MPPS

Showing 31 - 60 of 108 results

Publication

CLOSUP survey reveals Michigan communities' priorities for spending COVID-related federal relief funds

Jul 28, 2022

A survey of Michigan local government leaders on the federal American Rescue Plan Act funding and uses finds the top spending priorities are on capital improvements, infrastructure and public safety. Further, the state's largest jurisdictions...

Photo of a "Road Work Ahead" sign in the foreground with cars driving along the road beside it

Publication

Local leaders' pessimism about Michigan's direction continues, eases slightly from last year

Jul 6, 2022

More than 60% of Michigan's local government leaders say the state has gotten off on the wrong track—down slightly from last year yet still among the most pessimistic responses since tracking began in 2011. According to those local leaders...

News

CLOSUP survey looks at online government meeting quality, service disparities

May 26, 2022

More than half of Michigan's local officials say that moving government meetings online during the pandemic decreased the overall quality of such gatherings, according to a University of Michigan survey. The finding comes from the spring 2021...

In the Media

Michigan Radio amplifies CLOSUP report on recycling

May 2, 2022 Michigan Radio

A recent CLOSUP report shows growing enthuiasm for and access to recycling services among Michigan's local governments. Michigan Radio interviewed Debra Horner, one of the report's authors, about the findings: "It’s not so much that there’s a...

News

Michigan’s state and local governments strongly support recycling efforts, and work to confront structural and engagement challenges

Apr 27, 2022

Recycling remains popular with local government leaders in Michigan, and the state has established a goal of tripling the state’s current recycling rate. Yet those leaders often encounter difficulties in implementing their programs, tied to costs,...

News

Michigan's local leaders express importance of recycling as state has fallen behind national average

Mar 17, 2022

The majority of Michigan local leaders report recycling is somewhat or very important to their community members, with 65% of officials from the state's largest jurisdictions saying recycling issues are very important in their communities, according...

News

2021: A year of public policy

Dec 16, 2021

The Ford School of Public Policy is a top-ranked public policy school dedicated to preparing diverse leaders to take on society’s most pressing challenges and make transformational discoveries through cutting-edge research. Experts from the Ford...

News

Michigan local government officials report improved fiscal health after a year of COVID-19, but not to pre-pandemic levels

Dec 16, 2021

Michigan’s local governments report improvement on many fiscal health measures after a year of struggles with the COVID-19 pandemic, but for much of the state the situation has stayed the same or continues to decline, according to a new Michigan...

State & Hill

Partnerships in focus: Learning and research collaborations that create better public policy

Dec 13, 2021

By Rebecca Cohen (MPP ‘09) Two-directional learning helps small businesses and students thrive Lily Hamburger (MBA ’16) supports economic mobility for entrepreneurs as the senior director of the pandemic-born Detroit Means Business, a...

News

Michigan local officials’ assessments of American democracy at the state and federal levels decline sharply

Nov 29, 2021

A survey of Michigan’s local government leaders shows a sharp degradation in trust in the functioning of democracy at the state and federal levels, echoing trends seen across the country. The Spring 2021 Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS),...

A composite image, comprising a photo of the US capitol dome, upside down at an angle, in front of a red textured background

Publication

Michigan local government leaders report lingering impacts from COVID-19 pandemic, improvements overall from the start of the crisis

Oct 27, 2021

Local leaders from across the state have reported lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report, and worsening outlooks for how much longer some of those impacts will last. While the numbers of local communities reporting on...

Publication

Michigan local economies still struggling with the pandemic effects

Sep 29, 2021

Michigan's local economies are still struggling with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic but at a much lower rate than at the start of the crisis in spring 2020, according to a University of Michigan statewide survey of local government...

Two post-it notes on a business' front door, reading "Sorry we're closed" and "COVID-19"

News

Ivacko: Challenges abound as leaders assemble for Mackinac Policy Conference

Sep 20, 2021

Many of Michigan's business, political and academic movers and shakers are gathering this week for the annual Mackinac Policy Conference after the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of last year's event. While the number of people...

News

Most Michigan local leaders express confidence in safety, efficacy of COVID vaccines, MPPS shows

Aug 11, 2021

Most Michigan local government officials have been confident in the safety and efficacy of available COVID-19 vaccines, yet leaders' views on vaccine safety are highly correlated with partisanship, according to the spring 2021 wave of the Michigan...

