Resilient Democracies

News

Reauthoring political futures in U.S. territories

Oct 2, 2026

At a Ford School event during the University of Michigan's Democracy Week, "Decolonizing imagination: Narratives, memory and political possibility in the U.S. Territories," Ford School associate research professor Mara Cecilia Ostfeld led panelists i...

A speaker addresses attendees seated in a tiered lecture hall during a panel discussion, with a “Vision” presentation slide projected at the front.

News

Ford School faculty examine democracy beyond U.S. borders

Sep 29, 2026

During a recent Democracy Week event, Ford School faculty considered what cross-national and historical research reveals about democratic resilience and erosion.

Five panelists sit before Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy banners as one speaks and gestures to the group.

News

Holly Bass discusses art, memory, and the nation’s unfinished story

Sep 28, 2026

Holly Bass, the Ford School's fall 2026 Towsley Policymaker in Residence and U-M's 2026 Roman J. Witt Artist in Residence, explored these questions and more as part of a special Penny Stamps Speaker Series during the University of Michigan's Democrac...

A smiling person wearing white-framed glasses and a light-colored button-up shirt stands in front of a vibrant green, pink, and multicolored graffiti wall.

News

Bipartisan leaders discuss what it takes to build trust across political divides

Sep 25, 2026

What sustains democratic trust when political disagreements remain unresolved? At two Ford School events during the University of Michigan’s Democracy Week, current and former Democratic and Republican elected leaders pointed to local participation, ...

A Democracy Week banner from U-M’s Center for Democracy and Civic Empowerment stands outside the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies.

News

Michigan voters really ‘just want results’ from Washington, says U-M political expert

Sep 15, 2026

Most voters really just want results—and maybe some relief—from Washington, according to political expert Rusty Hills. Frustrations are shaping the debate as the pivotal state and nation overall barrel toward another midterm election.

News

Michigan Secretary of State debate set for October 8 hosted by the University of Michigan's Ford School of Public Policy

Sep 14, 2026

The University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy will host a debate between the Democratic and Republican candidates for Michigan secretary of state, on October 8, 2026, 6:30-7:30 pm.

Side-by-side headshots of Garlin Gilchrist II on the left and Anthony Forlini on the right.

News

U-M to emphasize civic engagement with inaugural Democracy Week

Sep 8, 2026

The university will launch its inaugural Democracy Week on Sept. 14-18, timed to coincide with National Voter Registration Day, Sept. 15, and Constitution Day, Sept. 17. Faculty, staff, students and the broader community are invited to participate in...

In the Media

Parthasarathy: Opposition to data centers is accelerating as an election issue

Aug 28, 2026 Gray Broadcasting

Concern about data centers are a proxy for broader concerns about artificial intelligence and inequality and that the issue may drive some voters to the polls, according to Ford School professor Shobita Parthasarathy.

News

The unitary executive assault: Bagenstos responds in Boston Review Forum

Aug 26, 2026

In a response to Zeynep Pamuk's "How to Save Science," University of Michigan law and public policy professor Samuel R. Bagenstos examines the relationship between science, politics, and democratic governance in the Boston Review's Forum.

Person behind a podium giving a presentation

News

Ford School faculty awarded U-M Strategic Initiative Fund grants

Aug 26, 2026

Ford School faculty to lead on: a new center for democracy, a Detroit-centered civic engagement platform, a food hardship tracker, practical insights about Michigan's clean energy and mobility transition, and shipbuilding revitalization.

University of Michigan flag flying over the Michigan Union

News

Leiser promotes new MPPS report: Michigan local governments highly confident in election integrity

Aug 17, 2026

The Michigan Public Policy Survey report presents the opinions of Michigan's township and city leaders on issues related to election administration in their jurisdictions, including confidence in overall accurate election administration and expected ...

In the Media

SCOTUS removing all fetters of executive power - Bagenstos

Jul 4, 2026 Slate

Ford School professor Sam Bagenstos notes that the recent Supreme Court decision about federal agencies shows that "every function of governance pretty much has to be subject to the will of the President in removing whoever sits in charge."

In the Media

"We could use a president like Gerald Ford today" - Hills

Jul 3, 2026 Detroit Free Press

Rusty Hills comments, "As the U.S. nears its 250th anniversary, Gerald Ford’s 1976 message of unity, immigration and civic trust offers a timely reminder: America’s strength lies in openness, optimism and shared purpose."

