democracy | Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
Tags

democracy

Content type
Showing 1 - 30 of 114 results
State & Hill

Samuel Bagenstos: Can scholarship shape democracy?

May 7, 2026
From arguing cases for the Justice Department to investigating why expanded social benefits were rolled back, Samuel Bagenstos explores the intersection of law, policy, and public service
Samuel Bagenstos at podium giving lecture
News

CLOSUP marks 25 years at Lansing anniversary event

Apr 17, 2026
On April 15, 2026, the Ford School's Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) celebrated a quarter century of impact. Approximately 75 current and former CLOSUP directors, staff, students, collaborators, and state legislators gathered in La...
A group of people in front of large '25' balloons, holding celebratory signs, foam fingers, and pom poms
Policy Matters

To shore up American democracy, look to city hall

Nov 20, 2025
CLOSUP's Stephanie Leiser, Debra Horner, and Natalie Fitzpatrick discuss the Michigan Public Policy Survey and how it has shown that, although there is concerns over the state of democracy in the United States, democracy remains strong at the local l...
Photo of a stone building with a large "City Hall" sign
In the Media

Hanson on the 2025 elections results

Nov 7, 2025 ABC News
"The buildup of pressure, [and] that buildup over the years of gridlock is bringing us to this breaking point," political scientist Jonanthan Hanson told ABC News. Hanson warned that while political anger "doesn't necessarily last a long time," he no...
Jonathan Hanson
News

U-M’s U.S. at 250 program launches grant initiative

Oct 23, 2025
July 4, 2026, will mark the 250th anniversary of U.S. democracy. To mark this milestone, the Initiative for Democracy and Civic Engagement, the William L. Clements Library, and the Arts Initiative have joined forces to create U-M’s U.S. at 250 progra...
university of michigan diag with the american flag waving in the center, students bustle around campus
News

Swisher Hosts Pete Buttigieg for Live Podcast Appearance

Sep 21, 2025
Kara Swisher, the award-winning journalist and current Ford School Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence, sat down for a conversation with Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to discuss “The State of U.S. Democracy,” for her On with ...
on-with-kara-swisher
News

Year of Democracy creates blueprint for campus engagement

Aug 27, 2025
The University of Michigan is wrapping the Year of Democracy, Civic Empowerment, and Global Engagement, a campuswide initiative to strengthen democratic practices and encourage active civic participation. But its work isn’t slowing.
Group of attendees at a conference, seated around tables with laptops, paying attention to a speaker standing at the front of the room.
State & Hill

Lessons from the Big Ten Democracy Summit

May 7, 2025
In an effort to spark democratic engagement on college campuses, the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy and the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy co-hosted the Big Ten Democracy Summit in February. More than 150 stud...
Three individuals wearing lanyards smiling at a conference event.
News

Faculty-led democracy projects receive presidential awards

Apr 18, 2025
Five faculty-led research projects from across the University of Michigan have received Presidential Awards for Understanding Democracy to enhance understanding of democracy’s operation and promise. The awards are part of the universitywide Year of D...
Year of Democracy logo
News

Bridge Builders honored for democracy research

Apr 16, 2025
A group of Ford School graduate students were recognized for their research on furthering constructive dialogue as part of the Year of Democracy's three-day symposium to investigate the relationship between information and democracy.
Four individuals standing in front of a research poster at the Gramlich Showcase, smiling and dressed in business attire.
News

Bipartisan panel advocates for civic discourse and humility

Mar 23, 2025
“Civility is the bedrock of our free and democratic society,” Tonya Schuitmaker, a former Republican member of the Michigan Senate, told the recent panel on Promoting Civic Discourse - Democratic and Republican politicians on bridging the political d...
civic-resilience
In the Media

We have too much faith in the law - Moynihan

Mar 23, 2025 Financial Times
Current government operations under the Trump administration are pointing to signs of democratic backsliding. The Ford School's Don Moynihan has stated that Americans have put too much faith in the law. Quoted in an article from the Financial Times, ...
Don Moynihan
State & Hill

Faculty Findings, fall 2024

Dec 17, 2024
Mental health and marriage timing Decades of research document powerful associations between parents’ characteristics and children’s marital behaviors. “Parental mental health strongly shapes or disrupts family life and long-term opportunities for ch...
Panoramic view of Pokhara, with Mt Fishtail / Machapuchare (Himalayan range)
State & Hill

Ford50 Essay Contest - The Nixon Pardon: A Study in Integrity

Dec 17, 2024
Fifty years ago, at a time of great division and turbulence in the U.S., Gerald R. Ford was sworn in as the 38th president of the United States. As part of our Ford50 commemoration, the Ford School challenged students to draft original essays on the ...
Ford 50 Hero
State & Hill

Reactions: 2024 elections

Dec 17, 2024
In the days following the 2024 elections, we sought insights from Ford School faculty members: How did we arrive at this point? And where do we go from here? Jenna Bednar, professor of political science and public policy: “The election raised the sig...
Headshots of Jenna Bednar, Charlotte Cavaillé, Jonathan Hanson, Mara Ostfeld, Ambassador Susan D. Page, and Betsey Stevenson
State & Hill

A conversation with public management scholar Donald Moynihan

Dec 17, 2024
Donald Moynihan joined the Ford School this year as the next J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Professor of Public Policy. His research seeks to improve how government works by studying the administrative burdens people encounter in government, and he c...
Don Moynihan
State & Hill

Getting curious about public policy with Jonathan Van Ness

Dec 17, 2024
Celebrated, Emmy Award-winning TV producer (Queer Eye), bestselling author, and host of the popular podcast Getting Curious, Jonathan Van Ness, who identifies as non-binary, has used their platform to champion a range of social issues close to their ...
Getting Curious Live with Jonathan Van Ness
State & Hill

Behind the curtain: Fordies on the campaign trail

Dec 17, 2024
Rusty Hills has taught nearly 1,000 students in the 20 years he's been teaching the art and science of political campaigning. Winning campaigns require strategy, voter insight, compelling communication, and a well-executed plan, he tells students. A ...
Adam Bressler (BA ’23), Kate Anderson (BA ’20), and Governor Gretchen Whitmer
Publication

The functioning of democracy at the local level

Oct 29, 2024
The Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) has released a new resource that summarizes Michigan local government leaders' views on democracy and democratic governance.  The findings come from the Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS), a pr...
City Hall
News

Resources for understanding and engaging in the 2024 elections

Oct 28, 2024
The Ford School of Public Policy presents events, research, and ideas from faculty and other experts that shape our understanding of the people and issues that are influencing local, state, and federal 2024 elections. Read stories and watch video rel...
Several college-aged students line up along the hallway of the University of Michigan’s Central Campus Voting Hub. The walls are painted light green with large white and dark green text that reads, “Voting in Ann Arbor?” and “Register, Request a ballot…” alongside some other text that is obscured by the queuing students. Two students waiting in line in the foreground, look at each other talking and smiling.
News

Using the arts and 'awe' to guide public policy

Oct 18, 2024
In a new pairing between the University of Michigan Ford School of Public Policy and U-M Museum of Art, students are learning how to develop human-centered experiences to guide public policy. This approach takes a step back from a traditional emphasi...
Students wander a room with framed artworks on floral wallpaper. The left wall reads in a decorative script, "Hey, we need to talk!"