Public management

Faculty affiliates

Stephanie Leiser

Lecturer in Public Policy

Stephanie Leiser is a lecturer at the Ford School and leads the Michigan Local Government Fiscal Health Project at the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP). Her general area of interest is in public finance, budgeting, and financial…

Faculty affiliates

Barry Rabe

J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Professor of Public Policy; Arthur F. Thurnau Professor; Professor of Environmental Policy; Professor of Political Science; Professor of the Environment

brabe@umich.edu

(734) 615-9596

Barry Rabe is the J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Professor of Public Policy at the Ford School. He is also the Arthur Thurnau Professor of Environmental Policy, with courtesy appointments in the Program in the Environment, the Department of Political…

MPPS in the news

Survey: Gov. Whitmer and Michigan Legislature on Wrong Track

May 18, 2023 DBusiness.com

Nearly 60 percent of Michigan’s local government leaders say the state is on the wrong track in 2023, according to a recent University of Michigan survey. Specifically, 59 percent see the wrong track, less than the 62 percent in 2022 and the high of...

MPPS in the news

Labor Voices: Public workers keep government services going

Apr 18, 2023 The Detroit News

When newly elected officials take office, people often take for granted that government services will continue to be provided seamlessly. That continuity is only possible because of the institutional knowledge and hard work of dedicated public...

In the Media

Flint, Michigan's finances stable but fragile as citizens get closer to state settlement payout

Mar 23, 2023 The Bond Buyer

Flint, Michigan's fiscal condition remains stable but fragile with some positive signs on the horizon as its citizens move closer to receiving compensation for the 2014 water contamination crisis, with a $600 million state-backed settlement clearing...

MPPS in the news

Local leaders report widespread support for community recycling programs

Mar 20, 2023 The University Record

A strong majority of Michigan local government leaders feel that good governance includes promoting environmental sustainability and “being green,” according to a survey of nearly 1,400 leaders across the...

MPPS in the news

Michigan's local governments face growing concerns over workforce recruitment and retention

Feb 27, 2023 Michigan Radio

Local governments in Michigan are struggling to recruit and retain their workforces — and a recent report finds it is only getting more difficult. The Michigan Public Policy Survey asked local governments across the state to report their top...

In the Media

Whitmer’s new budget proposal: What it means for Michigan residents

Feb 24, 2023 The Michigan Daily

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced her fifth executive budget recommendation for the 2024 fiscal year on Feb. 8, setting the record for the largest budget proposal in Michigan’s history at $79...

MPPS in the news

Michigan's local governments face growing concerns over workforce recruitment and retention

Feb 23, 2023 WVPE 88.1 FM

In the Media

Machine-readable disclosure has 'revolutionized' Flint's financial reports, CFO says

Jan 25, 2023 The Bond Buyer

For Flint, Michigan, new machine-readable disclosure standards which have sparked controversy across the muni market represent a "quantum leap" for the city's finances, its CFO said. "If you're asking me, it's about time that we modernize and...

In the Media

Indignation as Michigan judge drops Flint water charges against GOP ex-Gov Snyder

Dec 12, 2022 nationofchange.org

Environmental justice advocates on Friday condemned a move by a district judge in Michigan to drop two misdemeanor charges against former Republican Gov. Rick Snyder in connection with the 2014 Flint water crisis that killed dozens of residents of...

In the Media

Indignation as Michigan Judge Drops Flint Water Charges Against GOP Ex-Gov Snyder

Dec 10, 2022 CommonDreams.org

In the Media

Michigan Judge Drops Flint Water Charges Against Ex-Gov Snyder, Sparking Outrage

Dec 10, 2022 Truthout.org

In the Media

A Chance to Make Government Financial Data Transparent and User-Friendly

Dec 7, 2022 Governing.com

Federal legislation requiring machine-readable reporting has its critics, but it would go a long way toward modernizing how data is collected, used and shared. It also could lower borrowing costs for states and...

MPPS in the news

Commentary: Political violence has no place in our elections

Oct 24, 2022 Crain's Detroit Business

Elections are contentious, but in recent years they have gotten uglier, with the rise in political violence polluting our...