Rusty Hills teaches "Campaigns and Elections" to a class of graduate and undergraduate students

News

U-M continues to mark 250th anniversary of American democracy

Jun 16, 2026

As the nation prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of its founding, the University of Michigan is marking this historic milestone with a wide variety of events, activities and invitations to reflect.

university of michigan diag with the american flag waving in the center, students bustle around campus

In the Media

Bednar explains the many ways UMICH Votes helps increase voter participation

Jun 16, 2026 Michigan Advance

Ford School professor Jenna Bednar explains how the UMICH Votes initiative boosts student voting participation

In the Media

Changing civil service rules "create bubbles around policymakers" - Moynihan

Jun 3, 2026 NPR

As President Trump issued an executive order turning an estimated 8,000 federal workers into at-will employees, Ford School professor Don Moynihan tells NPR that "If you were a career civil servant and there is bad news that you want to share with th...

Person giving a presentation with a remote in hand, standing in front of a screen displaying a presentation slide.

State & Hill

Spotlights, spring 2026

May 7, 2026

Over spring break, annual policy study trips took undergrads to Brussels for the BA Global Engagement Seminar (above) and graduate students to Colombia for the International Policy in Practice seminar (below).

A group of undergraduate students holding a Ford School flag at the European Parliament

In the Media

Hanson discusses massive Congressional turnover

Apr 7, 2026 Michigan Advance

Ford School professor Jonathan Hanson notes that with so many new members of Congress, special interests and lobbyists might have more political influence.

News

Rahm Emanuel urges students to perform national service in wide-ranging conversation

Mar 22, 2026

Rahm Emanuel met with a small group of Ford School students, faculty, and staff.

In the Media

Gas prices could sway independent voters in the 2026 midterms - Hills

Mar 20, 2026 WJR

The Ford School's Rusty Hills explains how the war in Iran is already impacting prices at the pump and what this could mean for Republicans running in the 2026 midterms.

Photo of Rusty Hills speaking to Michael Barr at a reception in Weill Hall's Great Hall

News

Former USAID Inspector General Paul Martin addresses a lack of independent government oversight

Mar 17, 2026

Former USAID Inspector General Paul Martin worries about a government without independent oversight.

Paul Martin in conversation with Don Moynihan

News

Working across the aisle: Lessons from Sens. Chang and Damoose

Mar 1, 2026

Michigan Sate Senators Stephanie Chang and John Damoose discuss working across the aisle.

Michigan State Senators Stephanie Chang and John Damoose in conversation with Ford School professor Jenna Bednar

News

Government Capacity Introducing Digital Service Retros: Back to the (Digital) Future

Feb 2, 2026

The Better Government Lab launches a series of discussions about how to redesign the U.S. Digital Service

News

Can federalism help overcome polarization? Bednar calls for policymakers to reject partisanship at Utah’s Federalism Summit

Jan 21, 2026

Ford School political scientist Jenna Bednar was among the distinguished speakers at the inaugural Federalism Summit that brought together 50 bipartisan legislative leaders from 16 states to examine how strong cooperation among states could improve d...

News

Rebuilding state capacity for inclusive economic transformation

Jan 11, 2026

Ford School professor Don Moynihan addresses how the state serves its citizens–that the government works efficiently and effectively.

In the Media

Trump gains private sector concessions through "fear and threats" - Moynihan

Jan 7, 2026 The New York Times

Don Moynihan argued in an email that two factors played key roles in winning concessions from private-sector companies and institutions -- fear and threats.

In the Media

Local democracy is holding strong, but rural communities are falling behind - Leiser

Dec 20, 2025 The Conversation

CLOSUP's Stephanie Leiser reflects on local democracy in Michigan

News

Ted Gayer addresses the Abundance agenda

Dec 1, 2025

Niskanen Center President Ted Gayer addresses the need for an Abundance agenda at U.S. institutions.

News

Trust falls among Michigan’s local officials that residents can be responsible partners in policymaking

Nov 19, 2025

Recent results from CLOSUP's Michigan Public Policy Survey show that local leaders have less trust in residents responsibly participating in the policymaking process while the health of democracy at the local level has improved slightly

Michigan State Capitol is the legislative government of Michigan State, at 100 N Capitol Ave, Lansing, Michigan MI, USA.

News

Bagenstos and Moynihan in friend-of-the-court brief in Supreme Court separation of powers case

Nov 16, 2025

Ford School Professors Sam Bagenstos and Don Moynihan have signed a friend-of-the-court brief in a case before the Supreme Court related to the firing of public servants from independent federal boards.

Photo of the Supreme Court of the United States building