Research projects

CLOSUP has partnered with the University of Michigan UP Scholars program and the online newsletter Rural Insights to use results from the Michigan Public Policy Survey to understand the unique experiences of local governments in Michigan's Upper...

The project "Policing and Criminal Justice Policy Reform in Michigan" is designed to help improve criminal justice, public safety, and police-community relations by understanding the perspectives and values of the local government and law enforcement officials who play key leadership roles in the criminal justice system, gathered through surveys of local government leaders, chiefs of police and sheriffs, and prosecuting attorneys across Michigan. The effort is a collaboration between the Ford School’s Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) and the University of Michigan's...

  CLOSUP, along with its nonprofit partner XBRL US, has launched a project to modernize and digitize Michigan local government financial reporting, with the City of Flint as the first local government partner and pilot site. The partnership will design and implement a new open data standard, based on eXtensible Business Language Reporting (XBRL), that the City of Flint can use to share its financial information with the public, the State, and other stakeholders. XBRL is an international open standard for financial data  already widely used in the public and private sectors in the U.S. and...

The Michigan Local Recycling Policy Program (MiLRePP), conducted by CLOSUP on behalf of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) is a stakeholder engagement program to understand Michigan communities' service provision, challenges, and needs regarding local recycling, through surveys of local government leaders and Michigan...

APRIL, 2020: The COVID-19 crisis is having a dramatic impact on Michigan's local governments, and the fiscal implications—including emergency spending, revenue losses, and budget cuts—are already being felt. Here you will find not just up-to-date information but a set of ideas and tools that will help you strategically navigate the new fiscal landscape.  This crisis, combined with the ongoing municipal funding challenges in Michigan, will require an even greater effort on behalf of local officials and administrators to quickly assess resources, respond to changing policies and legislation,...

CLOSUP’s Functioning of Democracy Project is designed to increase our understanding of how American democracy is functioning at the local level, based on the unique perspective of Michigan’s local government leaders. It also serves as a resource for the University of Michigan’s Year of Democracy- Civic Empowerment and Global Engagement initiative, providing resources, support, and analysis for faculty, students, and others interested in learning more about the state of U.S. democracy at the grassroots level. These resources and projects draw from data collected through the Michigan Public...

Launched in 2019, and working in partnership with the Michigan Department of Treasury, and others, CLOSUP’s Fiscal Health Project aims to develop a deeper understanding of the fiscal health and fiscal challenges of local governments in Michigan, and beyond. This deeper understanding will contribute toward a proactive approach to local fiscal health in Michigan, and promote greater transparency and earlier detection of signs of fiscal...

In November, 2018, the citizens of Michigan passed Proposal 2, which amended the Michigan Constitution to place congressional and state legislative redistricting in the hands of a new Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC) composed of thirteen citizens. CLOSUP launched its Michigan Redistricting Project in the summer of 2019 to assist the State of Michigan and the MICRC with this new approach to drawing district...

The Michigan Local Energy Survey (MiLES) was conducted by CLOSUP in Fall 2019 on behalf of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). The survey was designed to better understand local officials' perceptions of the costs, benefits, and likelihood of engaging in future energy management activities. The survey covered a variety of energy issues, including: the regulation and siting of energy infrastructure on public and private property in local jurisdictions, governments’ engagement with citizens and businesses on energy issues, planning and/or zoning policies...

The Renewable Energy Policy Initiative (REPI) conducts, supports, and disseminates high-quality applied academic research on state and local policies impacting the deployment of renewable energy in the American federal system that informs both scholarship and the policy process....

CLOSUP is partnering with the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research  (IPPSR) at Michigan State University to help support the Michigan Policy Insiders Panel (MPIP), a regular online survey of state political insiders. MPIP's goal is to understand how policymakers learn about state problems, develop political influence, and interact to produce policy...

The CLOSUP Wind Project, led by Sarah Mills, aims to improve understanding of state and local policy issues related to utility-scale wind energy development. This project originated from three surveys conducted in 2013 and 2014-one of residents in the Great Lakes region, another of local officials in Michigan, and a third of farmland owners near four Michigan windfarms. In 2016, CLOSUP received a grant from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation to investigate community attitudes about wind energy near Michigan's existing windfarms and then communicate lessons-learned to inform local wind...