MPPS in the news

Survey examines election security, disinformation

Oct 12, 2022 Michigan Today

Michigan township and city officials are now even more confident in their jurisdiction’s election security and ability to administer an accurate election than when asked a similar question in 2020, when confidence was already high, according to...

In the Media

Conspiracy theorists flood the election process, set sights on monitoring ballot drop boxes

Oct 4, 2022 Raw Story

In the 2020 presidential election, there were upwards of 150 poll workers in Detroit. Then came the onslaught of right-wing conspiracy theories and lies that the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump – and the baseless claim...

MPPS in the news

Conspiracy theorists flood the election process, set sights on monitoring ballot drop boxes

Oct 3, 2022 KPVI NBC TV 6

In the 2020 presidential election, there were upwards of 150 poll workers in...

MPPS in the news

Conspiracy theorists flood the election process, set sights on monitoring ballot drop boxes

Oct 3, 2022 Michigan Advance

MPPS in the news

State of the State Podcast - segment on election administration findings from the MPPS

Sep 23, 2022 MSU IPPSR State of the State Podcast

IPPSR's State of the State podcast had Debra Horner on to review findings from the Spring 2022 MPPS survey on local leaders' views about the upcoming November 2022...

MPPS in the news

New U of M survey finds high election confidence among local Michigan officials

Sep 23, 2022 Michigan Radio

The University of Michigan Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) surveyed 1,856 local governments in Michigan about confidence in midterm election security. 85% of respondents said they are “very confident” that their jurisdiction’s...

In the Media

Financial reporting bill in Senate has muni lobby on edge

Sep 19, 2022 The Bond Buyer

The municipal market is rattled by legislation pending before the Senate that would require governments to standardize their financial reports, with opponents warning it would be onerous and costly and ultimately could shrink tax-exempt...

MPPS in the news

'We all hate each other': Lucido-Hackel battle embroils Macomb County government

Aug 30, 2022 The Detroit News

Macomb County has become embroiled in a fight between longtime county Executive Mark Hackel and new Prosecuting Attorney Peter Lucido that includes a court battle over prosecutor's office jobs and an investigation into allegations of sexual...

MPPS in the news

U-M Survey: Michigan Communities Prioritize Infrastructure with ARPA Funds

Aug 24, 2022 DBusiness.com

The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor reported in a new survey of Michigan’s local government leaders that the top spending priorities for the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding are on capital improvements, infrastructure, and public...

MPPS in the news

UM survey: Michigan communities prioritize infrastructure with ARPA funds

Aug 24, 2022 Darik.news

The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor reported in a new survey of Michigan local government leaders that the top spending priorities for federal American Rescue Planning Act (ARPA) funding are on capital improvements, infrastructure and public...

MPPS in the news

Survey: Public buildings, parks top priority list for Michigan officials spending COVID relief funds

Jul 29, 2022 Michigan Radio

A new University of Michigan survey shows more than half of local governments in Michigan plan to spend federal COVID-relief funds on public buildings and parks. Michigan towns, counties and cities are receiving billions of dollars from the federal...

CLOSUP Updates

New MPPS Policy Brief: A survey of Michigan local government leaders on American Rescue Plan Act funding and uses

Jul 28, 2022

A new policy brief presents Michigan local government leaders’ views on the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), including plans for spending the funds, problems the jurisdiction is facing, and expectations for benefits from the funding. These...

In the Media

The University of Michigan moves to modernize government financial reporting

Jun 17, 2022 Reason Foundation

In 2002, three academic researchers proposed applying eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) to state and local government financial reporting to make municipal data more digestible and publicly available. Now 20 years later, the University...

In the Media

University of Michigan and XBRL US Launch Public Review of Government Data Standards

Jun 16, 2022 Bloomberg.com

XBRL US, a nonprofit standards organization, and the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) at University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, announced the publication of digital financial data standards for local...

In the Media

University of Michigan and XBRL US Launch Public Review of Government Data Standards

Jun 16, 2022 Yahoo!