Policy Conference after the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of last year’s...

State & Hill

Breaking down public trust

Jun 10, 2021

By Rebecca Cohen (MPP '09) Americans’ trust in government institutions to “do the right thing” has steadily eroded since the late 1960s,1 correlated for many analysts with events such as the Vietnam War, Watergate, the ’70s oil embargo, and...

CLOSUP Updates

New Report: The functioning of democracy at the local level: a compendium of findings from the Michigan Public Policy Survey of local leaders

Dec 4, 2020

The Ford School’s Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) has released a new resource that summarizes Michigan local government leaders’ views on democracy and democratic governance. The findings come from the Michigan Public Policy...

CLOSUP Updates

Virtual Event: The Functioning of Democracy across the Urban-Rural Spectrum

Nov 3, 2020

There is much talk, especially in recent years, about the urban-rural divide: the idea that people from urban and rural places think fundamentally differently about a whole range of policy issues, and about governance itself. This semester, Ford...

CLOSUP Updates

MPPS Report: Michigan local leaders say local democracy is strong, as their trust in government and citizens rises

Oct 27, 2020

This report presents local government leaders’ views regarding the functioning of democracy in their jurisdictions, the State of Michigan, and the United States as a whole, as well as their levels of trust toward the federal, state, and other local...

CLOSUP Updates

MPPS Report: Michigan local leaders expect increased challenges for the 2020 election, but are confident about administering accurate elections

Oct 5, 2020

This report presents the opinions of Michigan’s township and city officials on issues related to election administration in their jurisdictions, including expected challenges and confidence in election security. Data from a parallel survey of...

CLOSUP Updates

Report: The Role of Communities of Interest in Michigan's New Approach to Redistricting: Recommendations to the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission

Sep 14, 2020

The Role of Communities of Interest in Michigan's New Approach to Redistricting: Recommendations to the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission. See the report...

Coverpage of Communities of Interest Policy Report

In the Media

Wisconsin Professor holds lecture on importance of dialogue to address urban-rural divide

Oct 24, 2019 The Michigan Daily

About 100 people gathered in Weill Hall on Wednesday afternoon to hear Kathy Cramer, professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, tell stories from her research on the exclusion of rural voices in political discussions. The...

MPPS in the news

'We got to know each other as humans'

Feb 21, 2019 The Cadillac News

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MPPS in the news

Will the National Partisan Breakdown Infect Our Communities?

Jan 7, 2019 Governing Magazine

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MPPS in the news

Study: discourse mostly constructive in local govs

Dec 23, 2018 Boyne City Gazaette

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In the Media

Ford School panel considers impacts, logistics of November ballot initiatives

Oct 8, 2018 The Michigan Daily

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Restoring confidence in our democracy

Jan 12, 2023, 4:00-5:30 pm EST

Weill Hall, Annenberg Auditorium (1120)

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.

Student Working Papers

An Analysis of Public Input on Michigan’s Redistricting Process

April 30, 2024

Malak Kalasho, University of Michigan

In 2018, Michigan residents voted in favor of Proposal 18-2, a ballot measure that shifted redistricting authority from the state legislature to an independent commission. By August 2020, 13 commissioners, made up of Democrats, Republicans, and...

MPPS

MPPS Policy Brief: Michigan local government leaders’ assessments of democratic functioning improve from 2021 low, but first signs of trouble at local level emerge

December 6, 2023

This policy brief presents the views of Michigan's local government leaders regarding the functioning of democracy in their jurisdictions, across the State of Michigan, and across the United States as a whole. These findings are based on statewide...

MPPS

MPPS Policy Brief: Despite two-year trend of improvement, most Michigan local officials continue to say the state is on the wrong track

May 17, 2023

This report presents the opinions of Michigan’s local government leaders regarding the direction in which the state is headed, as well as their evaluations of the job performance of Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Legislature. These...

MPPS

Michigan local leaders’ concerns about U.S. democracy at state and federal levels ease somewhat, but remain grim

November 16, 2022

This report presents local government leaders’ views regarding the functioning of democracy in their jurisdictions, the State of Michigan, and the United States as a whole. These findings are based on statewide surveys of local government leaders in...

Policy Reports

Former Michigan Legislators Overwhelmingly Favor Reforming or Abolishing Term Limits

October 31, 2022

Rusty Hills, Delaney Walsh, Thomas Ivacko

To learn more about the views of former state legislators—many of whom were term-limited out of office—a survey was conducted in 2020 and 2021. This policy brief highlights key findings about the former legislators’ lessons from serving in Lansing...

MPPS

Michigan local government leaders say civic relationships and civil discourse remain healthy, despite worsening national politics

October 12, 2022

This report presents the opinions of Michigan’s local government leaders regarding the state of public discourse in their communities, including how constructive or divisive it is, as well as their assessments of civic relationships among elected...

MPPS

MPPS Policy Brief: Statewide survey finds a majority of Michigan local governments experiencing harassment or other abuse

September 8, 2022

This policy brief presents Michigan local government leaders’ experiences with public harassment, threats, or even violence as part of their role in local government. These findings are based on statewide surveys of local government leaders in the...

MPPS

Local leaders’ pessimism about Michigan’s direction continues, but eases slightly from last year

July 6, 2022

Student Working Papers

Evaluating the Outcome of the 2022 United States Redistricting Cycle: A Nonpartisan Review

May 30, 2022

Every decade the decennial US census is followed by a tumultuous process of redrawing state voting maps. This process gives states an opportunity to update their voting districts to account for shifting population distributions. In many states, this...

MPPS

Michigan local leaders report little change in the tone of civic discourse in their communities, but are concerned about local impacts of increasingly hostile national partisan politics

January 26, 2022

This report presents the opinions of Michigan’s local government leaders regarding the state of public discourse in their communities, including how constructive or divisive it is among residents, between residents and elected officials, and among...

MPPS

Michigan local officials’ assessments of American democracy at the state and federal levels decline sharply

November 17, 2021

This report presents local government leaders’ views regarding the functioning of democracy in their jurisdictions, the State of Michigan, and the United States as a whole, as well as their confidence in elections in their own jurisdiction, across...