When the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission faced a tidal wave of public input—more than 30,000 comments—the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) and Ford School students stepped in. Their analysis helped the commiss...
The latest installment of the Michigan Public Policy Survey, conducted by CLOSUP, found that Michigan leaders believe not enough residents are running for elected office.
Fewer than half of Michigan’s smaller and more rural communities report good fiscal health, reflecting a trend of rising financial stress among local governments across the state and growing concerns about having enough money to keep up with increase...
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
The Youth Policy Lab evaluated the effectiveness of Michigan's Project AWARE in improving mental health infrastructure in public schools, especially in rural communities
Rx Kids, the nation’s first-ever citywide cash prescription program for pregnant women and babies, today announced the program’s launch into communities in the Eastern Upper Peninsula (UP). The UP expansion of Rx Kids is made possible by an innovativ...
Jonathan Hanson, Ford School professor, explained to BBC Brazil why the American electoral system may favor Republicans over democrats. He said “Small states have much more electoral power per person than large states. There is an inherent rural bias...
Ford School professor Luke Shaefer’s book, The Injustice of Place: Uncovering the Legacy of Poverty in America (Harper Collins, August 2023) is the recipient of the 2023 Richard A. Lester Book Award at Princeton University. Shaefer, the Hermann and A...
America is rife with "internal colonies," where systemic violence, resource extraction, and corruption among decision makers have contributed to generations of poverty and disadvantage. These communities suffer from environmental degradation, lack of...
The 2018 book The Handbook of Sustainability and Social Science Research includes a piece by Sarah Mills entitled: "Wind energy and rural community sustainability."
Abstract
Because it is a carbon-free source of electricity, wind energy is of...
Sarah Mills of the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy surveyed more than 1,200 farm landowners throughout 14 townships in Michigan to find out how farmers are impacted by wind energy turbines on their land. Mills found landowners with wind tur...
Jonathan Zelner, just finishing his PhD in Public Policy and Sociology, reflects on the role of social connectedness in reducing risks of disease and the implications for the development of northern coastal Ecuador.
Worldwide, one billion people l...
Join us for an intimate conversation between two leading voices for rural prosperity as they share experiences visiting rural communities across the country, and highlight inspiring stories from within the state of Michigan.
Join for a conversation with the co-authors of The Injustice of Place alongside Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan COO Nicole Sherard-Freeman. Released in August 2023, The Injustice of Place sheds light on America’s most disadvantaged communities, tracing the legacies of our nation’s places of deepest need—including inequalities shaping people’s health, livelihoods, and upward social mobility for families.
Michigan Minds Podcast: Sarah Mills, senior research specialist and program manager at the Ford School of Public Policy and the Graham Sustainability Institute, discusses her research examining the impact of renewable energy on rural communities and ...
Katherine Cramer explains what she heard while inviting herself into the conversations of people in small communities in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. October, 2019.
