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Domestic policy

Showing 1981 - 2010 of 3085 results

CLOSUP survey: State funding incentives foster collaboration but also raise concerns

Mar 29, 2012

A new policy in Michigan that encourages local governments to collaborate and combine operations appears to be working, but it also carries a risk of producing unintended consequences, a new survey by the University of Michigan reports.For years,...

Michigan media cover Ford School discussion of controversial "Emergency Manager" law

Mar 21, 2012

Media throughout Michigan reported on the Ford School panel discussion regarding the state's new "Emergency Manager" law, technically known as Public Act 4 of 2011, the Local Government and School District Fiscal Accountability Act.The panel...

Shobita Parthasarathy's book, Building Genetic Medicine, which informs the debate over gene patents, re-released in paperback

Feb 13, 2012

Shobita Parthasarathy's book on the development and implications of gene testing and patenting has been re-released in paperback by The MIT Press.The book, Building Genetic Medicine: Breast Cancer, Technology and the Comparative Politics of Health...

MPPS report about Economic Vitality Incentive Program appears in Associated Press, more

Jan 31, 2012

The latest Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS), published Wednesday by the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP), was detailed in an Associated Press story that was published in a number of papers, including the Chicago Tribune.The...

CLOSUP poll: Incentives working, but local officials in Michigan lukewarm about state funding reforms

Jan 25, 2012

Only a small minority of local officials in Michigan believe that major reforms in the way they receive state funding that require adoption of "dashboard" reports will be very effective in improving the overall performance of their governments.The...

Tom Ivacko pens two-part Dome op-ed about declining health of Michigan cities

Jan 23, 2012

The Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy's (CLOSUP) Tom Ivacko wrote a two-part column for Dome magazine about the declining health of Michigan cities and what is being done to combat this decline.In part one, "Michigan Cities Suffer Declining...

State & Hill

Public Service In The City

Jan 5, 2012

Bohnett Fellows learn to devise policy inside Detroit mayor's office Elizabeth Palazzola and Julie Schneider knew Detroit pretty well even before last summer. Then they learned a whole new side of it—the inside—as members of Mayor Dave Bing's...

State & Hill

Waiting for Superman, the sequel

Jan 5, 2012

Whether we believe in charter schools or harbor our reservations, the fact remains that they're a vital part of our nation's education landscape. Today, some 5,000 charters across America enroll 1.6 million children, and those numbers are increasing...

Tom Ivacko quoted in Bridge magazine article, "Merger bills won't change names on fire trucks—yet"

Dec 20, 2011

In light of six new Michigan merger bills, Tom Ivacko spoke to Bridge magazine about cost sharing findings from the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy's Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS).These new bills, signed by Governor Rick Snyder on...

CLOSUP's Michigan Public Policy Survey cited in Center for Michigan article, "'Shadow tax cut' deepens local budget crises."

Dec 1, 2011

Data from the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy's (CLOSUP) latest Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS) report was cited in a Center for Michigan article, "'Shadow tax cut' deepens local budget crises."The October 2011 MPPS report found that...

CLOSUP's Michigan Public Policy Survey findings about financial struggles of local governments appear in news outlets

Oct 24, 2011

Findings from a new Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS) administered by the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) have been published in a number of news sources.The poll found that local governments in Michigan are having a tough time...

CLOSUP poll: Most local leaders in Michigan report ongoing financial woes

Oct 19, 2011

Nearly half of Michigan's local governments say they are somewhat or significantly less able to meet their financial needs in 2011, though some negative trends eased this year, a new University of Michigan survey reports.Although 48 percent of the...

Steve Tobocman (MPP/JD '97) receives 2011 Neil Staebler Distinguished Service Award

Oct 5, 2011

The Ford School Alumni Board is pleased to announce that Steve Tobocman (MPP/JD '97) is the recipient of the 2011 Neil Staebler Distinguished Service Award.The Neil Staebler Distinguished Service Award is a program of the Neil Staebler Fund for...

CLOSUP opinion poll on views of public sector unions appears in several news sources

Aug 31, 2011

The results of a Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) poll of local government leaders appeared in a variety of Michigan news outlets, including two articles from the Detroit Free Press (a staff report and a report from the Associated...

CLOSUP report: majority of Michigan's local leaders say employee unions hurt fiscal health of their localities

Aug 29, 2011

More than half of the local government leaders surveyed in Michigan jurisdictions that have public employee unions say those unions have had a negative impact on their jurisdictions' fiscal health, a University of Michigan survey reports.Despite the...

