Departments and Research Centers

Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy

The Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) conducts, supports and fosters applied academic research to inform local, state, and urban policy issues.

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News

CLOSUP's Michigan Public Policy Survey on state funding incentives for local collaborations appears in local, regional news outlets

Apr 9, 2012

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...

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...

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...

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...

Brian Jacob receives U-M Faculty Recognition Award

Oct 3, 2011

Faculty Recognition AwardsFaculty Recognition Awards are intended for faculty early in their careers who have demonstrated substantive contributions to the university through achievements in scholarly research and/or creative endeavors; excellence...

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...

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...

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...

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...

State & Hill

Recession Aftershocks Predicted for Michigan Cities and Towns

Apr 22, 2010

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...

CLOSUP publishes Michigan Public Policy Survey results

Apr 13, 2010

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....

CLOSUP statewide survey: Local government leaders give low marks to state officials

Mar 18, 2010

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...

Brian Jacob op-ed in Detroit News, "Mend, don’t end 'No Child' reforms"

Jan 7, 2010

In nearly eight years, the federal No Child Left Behind school reforms have become perhaps the most controversial yet far-reaching educational policies of the past four decades. Opponents are turning their fire on No Child now that it is up for...

Recent CLOSUP survey of local government leaders attracts local and regional media

Nov 2, 2009

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...

CLOSUP statewide survey: Local governments to cut services, want financing for economic development

Oct 22, 2009

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...

CLOSUP receives Kellogg grant to analyze priorities, goals among Michigan's local government officials

Jun 18, 2009

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...

News

Brian Jacob earns prestigious David N. Kershaw Award and Prize

Oct 7, 2008

Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy Professor Brian Jacob will be presented the David N. Kershaw Award and Prize in November for his contributions to the field of public policy analysis and management.Jacob, the Walter H. Annenberg Professor of...

Digitizing municipal financial reporting: A new open source tool for Excel - XBRL conversion

Jun 4, 2025, 3:00-4:30 pm EDT

The University of Michigan Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) teamed up with DAC Bond to develop a free, open source proof of concept tool that will allow users to convert the data in their Annual Comprehensive Financial Reports from Excel/Word format into XBRL, a leading open source data standard for financial reporting.

Photo collage of Katrina Wheelan, an example budget, and screen shots from the conversion tool

University of Michigan Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium

MLK Day lecture - Montgomery, AL, Mayor Steven Reed

Jan 16, 2024, 4:30 pm EST

Joan and Sanford Weill Hall, Annenberg Auditorium (Room 1120)

The Ford School will welcome Montgomery, AL, Mayor Steven Reed to Weill Hall for an event on Tuesday, Jan. 16, in honor of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.