CLOSUP publications

For the first 18 years of my life, I lived in what I would call an isolated community.I have experienced a certain stigma attached to growing up in the Upper Peninsula. It usually relates to the limited resources that are available.  It almost feels...

In spring 2024, the Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS) asked local chiefs of police, county sheriffs, and county prosecutors from around the state about their views on the impacts of pretrial diversion programs and whether they would support...

This report presents the views of Michigan’s local government leaders, county sheriffs, local chiefs of police, and county prosecutors regarding Michigan’s Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) law, including confidence in training on proper ERPO...

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...

The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is a fairly secluded place. It’s almost like its own world, often feeling detached from the rest of the country and even from the Lower Peninsula of the same state. We’re so under the radar that non-Michiganders can...

This memo provides a comprehensive analysis of the CLOSUP team’s work in assisting the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC) in the analysis of public comments submitted during the 2024 Senate Mapping Redistricting process....

This report presents the views of Michigan’s local government leaders, county sheriffs, local chiefs of police, and county prosecutors regarding recruitment and retention of law enforcement personnel, including police officers, sheriffs’ deputies,...

This brief provides a review of CLOSUP analysis of public comments submitted to the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC) in spring 2024 as part of the effort to draw new maps in Southeast Michigan as directed by a federal...

Since 2020, the Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS) has asked local government leaders across the state for their assessments of American democracy as a system of government, based on factors like free and fair elections, rule of law, an unbiased...

This report presents the views of Michigan’s local government leaders on a variety of energy issues, including whether energy issues are relevant to their local government, whether their jurisdiction has energy policies or renewable energy goals,...

It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I don’t feel fine. As a child, I saw the world as a place filled with pure happiness. It’s as though a bright, golden hue illuminated from everything I saw. I thought that no harm could fester in this...

This report presents the views of Michigan’s local government leaders on the amount of energy infrastructure currently hosted in their jurisdiction, as well as their support for or opposition to building new energy infrastructure locally. These...

This memo provides an initial summary of CLOSUP analysis of public comments submitted to the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC) in spring 2024 as part of the effort to draw new maps in Southeast Michigan as directed by a...

When I was a young child, I saw my first wind turbine in the hills of Iowa when my family was driving from Michigan to Colorado. Many people consider them an eyesore, but I thought they looked absolutely wonderful. They were like giant pinwheels...

This report presents the views of Michigan’s local government leaders on electric vehicle (EV) policies in their communities, including the relevance of EV infrastructure planning for their government, whether they currently have or are considering...

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...

Texas has long been a leader in energy production. Blessed with windy, wide-open plains, ample sunshine and large oil and gas deposits, Texas has attracted leading entrepreneurs and companies that continue to drive investment and politics in the...

Local government leaders in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (U.P.) are more likely to report significant unmet needs among their residents for anti-poverty resources compared with local leaders in the Lower Peninsula. U.P. leaders are also more likely to...

Following local government’s unprecedented responsibilities as first responders to the COVID-19 pandemic and their subsequent infusions of aid from the federal government, it is essential to check in on the fiscal health of Michigan’s local...

This policy brief presents the views of Michigan's local government leaders regarding the division of authority between state and local governments on planning and zoning for renewable energy projects. These findings are based on statewide surveys...

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 15...

Amid the intensifying impacts of a changing climate and the need to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy presents a critical area of policy and planning that requires states to reconsider the energy policy status quo....

Over the next several decades, the electricity grid is on track to transition away from reliance on fossil-fuel-burning power plants and toward renewable electricity generation, which will entail the siting and construction of utility-scale...

Over the last two decades, the state of Oklahoma has undergone a significant transition in its electricity generation mix. Notably, wind energy has emerged as a prominent source, contributing 44% of the state’s total net generation in 2022....

The Southeastern state of North Carolina has a diverse landscape that can be separated into three parts, the Blue Ridge Mountains to the West, the Piedmont Plateau in the center where most of the state's population resides, and the Coastal Plain to...