Hydraulic fracturing, more commonly known as "fracking," and new horizontal drilling techniques are creating significant opportunities to expand natural gas production across the United States. However, the absence of comprehensive federal legislation regarding hydraulic fracturing has placed the regulation of unconventional gas drilling primarily within the purview of state and local governments. To improve understanding of state and local policy issues related to fracking, CLOSUP launched a multi-faceted research project on the topic as part of the Center's Energy and Environmental...

Note: This project is run by the Education Policy Initiative (EPI). EPI was launched at CLOSUP in 2007 but later became a stand-alone unit within the Ford School of Public Policy. The information below is for archival purposes only, to document the project's work while it was part of EPI at CLOSUP. For current information on this project, see the current EPI website. Under the direction of Brian Jacob, CLOSUP's Education Policy Initiative is partnering with Professor Susan Dynarski from UM's Ford School of Public Policy and School of Education, as well as Professor Barbara Schneider and...

The Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS) is unique in the nation as the only ongoing survey of all general purpose local governments across an entire state. Its mission is to inform and improve policymaking with data not available from any other source, by surveying the state’s local...

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:  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...

The National Surveys on Energy and Environment (NSEE) was a biannual national opinion survey on energy and climate...

NOTE:  EPI 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.  Summary: Under the leadership of former CLOSUP Director Brian Jacob, in the Fall of 2007 CLOSUP launched the Education Policy Initiative (EPI), a program of coordinated activities designed to bring the latest academic knowledge to...

NOTE: The Policy Research Grants Program is not active at this time.  For more information, contact CLOSUP staff.  Information about the PRG program is provided below for archival purposes. The CLOSUP Policy Research Grants (PRG) program seeks to foster applied research by UM faculty that sheds light on important issues relating to state, local and urban policy. CLOSUP is particularly interested in supporting work of direct relevance to policymakers at the state and local...

In April 2006 CLOSUP hosted "Where Do We Go From Here? An Agenda-Setting Conference for the Economic Issues Facing Michigan." The conference objectives were to: Determine whether it is possible to develop a far-reaching, practical and broadly acceptable agenda to address our state's economic troubles. Identify the core components of such an agenda. Nourish the overall debate around the policy options facing our...

Note: This project was active at CLOSUP from 2004 to 2007, though the resulting book remains available. The information below is for archival purposes. Over the past two decades, Michigan has witnessed what can only be considered a massive restructuring of its economic, social, natural, fiscal, and public policy environments. Relative to other sectors, reliance on automotive and other heavy manufacturing has declined substantially, replaced by impressive growth in the high tech and service sectors. Employment in agriculture has declined but productivity in that sector has increased....

NOTE: The Small Grants Program is not active at this time. For more information, contact CLOSUP staff. Information about the SGP program is provided below for archival purposes. The purpose of the CLOSUP Small Grants Program is to provide partial support for applied policy research and/or policy-relevant outreach efforts that simultaneously generate new research insights and link the University of Michigan research community with the state and local public policy communities. Each project is organized around a set of problems or issues that are both theoretically motivated from within one...

NOTE: The Major Projects Program is not active at this time. For more information, contact CLOSUP staff. Information about the Major Projects Program is provided below for archival purposes. The purpose of the CLOSUP Major Projects Program is to sponsor applied policy research that simultaneously generates new research insights and links the University of Michigan research community with the state and local public policy communities. Each project is organized around a set of problems or issues that are both theoretically motivated from within one or more academic disciplines, and that are...

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,...

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: 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. This study represents one of the first academic efforts to systematically examine the factors that affect the formation and ongoing operations of regional governmental planning efforts related to land use issues. Michigan law (as with many states) allows numerous forms of regional planning, though state policy does little to actively encourage such efforts, and the state’s tradition of home rule creates strong disincentives for regionalism. Despite these obstacles, many efforts are...