Ford School News

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Ivacko provides context for economic hardship findings

Mar 29, 2019

Understanding poverty in Michigan is the first step towards alleviating it, so people are playing particular attention to the recent Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) report on how local officials think about economic hardship. Much...

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Poverty Solutions & CLOSUP new report find local officials believe many Michigan residents struggle to make ends meet

Mar 7, 2019

AMany local governments in Michigan report poverty and economic hardships among their residents, according to a survey from University of Michigan researchers. Almost half (44 percent) of local officials say more than one in five of their...

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CLOSUP: Local civic discourse heats up in Michigan's Northern Lower Peninsula

Feb 22, 2019

In recent years, divisiveness within the political arena has continued to widen the chasm between Democrats and Republicans, especially at the federal level. Municipal government in Michigan has largely remained insulated from such divisiveness,...

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A changing climate: Congress moves on climate change, Barry Rabe questions how far

Feb 18, 2019

After the Trump administration’s 2017 decision to back out of the Paris Agreement, a UN effort to mitigate harmful effects of greenhouse-gas-emissions, some members of congress began forming a bipartisan coalition to adopt the goals on a...

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Sarah Mills' key to the success of wind energy projects gets media attention

Feb 11, 2019

As the drive to develop renewable energy projects escalates, attention shifts towards harnessing wind energy as a reliable energy source. Despite the benefits wind energy provides—mainly jobs—advocates for wind energy must continue to combat...

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Sarah Mills' latest article signals a crucial relationship between homeowner attitudes and the fate of wind energy projects in Michigan

Jan 25, 2019

In her latest journal article, published in Land Use Policy, Sarah Mills of the Ford School elaborates on public attitudes pertaining to wind energy development projects before and after the completion of the project. In “Exploring landowners’...

Partisan divide felt less at local level, writes Ivacko

Jan 9, 2019

In an opinion column for Governing, Tom Ivacko (MPP ’93), associate director of CLOSUP, breaks down the latest Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS) findings on civil discourse in Michigan localities.“Will the National Partisan Breakdown Infect Our...

CLOSUP Report: Civil discourse predominantly constructive in Michigan local governments

Dec 19, 2018

Ann Arbor—Michigan’s local governments report mostly positive civil discourse among their jurisdiction’s elected officials but less so among residents, according to a University of Michigan survey.Among local elected leaders, 71 percent report...

Is bipartisanship a pipe-dream? Ivacko talks with Salon and NY Times about midterms

Dec 7, 2018

Now that the election is over, political conjecture is turning to what the newly elected will do in office, how (and even if) it forecasts 2020, and in some cases what sitting governments are doing before power changes hands in January. To help make...

CLOSUP associate director Tom Ivacko examines Michigan's post-midterm political environment

Nov 16, 2018

In light of Republicans maintaining control of Michigan’s legislature, Gretchen Whitmer’s gubernatorial victory last week has many wondering if the newly-elected government will be able to reach bipartisan compromises or if the parties will entrench...

CLOSUP report: Mixed signals in local government fiscal health across Michigan

Nov 15, 2018

By Mandira Banerjee | Originally published by Michigan News, November 14, 2018ANN ARBOR— Michigan’s local governments report improvement and decline in fiscal health over the last year, according to a University of Michigan survey.The biggest...

Barry Rabe expects Midwest to refocus on climate issues

Nov 14, 2018

With a change of governorships after the midterm elections, one previously passed-over issue is seeing a resurgence. Governors-elect are already showing signs of making climate issues a top-priority in Midwestern states. Daniel Cusick, reporter for...

Barry Rabe calls midterm climate initiatives an “amazing compilation of policy”

Nov 8, 2018

The 2018 midterm elections set an unprecedented amount of campaign spending, with one cause taking a surprising lead. In their November 5, 2018, article in E&E News titled “4 States Have Ballot Measures That Could Shape U.S. Climate Policy,”...

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Northern Michigan housing struggle corroborated in CLOSUP survey findings

Nov 2, 2018

The tourism industry is butting heads with affordable housing efforts in Northern Michigan. In an October 29, 2018 piece for The Petoskey News-Review titled “Resort industry poses unique issues in housing shortage,” William T. Perkins cites data...

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Researcher shows red states embrace wind energy for the sake of bottom line

Oct 25, 2018

While renewable energy through wind mills is often seen as a coastal undertaking, Sarah Mills, senior project manager at the Ford School’s Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP), details how research reveals that red states are pursuing...

