Research Project Topic

Functioning of democracy

Showing 1 - 3 of 3 results
Functioning of democracy

The Functioning of Democracy: Insights from Michigan’s local leaders

April 2020
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Tom Ivacko, Debra Horner, Natalie Fitzpatrick, Margaret Walthall, Monika Anderson, Samantha Clark, Kristina Curtiss, Christian Hunter, Julie Rubin, Kyron Smith, Karley Thurston
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...
Redistricting, Functioning of democracy

The CLOSUP Redistricting Project

June 2019
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Tom Ivacko, Debra Horner
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...
Functioning of democracy

Local Government Political Accountability

September 2001 - June 2006
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...