CLOSUP poll: Half of Michigan's local officials say state on the wrong track

Aug 4, 2011

Half of the local government officials surveyed in Michigan say the state is generally on the wrong track, while 32 percent think the state is going the right way, a new University of Michigan poll says.Democratic officials were most likely to be...

Stephanie Chang, Diana Flora named 2011 David Bohnett Foundation Leadership and Public Service Fellows

May 31, 2011

The Ford School is pleased to announce our 2011 David Bohnett Foundation Leadership and Public Service Fellows, Stephanie Chang and Diana Flora.The Bohnett award is a prestigious, competitive fellowship that will provide two years of tuition support...

State & Hill

A thinner blue line, David Thacher on the growing gulf in public safety

Apr 26, 2011

David Thacher explores the growing gulf in public safety between haves, have-nots. Flint and Ann Arbor, Mich., are roughly equal in size. But that's where the comparison ends. Ann Arbor is home to a rapidly growing tech industry, a highly...

Most communities in Michigan are working with others to increase efficiency, reduce costs

Mar 23, 2011

A new University of Michigan survey found that most communities statewide are already working together to increase efficiency and decrease costs.This cooperation is a process through which two or more units of government work together to provide...

CLOSUP Michigan Public Policy Survey: Local officials say benefits to public employees too generous, but not their pay

Feb 8, 2011

Many of Michigan's local government leaders think fringe benefits given to their jurisdictions' employees are too generous, but they are not overpaid, a new University of Michigan study finds.In addition, many of these leaders also believe employees...

Policy students, former officers weigh in on the end of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

Dec 22, 2010

The national conversation about gay men and women serving in the military changed drastically this morning, when President Obama signed into law a bill repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." The question no longer centers on the merits of allowing...

State & Hill

Health care reform act unfolding, shifting the field

Dec 6, 2010

This September, the U.S. Census office announced that 14.3 percent of Americans are living in poverty, and 16.7 percent (50.7 million) are uninsured. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act signed into law eight months ago will welcome 32...

State & Hill

Bullish on Michigan

Dec 6, 2010

CLOSUP Program Manager Tom Ivakco played a key role in designing and implementing the center's Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS)-an innovative effort to query elected and appointed officials from every jurisdiction in Michigan. Tom spoke with...

State & Hill

Health economics and public policy

Dec 6, 2010

Another faculty member on loan from the University of Michigan this year is research professor Helen Levy, who was appointed this August to serve a one-year term as a senior economist for the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA)—an agency that...

State & Hill

Returned Peace Corps volunteers serve abroad, serve at home

Dec 6, 2010

As we celebrate 50 years of international Peace Corps service, the Ford School reflects on the impact of the Fellows/USA program—a fellowship for returned Peace Corps volunteers who agree to complete policy-related internships in underserved U.S....

Local leaders open to regional partnerships-maybe

Dec 3, 2010

Government leaders in struggling communities across the state tend to be open to combining services with other towns, a new University of Michigan study finds.However, government officials who favor expanding regional planning are less supportive of...

Shobita Parthasarathy interviewed by German Public Radio about legality of human gene patents

Dec 1, 2010

Shobita Parthasarathy was interviewed by German Public Radio about recent debates on the legality of patenting human genes. Since a narrowly decided Supreme Court ruling in the 1980s, the U.S. Patent Office has allowed patents for a variety of life...

Shobita Parthasarathy interviewed by German Public Radio about legality of human gene patents image

CLOSUP report: State-local economic development could be improved by cultivating existing businesses

Nov 12, 2010

State policymakers could better coordinate with local economic developers to improve the economy by cultivating existing businesses in their communities, a new report says.The report from the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) at the...

CLOSUP report: Local jurisdictions, particularly Michigan's largest, actively encourage census participation

Aug 5, 2010

More than half of Michigan's local governments actively encouraged their citizens to complete their U.S. Census forms this year, helping the state rank fifth nationwide in participation rates, a new survey shows. Maximizing participation in the...

CLOSUP report: Officials say federal stimulus package ineffective for local economies

May 25, 2010

Some local government leaders in Michigan say the federal stimulus package has been anything but stimulating. The stimulus package—also known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act—was designed to create jobs and spur economic...