Michigan Public Policy Survey

Showing 31 - 60 of 155 results

State & Hill

Think local: CLOSUP checks in with local government officials

Dec 19, 2022

Democracy in the United States and across the globe has been in decline for years, as documented with rigorous tracking methodologies. Freedom House has tracked declines in civil liberties and political rights in the U.S., for example. And the...

Building tech to support small towns: U-M team develops digital tool for SEC compliance

In the Media

CLOSUP report highlighted

Dec 14, 2022 American City & County

American City & County: Politically driven incidents over the last few years at all levels of government have fundamentally shaken public perception about the health of America’s democracy. Administrators have likewise been impacted. A new study...

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

Publication

Local government fiscal outlook in Michigan a mixed picture: near-term improvement, long-term challenges

Dec 14, 2022

A majority of Michigan local leaders' assessments of their fiscal stress this year remain essentially unchanged compared to both 2021 and 2020, despite significant infusions of federal and state aid in recent years. The findings come from the...

News

Michigan local leaders give high marks on the state of local democracy while federal outlook remains grim

Nov 16, 2022

Michigan local leaders are generally optimistic about how democracy is functioning in their jurisdictions, but are far less praiseworthy about the national picture, according to a new University of Michigan report. When asked to rate the...

New law on data transparency will improve governance - Leiser

In the Media

Ivacko breaks down Michigan Public Policy Survey for MLive

Oct 27, 2022 MLive

Tom Ivacko, MLive: "We released a report recently that found over half of Michigan local governments reporting their personnel have been harassed or abused by the public in the last few years, and much of what passes for public discourse on national...

Tom Ivacko: Michigan - Political Redistricting

Publication

Local government officials offer mixed reviews to Michigan's new approach to redistricting

Oct 26, 2022

Local officials in Michigan have rendered a mixed verdict on the state's new constitutionally mandated approach to redrawing electoral maps with the goal of reducing gerrymandering and promoting fairer elections. Only 24% of local officials are...

Local government officials offer mixed reviews to Michigan's new approach to redistricting

News

Michigan local government officials cite good rapport with each other and public, despite divisive discourse

Oct 13, 2022

Michigan’s local government leaders report generally good relationships among officials and residents, despite well-documented examples of coarsening discourse and antagonism in public gatherings, according to a new University of Michigan...

Publication

Confidence in election security high, according to Michigan local government officials, disinformation causes concerns

Sep 22, 2022

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

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,...

The functioning of democracy at the local level

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,...

Meijer's impeachment vote makes it "significantly more challenging" for Republican Senate nomination - Ivacko

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

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...

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

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

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

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 environmental leaders analyze CLOSUP recycling report

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...

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

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

Publication

Michigan local government leaders report lingering impacts from COVID-19 pandemic, improvements overall from the start of the crisis

Oct 27, 2021

Local leaders from across the state have reported lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report, and worsening outlooks for how much longer some of those impacts will last. While the numbers of local communities reporting on...

Publication

Michigan local economies still struggling with the pandemic effects

Sep 29, 2021

Michigan's local economies are still struggling with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic but at a much lower rate than at the start of the crisis in spring 2020, according to a University of Michigan statewide survey of local government...

Michigan local economies still struggling with the pandemic effects

News

Ivacko: Challenges abound as leaders assemble for Mackinac Policy Conference

Sep 20, 2021

Many of Michigan's business, political and academic movers and shakers are gathering this week for the annual Mackinac Policy Conference after the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of last year's event. While the number of people...

News

Most Michigan local leaders express confidence in safety, efficacy of COVID vaccines, MPPS shows

Aug 11, 2021

Most Michigan local government officials have been confident in the safety and efficacy of available COVID-19 vaccines, yet leaders' views on vaccine safety are highly correlated with partisanship, according to the spring 2021 wave of the Michigan...

Most Michigan local leaders express confidence in safety, efficacy of COVID vaccines, MPPS shows

Publication

U-M survey finds early lack of awareness among local leaders with state’s new approach to redraw legislative districts

Feb 23, 2021

Michigan’s local government leaders reported mixed familiarity with the state’s new approach to redistricting, according to a 2020 survey whose results were released today by the the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) at the...

News

Trust in government in a time of questioning: local governance leads the way

Dec 17, 2020

In a time of growing suspicion about the role of government at the state and national level, a good news story emerges when looking at local governance in Michigan. The conclusion of a new compendium study, The Functioning of Democracy: Insights...

News

Michigan local leaders trust their local democratic institutions far more than those at state or federal levels

Oct 27, 2020

The political adage is that “All politics are local.” The same could be said of how local leaders feel about the health of democratic governance. That is according to a report on Michigan’s local leaders released today by the Center for Local,...

News

98% of Michigan local officials are confident of accurate 2020 voting administration

Oct 5, 2020

Confidence in running accurate elections among Michigan local government leaders remains very high, despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and an expected high voter turnout, according to a survey released October 5 by the the Center for...

98% of Michigan local officials are confident of accurate 2020 voting administration

News

U-M survey finds strong interest among Michigan communities in sustainability and energy collaborations

Sep 30, 2020

Few local governments in Michigan report collaborating with another community on energy and sustainability issues, but nearly half expressed interest in teaming up with others to pursue opportunities, according to survey results released today by...

News

Ford School students help local townships navigate and adapt during pandemic

Sep 29, 2020

Four teams of undergraduate and graduate Ford School students embarked on research and engagement projects this past summer to help the Michigan Township Association (MTA) better understand the state of affairs for local townships and the challenges...

Ford School students help local townships navigate and adapt during pandemic