Departments and Research Centers

Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy

Showing 91 - 120 of 679 results

News

Big Ten mayors convene to address shared challenges

Sep 21, 2022

Staying close to constituents and at the same time forging regional partnerships are the keys to solving many of the problems confronting American cities. That message emerged in an hour-long discussion that convened mayors from Detroit, Chicago,...

Big Ten mayors convene to address shared challenges

News

"Democracy in Crisis" series taps award-winning journalists for insights

Sep 16, 2022

U.S. democratic institutions are under attack. While law enforcement agencies and a Congressional committee still work to investigate the January 6, 2021, attacks on the Capitol, a wave of subsequent efforts have continued to seek to undermine the...

"Democracy in Crisis" series taps award-winning journalists for insights

News

More than half of Michigan local governments report personnel harassed, abused for doing their jobs

Sep 8, 2022

A majority of Michigan's local governments are experiencing some form of harassment or other abuse from the public, according to a statewide survey conducted by the University of Michigan. Officials from 53% of jurisdictions report harassment,...

More than half of Michigan local governments report personnel harassed, abused for doing their jobs

In the Media

Macomb County government turmoil reflects statewide trend: Ivacko

Aug 30, 2022 The Detroit News

A conflict between Macomb County's executive and prosecuting attorney, from different political parties, reflects statewide trends in the deterioration of relationships between elected officials and their own confidence in Michigan's democracy,...

Ivacko on federal infrastructure dollars in Michigan

News

Ford School events for fall 2022 explore racial justice, international affairs, the state of democracy and more

Aug 30, 2022

The Ford School is pleased to announce an exciting lineup for the fall 2022 Policy Talks @ the Ford School series and other special public events hosted with partners from across campus. We are hosting distinguished policymakers, scholars,...

Ford School events for fall 2022 explore racial justice, international affairs, the state of democracy and more

In the Media

Leiser on building a better local government financial reporting system

Aug 23, 2022 The Bond Buyer

Through a Michigan pilot program, Stephanie Leiser and the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy are building a taxonomy for machine-readable local government financial documents. "Transparency into local government fiscal health is needed to...

Leiser on building a better local government financial reporting system

Publication

CLOSUP survey reveals Michigan communities' priorities for spending COVID-related federal relief funds

Jul 28, 2022

A survey of Michigan local government leaders on the federal American Rescue Plan Act funding and uses finds the top spending priorities are on capital improvements, infrastructure and public safety. Further, the state's largest jurisdictions are...

CLOSUP survey reveals Michigan communities' priorities for spending COVID-related federal relief funds

Publication

U-M study finds discussing carbon dioxide removal does not limit climate policy support

Jul 22, 2022

How should scientists, advocates, and others communicate to the general public about new geoengineering technologies that mitigate climate change? Specifically, does the discussion of climate change technologies create a moral hazard effect, in...

U-M study finds discussing carbon dioxide removal does not limit climate policy support

Publication

Local leaders' pessimism about Michigan's direction continues, eases slightly from last year

Jul 6, 2022

More than 60% of Michigan's local government leaders say the state has gotten off on the wrong track—down slightly from last year yet still among the most pessimistic responses since tracking began in 2011. According to those local leaders...

Challenges continue for state-local relations, according to Michigan local government leaders

News

CLOSUP in consortium launching review of Flint government financial data standards

Jun 15, 2022

Governments, standard setters, regulators and analysts encouraged to provide input A pilot project involving the University of Michigan and others is exploring whether a new fiscal reporting mechanism for governmental entities can help create...

CLOSUP in consortium launching review of Flint government financial data standards

News

A 20-year review of Flint finances shows consequences of lack of investment

Jun 8, 2022

The turmoil surrounding the City of Flint, MI – most infamously the Flint Water Crisis – has become a cautionary tale for other Rust Belt cities struggling to balance their budgets, provide services, and attract new business. A 20-year review of the...

A 20-year review of Flint finances shows consequences of lack of investment

News

CLOSUP survey looks at online government meeting quality, service disparities

May 26, 2022

More than half of Michigan's local officials say that moving government meetings online during the pandemic decreased the overall quality of such gatherings, according to a University of Michigan survey. The finding comes from the spring 2021 wave...

In the Media

Leiser comments on state disinvestment in local government

May 9, 2022 Michigan Radio

Michigan Radio reports that disinvestment in Michigan's local governments has had a direct effect on the deterioration of basic infrastructure, especially water and sewage systems. Stephanie Leiser, who leads the Michigan Local Government Fiscal...

In the Media

Michigan Radio amplifies CLOSUP report on recycling

May 2, 2022 Michigan Radio

A recent CLOSUP report shows growing enthuiasm for and access to recycling services among Michigan's local governments. Michigan Radio interviewed Debra Horner, one of the report's authors, about the findings: "It’s not so much that there’s a lack...

Michigan Radio amplifies CLOSUP report on recycling

Publication

North American Colloquium publishes eight reports on climate policy analysis after a year of collaborative work

Apr 29, 2022

The North American Colloquium (NAC) is a forum that strengthens a wider North American conversation and more fruitful trilateral cooperation between Canada, Mexico and the U.S., led by the International Policy Center at the University of Michigan’s...

