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Findings from a recent Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS) published by the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) were cited in an Associated Press story published in a number of local and regional news sources including the Detroit...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

A large majority of Michigan citizens and local government leaders agree that local governments have a responsibility to help reduce global warming, a new University of Michigan survey says.The view was shared by 70 percent of the citizens and 68...

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...

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...

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...

Metro Detroit residents have made difficult decisions to weather the "Great Recession" that began in December 2007—in some cases, to the detriment of their own health. That is one of the early findings from the Michigan Recession and Recovery Survey...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Mounting evidence suggests that an economic recovery is in view. Unemployment isn't rising as quickly as it once was. Consumer spending has increased for four consecutive months. Household net worth is growing. While the economy may be turning...

Local government officials from across the state of Michigan were surveyed in Fall 2009 during the second wave of CLOSUP's Michigan Public Policy Survey program. This wave focused on educational, economic, and workforce development issues....

Michigan's local government leaders express an alarming lack of trust in state government leaders in Lansing and significant dissatisfaction with their job performance, a new study shows. This distrust raises questions about the potential success...

The Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS) recently published by the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) has garnered local and regional media attention. The MPPS, published in conjunction with the Michigan Municipal League, Michigan...

Many local governments across Michigan expect to cut service levels in the next year, according to a new survey by the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy, a research center at the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public...

In light of the desperate showing of thousands of people seeking federal assistance at Detroit’s Cobo Hall, Kristin Seefeldt spoke to the Detroit Free Press about the “cracks” in many government programs. Seefeldt, who is currently conducting a...

National Poverty Center surveying effects of recession and federal stimulus on Southeast Michigan workers and families Long affected by the loss of well-paid manufacturing jobs, workers and families in Southeast Michigan have been hit especially...

The Ford School’s Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) received a W. K. Kellogg Foundation grant to survey local elected officials statewide. The Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) received a 12-month W. K. Kellogg...