CLOSUP

Showing 151 - 180 of 247 results

Ivacko: Michigan state legislature should make emergency manager reform a top priority

Mar 15, 2017

An op-ed by CLOSUP program manager, Tom Ivacko (MPP '93), was published by the Detroit Free Press on March 11. In "Fixing EM law should be legislators' top priority," Ivacko makes the case that Michigan's laws regarding the appointment of emergency...

State & Hill

Interning near and far: Ford School student internships in 2016

Dec 28, 2016

Kate Reinertson Talha Mirza (BA '18) & Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Farah Mandich (MPP '17) at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London, UK....

State & Hill

Engaged learning in Ford School classrooms--beyond the big-ticket experiences

Dec 23, 2016

The Ford School has a long history of emphasizing engaged learning. Many of the big-ticket experiences, like the Integrated Policy Exercise (IPE), Applied Policy Seminar (APS) now called Strategic Public Policy Consulting (SPPC), International...

News

Michigan local leaders assess drinking water issues in latest Michigan Public Policy Survey

Nov 29, 2016

Over a quarter of local officials from Michigan jurisdictions that provide shared water infrastructure believe funding levels are not sufficient to maintain those systems, according to the latest Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS), "Local...

News

CLOSUP survey: Local leaders concerned about property tax appeals, "dark stores" assessing

Oct 26, 2016

Findings from the most recent Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS), published by the Ford School’s Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP), reveal broad concern by local leaders and administrators over property tax appeals. The survey...

News

Michigan Radio's "Stateside" highlights CLOSUP's latest, and troubling, fiscal health findings

Aug 24, 2016

Michigan Radio’s Cynthia Canty interviews Tom Ivacko (MPP ’93), CLOSUP program administrator, for the segment “Declining fiscal health “an early warning sign” for local governments, report says.” The program focuses on CLOSUP's latest Michigan...

CLOSUP supports Ford School student internships with state and local policy leaders

Jul 26, 2016

In 2004, the Ford School’s newly launched Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) sponsored its first internship partnership with the City of Ann Arbor administrator’s office. “Part of the center’s mission is to help bring the resources...

Latest CLOSUP survey shows declining confidence in Michigan’s leadership, direction

Jul 20, 2016

The latest Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS), published by the Ford School's Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP), finds that local leaders are less optimistic about the state’s direction.Statewide, only 44 percent of local leaders...

New undergrad politics, policy course offers opportunities to work with survey research data

Jun 28, 2016

The Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) is offering a new undergraduate course for students looking for opportunities to work with survey research...

Latest Michigan Public Policy Survey addresses local firefighting challenges, approaches

Jun 15, 2016

CLOSUP’s latest policy report, released today, examines Michigan local government leaders’ opinions on fire protection services in their communities, including satisfaction with fire services and funding of fire protection at the local...

Police funding reportedly lags behind in Michigan’s big jurisdictions, CLOSUP survey

Apr 29, 2016

ANN ARBOR—Nearly half, or 47 percent, of local leaders from the largest jurisdictions in Michigan say they lack sufficient funding to fight crime in their areas, according to the latest Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS), "Most local officials are...

Tom Ivacko on emergency financial management and the Flint water crisis

Apr 12, 2016

CLOSUP program manager Tom Ivacko’s “What is lost when a state takes over a city,” was published on April 13 by Governing.com. The piece, which ran in "Voices of the Governing Institute," describes Michigan’s restrictive local government finance...

News

Michigan Radio interviews Brian Jacob about latest research on MI high school curriculum reforms

Mar 9, 2016

Last week, Brian Jacob, Susan Dynarski and two colleagues from Michigan State released a new paper, "Are expectations alone enough? Estimating the effect of a mandatory college-prep curriculum in Michigan." The paper examines the effect of the 2006...

News

CLOSUP Survey: Attitudes about Clean Power Plan implementation shaded by partisan affiliation

Dec 17, 2015

A majority of Americans (54 percent) want their state to submit an implementation plan to comply with the Clean Power Plan, according to CLOSUP’s latest survey. Another 22 percent would prefer their state not submit a plan and instead allow the...

State & Hill

Fall 2015 State & Hill magazine, “Motor City Remix, an iconic American city races forward”

Dec 10, 2015

The fall 2015 issue of State & Hill magazine was mailed to alumni and friends of the Ford School on November 18, 2015. This edition of the magazine, titled “Motor City Remix,” highlighted stories about some of the work Ford School faculty,...

