CLOSUP For-Credit Academic Year Internships
Beginning in Fall 2008, CLOSUP will host two student interns to work on applied policy projects at the Center. These internships will be open to Masters students at the Ford School. Students will be able to earn academic credit for their work through independent study courses at the Ford School. One intern will work on a new project called the Michigan Public Policy Survey; the other intern will work on a new publication series of policy research briefs. The interns will be provided with office space and computing facilities and will work with with CLOSUP staff and affiliated faculty. The amount of course credit and the length of the internship will be determined based on the needs of the projects and the chosen candidates. It should be noted that these unpaid internships are for academic credit through independent study and they do not fulfill the Ford School summer internship requirement for students.
Students interested in these internships should email a short statement of interest to Tom Ivacko, CLOSUP program manager, via email to 'tmi at umich.edu'. The statement should identify which of the following internship programs are of interest (or identify both, if that is the case), and should include a paragraph or two describing the candidate's research interests and any relevant experience. Resumes or C.V.s can be attached, although this is not necessary. Questions can also be addressed to Tom at 734-647-4091.
The Michigan Public Policy Survey Internship
CLOSUP will begin a new initiative in 2008 called the Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS), an ongoing web-based survey of local government officials throughout the state of Michigan. Michigan State University and the Small Business Association of Michigan regularly survey Michigan residents and businesses, but there is currently no formal process that allows researchers or policymakers to gather information from the wide range of local officials in Michigan (e.g., city managers, school district superintendents, police chiefs, state legislators, etc.). The MPPS will be designed to gauge opinion and gather quantitative data regarding a wide range of state, local and urban policy issues. MPPS will provide data to researchers, policymakers, government officials, the media, foundations, non-profits and the public.
As currently planned, the MPPS will be administered twice a year. One administration will consist of a set of core questions that remain constant over time and are always asked of the same individuals and organizations. This administration will allow researchers and policymakers to track respondent opinions over time to examine how the thinking on critical policy issues evolves and to study the impact of various legislative initiatives, economic factors and political events on public opinion.
A second administration will focus on a more specific topic, and will survey a set of individuals and organizations with a particular interest and/or expertise in this topic. Topics will be chosen to inform important and current local, state and urban policy issues facing Michigan and other states across the country.
Each survey will result in at least two publications: (1) a short "policy brief" that summarizes the key findings will be released soon after the administration of the survey; and (2) a longer "policy report" that analyzes the survey results in more detail, and links them to existing policy issues and debates, will be released at a later date. It is also expected that affiliated faculty members will use the MPPS data as the basis for research projects, resulting in the publication of journal articles, monographs and book chapters. The MPPS data will be stored in a public-use archive, allowing interested individuals and organizations to access to the data for research and analysis.
The MPPS intern will work under the direction of the CLOSUP Director and CLOSUP staff overseeing the MPPS. The internship will provide students with an opportunity to participate in all aspects of the project, from survey design to data analysis to report writing. The experience will allow students to learn about survey methods as well as become familiar with a wide range of state and local public policy issues. The intern will participate in team meetings with affiliated faculty and with outside partners such as the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research and the Michigan Municipal League. The intern will work on a wide variety of activities, including the following: reviewing similar surveys, researching substantive policy topics, constructing and pilot testing the survey instrument, monitoring the field operations, assisting in data processing and management, creating the survey documentation, conducting data analysis and writing reports.
The Michigan Policy Research Internship
CLOSUP will undertake a new set of policy research publications in 2008 to provide policymakers in Michigan with short, non-technical summaries of the latest academic research relating to critical policy issues relevant to cities and states.
As currently envisioned, CLOSUP plans to establish two publication series. The first, which will likely be published once a year, will briefly summarize the key findings of policy-relevant research conducted by UM faculty over the previous year. The goal of this compendium would be to bridge the gap between academia and the political/policy community. This type of dissemination and outreach is central to CLOSUP's mission of bringing the resources of the University to bear on state, local, and urban policy in Michigan. As currently envisioned, the compendium would consist of approximately 20 to 30 short summaries drawing on UM research in a wide range of disciplines including the natural sciences, sociology, political science, social work, economics, business, education, natural resources and urban planning.
The second publication series will consist of policy reviews. These policy reviews would focus on specific issues (e.g., charter schools laws, empowerment zones, community policing, etc.) and would strive to: (a) provide some basic descriptive information about, among other things, the history, goals and current status of the issue (both nationally and in Michigan); and (b) review the relevant academic literature relating to this policy issue, focusing on the key lessons that policymakers should take from prior research. CLOSUP would choose a handful of issues on which to focus each year with an eye toward which topics were going to be salient political/policy issues in the state over the coming year.
The Michigan Policy Research (MPR) intern will work under the direction of the CLOSUP Director and CLOSUP staff members, carrying out a variety of tasks related to the publication of these policy briefs. The student will gain valuable research and writing skills as well as learning a great deal about a wide range of policy issues. The internship will also provide the student with experience in dealing with the media through collaboration with the University's press office. The intern will participate in all aspects of these projects. Specific activities include researching a wide variety of state and local policy issues; meeting with faculty members across campus; talking with local and state policymakers (and their staffs) in order to assess the current needs/interests of state officials; writing and editing drafts of the briefs, assisting in desktop publishing operations; and working with the University's News and Information Services group on press releases and dissemination strategies.