News

Two-thirds of local leaders see Michigan moving in wrong direction, according to annual U-M survey

Jul 6, 2021

The combined crises of the past year have darkened the attitudes of local government leaders, according to the first results of the University of Michigan’s 2021 Michigan Public Policy Survey. Numerous challenges have dominated public policy and...

State & Hill

Breaking down public trust

Jun 10, 2021

By Rebecca Cohen (MPP '09)Americans’ trust in government institutions to “do the right thing” has steadily eroded since the late 1960s,1 correlated for many analysts with events such as the Vietnam War, Watergate, the ’70s oil embargo, and President...

Illustration of a hand, extended for a handshake, crumbling.

Publication

U-M survey finds early lack of awareness among local leaders with state’s new approach to redraw legislative districts

Feb 23, 2021

Michigan’s local government leaders reported mixed familiarity with the state’s new approach to redistricting, according to a 2020 survey whose results were released today by the the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) at the...

Michigan Congressional Map (113th Congress)

News

Trust in government in a time of questioning: local governance leads the way

Dec 17, 2020

In a time of growing suspicion about the role of government at the state and national level, a good news story emerges when looking at local governance in Michigan. The conclusion of a new compendium study, The Functioning of Democracy: Insights...

News

Michigan local leaders trust their local democratic institutions far more than those at state or federal levels

Oct 27, 2020

The political adage is that “All politics are local.” The same could be said of how local leaders feel about the health of democratic governance. That is according to a report on Michigan’s local leaders released today by the Center for Local,...

News

98% of Michigan local officials are confident of accurate 2020 voting administration

Oct 5, 2020

Confidence in running accurate elections among Michigan local government leaders remains very high, despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and an expected high voter turnout, according to a survey released October 5 by the the Center for...

News

U-M survey finds strong interest among Michigan communities in sustainability and energy collaborations

Sep 30, 2020

Few local governments in Michigan report collaborating with another community on energy and sustainability issues, but nearly half expressed interest in teaming up with others to pursue opportunities, according to survey results released today by...

News

Confidence in Michigan’s 2020 Census count among local officials slipping

Aug 25, 2020

Gathering 2020 Census data was always going to be complicated, as the U.S. Commerce Department varied its criteria and reduced the budget for in-person contact in the lead-up to the count. When the pandemic struck in March, just before the official...

News

Michigan local government leaders back expanded absentee voting, ballot reforms

Jul 28, 2020

Amid the national debate over the safety and efficacy of absentee voting, Michigan can offer an example of how election reforms will play out in the 2020 election. And the battleground state's local officials have an overall positive outlook...

News

CLOSUP helps local governments navigate fiscal challenges during global pandemic

Apr 23, 2020

New research from the Center for Local State and Urban Policy (CLOSUP)’s Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS) measures the impact that the COVID-19 crisis will have on local fiscal health. CLOSUP anticipates local governments will be...

People sharing a public space with greenery, tables, umbrellas, and open space

News

Coronavirus response suffers when local government is starved

Mar 20, 2020

Local governments are on the front lines of the response to the coronavirus crisis. Their actions will ultimately shape how well the U.S. can survive COVID-19 and its economic aftermath, according to an opinion contribution in The Hill written by...

CLOSUP presents to lawmakers at Wolverine Caucus

Feb 28, 2020

Tom Ivacko and Debra Horner from CLOSUP presented findings from the Michigan Public Policy Survey at a Wolverine Caucus presentation on February 25. “Michigan is experiencing its longest–ever period of sustained economic growth, but because of a web...

News

U-M survey finds sharp increase in energy efficiency steps among Michigan local governments

Jan 15, 2020

Half of Michigan’s local governments have taken steps to improve energy efficiency in their facilities—more than double the 22% who reported similar efforts a decade ago, according to a survey by the University of Michigan Ford School of Public...

News

Fiscal health: Mixed signals for Michigan’s local governments

Dec 11, 2019

ANN ARBOR—More than two-thirds of Michigan’s local government leaders rate their jurisdictions’ current fiscal stress as relatively low, according to a new survey by the University of Michigan’s Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy. On the...

State & Hill

CLOSUP’s Michigan Public Policy Survey turns 10

Nov 14, 2019

It’s been a tumultuous decade in Michigan: three governors, a cratered economy and its recovery, the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history, a public health disaster in Flint, and more. Through it all, the Michigan Public Policy Survey...

News

Michigan leaders worried about possible effects of next recession

Oct 30, 2019

ANN ARBOR—More than half of Michigan’s local government leaders are concerned about the potential impact of the next recession on their jurisdictions’ ability to deliver public services and maintain government operations. Although local leaders...