State & Hill

Latest CLOSUP survey explores Michigan public safety

Dec 9, 2015

I had to really drum up interest a decade ago; nobody gave a rip,” says David Thacher of his course, “Thinking about Crime.” These days, there’s a lot more interest in public safety—at the Ford School and elsewhere. Reflecting those concerns, the...

News

Local leaders worry about retiree health care benefits, says latest CLOSUP MPPS report

Oct 29, 2015

ANN ARBOR—Health care benefits for retirees of Michigan's local governmental units are presenting significant fiscal challenges, and more than half of local officials surveyed indicate they are concerned they won't be able to fulfill their...

CLOSUP climate belief poll results covered by a number of global news outlets

Oct 16, 2015

Only 16 percent of Americans currently believe that there is not solid evidence of global warming, according to the latest CLOSUP survey on energy and the environment released earlier this week. This is one percentage point less than the previous...

News

In latest CLOSUP survey, local leaders say fiscal stress is low, but see red flags

Sep 22, 2015

ANN ARBOR—About two-thirds of local governments in Michigan rate the levels of fiscal stress as relatively low in their jurisdictions today, while just 7 percent rate the stress as high. While the latter percentage is low, the figure represents...

News

CLOSUP wins Third Century Initiative grant to bring data to the classroom in a big way

Sep 8, 2015

CLOSUP, the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy, is ready to bring real-world data to the classroom in a big way. Through a recently awarded Quick Wins/Discovery grant, part of the University of Michigan's Third Century Initiative,...

News

Local leaders' confidence in state's direction erodes, CLOSUP MPPS reveals

Aug 26, 2015

ANN ARBOR—For the first time since 2012, fewer than half of Michigan's local leaders believe the state is headed in the right direction—chief culprits include road funding fumbles, state tax policies and general dysfunction in Lansing, according to...

News

Internship field report, Sandy Mervak from the National Conference of State Legislatures

Jul 7, 2015

That old trope about states serving as "laboratories of democracy" has become much more real for me this summer. I am working as a research intern in the energy program at the National Conference of State Legislatures—a national, bipartisan NGO that...

'Complete Streets' policies more popular in Michigan's urban areas

Jun 18, 2015

Complete Streets, policies that encourage local governments to take all users—pedestrians, cyclists, public transit users and drivers—into account when designing and constructing roads, have a good deal of support among Michigan local officials, but...

Rabe cited in coverage of new EPA report on fracking

Jun 8, 2015

Barry Rabe, a Ford School professor and director of the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP), was recently cited by both the Financial Times and the U.S. News & World Report in coverage surrounding the last week's release of findings...

Local leaders give high marks to road commissions

May 29, 2015

By Greta Guest, Michigan NewsMost local government leaders have good things to say about their road commissions that maintain county primary and township local roads upon which so many Michigan residents rely.The Michigan Public Policy Survey at the...

State & Hill

The Last Word with CLOSUP director Barry Rabe on carbon pricing, frackademics, and more

May 1, 2015

Republicans support a carbon tax? Yes they do. Barry Rabe, director of the Ford School’s Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy, explains. S&H: You'll spend your sabbatical year working on a book about carbon pricing. Why that...

CLOSUP’s Ivacko talks MPPS and ethics with Michigan Radio’s Stateside

Mar 23, 2015

The latest Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS) reveals how local leaders feel about the need for ethics reform in the Great Lakes State. Tom Ivacko (MPA '93), program manager of the Ford School’s Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP),...

News

CLOSUP survey findings on state of Michigan roads cited in AP, Free Press stories

Feb 24, 2015

A recent CLOSUP report presenting the opinions of Michigan local government leaders on the state of roads was cited by the Associated Press, Detroit Free Press, and other media outlets. Most of the media coverage focused on the fact that while 79...

News

Michigan Daily cites CLOSUP survey findings in discussion of Clean Power Act

Jan 29, 2015

Findings from a CLOSUP public opinion survey served as the basis for a Michigan Daily story published yesterday that discussed the implications of the Clean Power Plan and its potential impact on Michigan. In “Survey finds support for federal...

News

Barry Rabe and recent CLOSUP survey cited in Christian Science Monitor

Jan 24, 2015

2015 is shaping up to be a decisive year for U.S. energy and climate policy, according to a recent Christian Science Monitor article, “What are Republicans going to do about climate change.” While the 2016 presidential election is still nearly two...