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Local leaders offer advice, experience

Oct 24, 2018

An event at the Ford School, “Women Leading Local Government,” spotlighted women around the state of Michigan who are leading communities and developing policies. The interactive seminar allowed graduate and professional students a chance to...

Wheels Keep Turning: Researcher Sarah Mills continues to educate on wind turbine impact in MI

Oct 18, 2018

“The goal is to share the pros and cons of wind energy so communities can make their own decisions based on facts,” explained Sarah Mills, a senior project manager and researcher at the Ford School’s Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy...

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CLOSUP survey reveals that local officials are perplexed on Prop 1

Oct 12, 2018

On November 6, Michigan voters will have the option to either affirm or oppose Proposal 1, an amendment to the Michigan state constitution that will legalize the use of recreational marijuana. While public opinion polls convey support for the...

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John Chamberlin responds to criticisms of Michigan’s Proposal 2

Oct 11, 2018

With Michigan’s upcoming election, commentary around the ballot’s Proposal 2, which would establish a citizen’s commission responsible for creating voting district lines, has run the gamut. In the October 10, 2018, piece for Bridge titled “5...

Coverage of CLOSUP medical marijuana policy poll grows like weed

Sep 21, 2018

On September 13, 2018, the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy at U-M’s Ford School of Public Policy released a survey that found almost 75 percent of Michigan cities, townships, and villages report that they have chosen to prohibit medical...

CLOSUP report: 54 percent of Michigan local officials oppose marijuana legalization

Sep 13, 2018

By Mandira Banerjee | Originally published by Michigan News, September 13, 2018ANN ARBOR—A majority of officials in Michigan oppose medical marijuana facilities in their jurisdiction, according to a new survey by University of Michigan...

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Making an Impact: Researcher Sarah Mills gives Michigan communities the straight story on wind turbines

Aug 24, 2018

By Terry Kosdrosky, Public Engagement & Impact A company wants to build wind turbines in your township and is offering landowners, many of them farmers, a sweet deal to lease property. Meanwhile, your board meeting is packed with strongly opposed...

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New report from CLOSUP: Rising confidence in Michigan’s direction but partisan differences remain

Jul 27, 2018

An annual survey by University of Michigan researchers has tracked two straight years of improving evaluations for the Michigan legislature and the governor by the local government leaders of the state. About 56 percent of Michigan’s local...

Rabe, NSEE: with warmest May on record, Americans' acceptance of global warming reaches new high

Jul 12, 2018

Over the last 10 years, the National Surveys on Energy and the Environment (NSEE) has fielded 19 surveys in which Americans have been asked if they believe there is solid evidence of global warming. In the latest version of this ongoing research...

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Rabe speaks with Michigan Radio's Environment Report on public support for carbon pricing

Jun 22, 2018

Professor Barry Rabe spoke on air with Michigan Radio's Rebecca Williams on June 21 about the tricky politics of climate change policies such as carbon taxing and cap-and-trade. The interview took place as the National Surveys on Energy and...

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CLOSUP report: Michigan officials report housing shortages

Jun 22, 2018

Many local governments in Michigan feel they have a shortage of housing in their counties and cities, according to a survey from University of Michigan researchers. About 40 percent of local officials say they have too little single family...

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Most local jurisdictions follow master plan, but struggle with too few planners

May 7, 2018

Nearly half of Michigan’s largest local governments feel they have little staff capacity for land use planning and zoning, according to a survey from University of Michigan researchers. This survey is the first statewide attempt to explore which...

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CLOSUP publishes report, hosts webinar on local government workforce issues and challenges

Feb 7, 2018

In January, the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) published a report and hosted a webinar on the views of Michigan local government officials regarding workforce issues and challenges. The results come from the Spring 2017...

Sarah Mills: "Wind development in Pennsylvania: A reflection on state policy"

Feb 5, 2018

An article by Sarah Mills, "Wind development in Pennsylvania: a reflection on state policy," was published in Commonwealth: A Journal of Pennsylvania Politics and Policy (Volume 19, Number 1 [2017]). AbstractWhile other states have continued to add...

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Rabe & Mills: "State energy policy in the Trump era: Insights from public opinion"

Feb 5, 2018

An article by Barry Rabe and Sarah Mills, "State energy policy in the Trump Era: Insights from public opinion," was published in the December 2017 edition of the Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences. Abstract In light of President...

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