Economic Development

This report presents local government leaders’ views on the continuing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan in 2021, including overall impacts on local communities, evaluations of governmental coordination and resource provision, and...

MPPS

Michigan local governments report fewer economic challenges one year into the COVID-19 pandemic, and describe efforts to support local businesses

September 29, 2021

This report presents local government leaders’ views on COVID-19’s impact on local economic conditions, as well as reports of whether or not their local governments took action to help local businesses during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic...

MPPS

COVID-19 pandemic sparks Michigan local leaders’ concerns for fiscal health

December 14, 2020

This report presents Michigan local government leaders’ assessments of their jurisdictions’ fiscal conditions and the actions they plan to take in the coming year given their financial situations. The findings are based on responses from 12...

MPPS

Energy Issues and Policies in Michigan Local Governments

October 7, 2020

This report presents the opinions of Michigan’s local government leaders regarding a variety of energy issues and policies in their jurisdictions, including the relevance of particular energy policies for their communities, whether the jurisdiction...

Student Working Papers

Measuring the Effects and Recovery of the 2008 Great Recession in Michigan Local Governments

April 1, 2020

Natasha Robertson

Nationally, the Great Recession officially ended in 2009, with employment and market conditions on a steady incline to recover from the economic downturn. However, many nationwide improvements of the economy were not truly seen until 2015, as the...

Student Working Papers

Equitable Placemaking in Detroit

March 1, 2019

Ashley Tjhung

During, and in the wake of, Michigan’s Lost Decade and the Great Recession, Michigan’s urban centers struggled to retain and attract young people. This dilemma became known as the “brain drain” and led to a number of issues, including an unwelcome...

MPPS

Community poverty and the struggle to make ends meet in Michigan, according to local government leaders

March 1, 2019

This report presents the views of Michigan’s local government officials regarding poverty and economic hardship among residents in their jurisdiction, as well as assessments of unmet needs for particular services and resources. In addition, the...

Student Working Papers

Reinvest in Adult Workforce Development

March 1, 2019

Kelia Washington

A decade of major job loss resulted in declining government revenue, wages, and youth population in Michigan, all of which has place economic strain on the state and its residents. Michigan, once the leader in auto industry manufacturing, now...

Working Papers

Modeling ‘A Sense of Place’: Evaluating the Roles of Knowledge and Reputation in Neighborhood Dynamics via Online Surveys

February 1, 2019

The processes driving neighborhood change have been of persistent interest to social scientists for decades. While researchers have developed many theories of how neighborhoods change over time – from ecological models of invasion-succession to...

MPPS

Despite sustained economic growth, Michigan local government fiscal health still lags

November 1, 2018

MPPS

Approaches to land use planning and zoning among Michigan's local governments

May 1, 2018

This report presents the opinions of Michigan's local government leaders on issues related to land use planning and zoning, including use of master plans and capital improvements plans (CIPs), staff or external contractors associated with planning...

Student Working Papers

Policy Analysis: Brain Drain in The State of Michigan

April 1, 2017

Bridget I. Granger

Michigan enrolls roughly 300,000 students in its fifteen public universities every year,1 but many of these students will never work or reside in Michigan after graduation. The state is currently experiencing a mass exodus of highly skilled young...

MPPS

Few Michigan jurisdictions have adopted Complete Streets policies, though many see potential benefits

June 1, 2015

This report presents the opinions of Michigan local government leaders regarding “Complete Streets” policies, which encourage local governments to take into account all road users—including pedestrians, bicyclists and transit passengers of all ages...

Working Papers

Transformation of America’s Metropolitan Area Economies: Lessons from Four Decades

February 1, 2014

George A. Fulton, Donald R. Grimes, Yuanlei Zhu Institute for Research on Labor, Employment, and the Economy and Research Seminar in Quantitative Economics

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...

MPPS

Michigan local governments increasingly pursue placemaking for economic development

January 1, 2014

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...

MPPS

Local government leaders say economic gardening can help grow their economies

November 1, 2010

Economic gardening is a new economic development strategy used to grow local economies by cultivating existing businesses, rather than, or in addition to, hunting for new businesses to relocate from the outside. This report presents findings about...

Working Papers

Labor Market Outcomes and the Transition to Adulthood

June 1, 2010

Sheldon H. Danziger and David Ratner, University of Michigan

This paper focuses on the labor market outcomes that represent a key marker of the transition to adulthood—the attainment of economic stability and self-sufficiency. Achieving labor market success is a necessary condition for a successful transition...

MPPS

Fall 2009 Key Findings Report: Educational, Economic, and Workforce Development Issues at the Local Level

April 1, 2010

Local government officials from across the state of Michigan were surveyed as part of the Michigan Public Policy Survey program during Fall 2009 in the second MPPS survey wave. This wave focused on educational, economic, and workforce development...

Michigan Research Briefs

Economic Revitalization through College Scholarships: The Kalamazoo Promise

March 1, 2010

This fourth brief in the series provides an overview of programs developed to spur economic growth through college scholarships and discusses the effects of such programs, with a particular focus on the Kalamazoo Promise. Note: On of Oct. 13,...

MPPS

October 2009: Local Government Fiscal and Economic Development Issues

October 1, 2009

This first report in the MPPS program highlights key findings from the spring 2009 inaugural wave of the...

Working Papers

The Effects on Cities of "Best Practice" in Tax Foreclosure: Evidence from Detroit and Flint

February 1, 2009

Margaret Dewar

Although property abandonment affects many cities, little is known about what becomes of that property or what institutional differences lead to varied outcomes. More rapid tax foreclosure in Michigan, touted as best practice nationally, offers the...

Working Papers

What Helps or Hinders Nonprofit Developers in Reusing Vacant, Abandoned, and Contaminated Property? Findings from Detroit and Cleveland

February 1, 2009

Margaret Dewar

Many cities of the Northeast and Midwest have experienced loss of population and industry since the 1950s. The resulting drop in demand for land has led to owners' abandonment of property and to vacant land after demolition of derelict structures....

Policy Reports

Reforming the System of Care: A Review of the Literature on Housing and Service Arrangements for Homeless Populations

April 1, 2008

Elisabeth Gerber

Reforming the system of care for homeless and precariously housed individuals and families is a central objective of Washtenaw County’s Blueprint to End Homelessness. This objective recognizes that improved understanding of the relationship...