North American Colloquium publishes eight reports on climate policy analysis after a year of collaborative work

News

Michigan’s state and local governments strongly support recycling efforts, and work to confront structural and engagement challenges

Apr 27, 2022

Recycling remains popular with local government leaders in Michigan, and the state has established a goal of tripling the state’s current recycling rate. Yet those leaders often encounter difficulties in implementing their programs, tied to costs,...

Michigan’s state and local governments strongly support recycling efforts, and work to confront structural and engagement challenges

In the Media

Ivacko and Bednar comment on issues surrounding Ford's Tennessee investment

Mar 20, 2022 The Detroit News

“There’s a lot to learn from what’s happened in Michigan. We’ve experienced … state takeovers of minority communities,” said Tom Ivacko, executive director of the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy, on Tennessee’s takeover of a predominantly...

Ivacko and Bednar comment on issues surrounding Ford's Tennessee investment

News

Michigan's local leaders express importance of recycling as state has fallen behind national average

Mar 17, 2022

The majority of Michigan local leaders report recycling is somewhat or very important to their community members, with 65% of officials from the state's largest jurisdictions saying recycling issues are very important in their communities, according...

Michigan local leaders report widespread support for community recycling programs

In the Media

How we should think about the government's budget - Leiser

Mar 14, 2022 WXYZ

Many Americans use the analogy of a pie to think about the government budget. But, Sarah Leiser, lecturer of public policy and leader of the Michigan Local Government Fiscal Health Project at CLOSUP, says there's another way to think about it. "It...

In the Media

Ivacko weighs in on 2022 Secretary of State election

Feb 7, 2022 HOUR Detroit

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is preparing for the 2022 election. So far, her Republican opponents don't seem viable based on their extreme views. “If the GOP nominates QAnon conspiracy theorists, Benson will have an easier path...

News

Ivacko debates 2022 hot topics

Jan 5, 2022

Selected as a panelist for Hour Detroit's 2022 political predictions, Tom Ivacko, Executive Director of CLOSUP, weighed in on some of the most burning questions about Michigan's 2022 elections. The first question: How would Roe v. Wade, and...

News

2021: A year of public policy

Dec 16, 2021

The Ford School of Public Policy is a top-ranked public policy school dedicated to preparing diverse leaders to take on society’s most pressing challenges and make transformational discoveries through cutting-edge research. Experts from the Ford...

New law on data transparency will improve governance - Leiser

News

Michigan local government officials report improved fiscal health after a year of COVID-19, but not to pre-pandemic levels

Dec 16, 2021

Michigan’s local governments report improvement on many fiscal health measures after a year of struggles with the COVID-19 pandemic, but for much of the state the situation has stayed the same or continues to decline, according to a new Michigan...

State & Hill

Partnerships in focus: Learning and research collaborations that create better public policy

Dec 13, 2021

By Rebecca Cohen (MPP ‘09) Two-directional learning helps small businesses and students thrive Lily Hamburger (MBA ’16) supports economic mobility for entrepreneurs as the senior director of the pandemic-born Detroit Means Business, a coalition...

Partnerships in focus: Learning and research collaborations that create better public policy

News

CLOSUP and Ivacko applauded for partnering with city of Flint

Dec 8, 2021

News outlets are applauding Tom Ivacko and the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy's announcement about a project with the city of Flint that will examine whether a new fiscal reporting mechanism can help create transparency in local fiscal...

News

University of Michigan and the City of Flint partner on new fiscal reporting pilot program for transparency, better governance

Dec 1, 2021

The water crisis in Flint and the bankruptcy in Detroit were separate events that had a common theme -- they had been caused in part by fiscal challenges decades in the making. Avoiding similar tragedies in the future could be tied to greater...

News

Michigan local officials’ assessments of American democracy at the state and federal levels decline sharply

Nov 29, 2021

A survey of Michigan’s local government leaders shows a sharp degradation in trust in the functioning of democracy at the state and federal levels, echoing trends seen across the country. The Spring 2021 Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS),...

Michigan local officials’ assessments of American democracy at the state and federal levels decline sharply

News

U-M expert on redistricting: The road back and ahead

Nov 16, 2021

The Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC) is nearing the end of its work to draft new maps in an effort to end partisan gerrymandering. The mission was straightforward—use an independent commission instead of the state...

The Next Big Thing: Redistricting In Michigan And The Role Of Communities Of Interest

In the Media

Ivacko on federal infrastructure dollars in Michigan

Nov 15, 2021 The Detroit News

“The federal (infrastructure) funding is probably a once-in-a-lifetime lifeline, and it certainly is going to move the needle. But Michiganders need to understand that we have a long-term challenge. This federal money will last for a while, it will...

News

Off the field, University of Michigan and Michigan State University work together on the big issues

Oct 28, 2021

When Michigan’s Independent Citizens’ Redistricting Commission (MICRC) held a public hearing recently in Grand Rapids, two students were assisting attendees with submitting citizen comments and suggestions for the Commission’s consideration. Working...

Michigan State-Michigan collaboration to measure Partisan Advantage in redistricting