Note: This project was active at CLOSUP from 2001 to 2006. The information below is for archival purposes. One underlying theme in studies of democratic government is the problem of political accountability. To most scholars, accountability has to do with the relationship between what citizens want and what government officials do. Definitions abound, some focusing on government processes (are procedures fair and transparent?), some dealing with government actions (do representatives advocate policies that citizens favor?), some dealing with policy outcomes (do they reflect citizen...

Note: This project was active at CLOSUP from 2001 to 2006. The information below is for archival purposes. Responding to taxpayer dissatisfaction over high property taxes, Michigan, like many other states, has passed legislation to restrict annual property tax increases. Beginning in 1978, the state's voters adopted the Headlee Amendment to the Michigan Constitution, limiting annual growth in property tax revenues to the lesser of 5 percent or the rate of inflation. In 1994, the voters passed Proposal A, restructuring school finance and placing a cap on annual increases in property value...

NOTE:  The Education Policy Initiative was launched as a research initiative at CLOSUP in 2007 but is now operating as a stand-alone initiative within the Ford School. For current information on EPI, see the current EPI website. Otherwise, information regarding EPI on CLOSUP's website is for archival purposes only, intended to document EPI's startup phase when it was housed within CLOSUP. Beginning in Fall 2008, the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy is conducting an evaluation project regarding teacher effectiveness in the public school system of a large southern U.S. city. The...

NOTE:  The Education Policy Initiative was launched as a research initiative at CLOSUP in 2007 but is now operating as a stand-alone initiative within the Ford School. For current information on EPI, see the current EPI website. Otherwise, information regarding EPI on CLOSUP's website is for archival purposes only, intended to document EPI's startup phase when it was housed within CLOSUP. Beginning in Fall 2008, the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy is conducting a program evaluation to determine the effectiveness of Operation ABC in terms of improving reading skills and...

Note: This project was active at CLOSUP from 2001 to 2006. The information below is for archival purposes. As part of a larger project on regional governance, CLOSUP conducted a web-based survey in 2002 and 2003 of cities' growth management policies and practices across the state of California. All California cities were asked to participate in the survey, which examined not only the types of growth management tools in use, but also the history of the policies and their implementation, local political support or resistance to development, mechanisms for modification of the policies,...