Building a Better Child Care System
Every day parents across Michigan make difficult decisions about who will care for their children when they go to school and to work. Some choose center-based programs. Others select providers who care for children in the provider’s home. Yet others choose to have family, friends, or neighbors care for their children. Regardless of the provider […]
Impact of Increasing Education and Employment Rates in West Michigan
Today, unemployment in West Michigan is below 4 percent, suggesting a very strong underlying economy, and the region ranks high in several national studies of growth and quality of life. However, West Michigan still faces significant challenges. A skills mismatch has left many employers struggling to fill positions, even while working-age adults cannot find work or fail to […]
Michigan’s Oil and Natural Gas Industry: Economic Contribution
[vc_row cMichigan’s oil and natural gas industry plays an important role in Michigan’s economy creating tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars of income for Michigan residents. In 2014, 62 of Michigan’s 83 counties produced oil and/or natural gas, and historically, 65 of Michigan’s counties have had production. Of Michigan’s 83 counties, 82 […]
Evaluation of the Michigan Energy Assistance Program: Successes and Options for Improvement
Michigan’s energy assistance programs support hundreds of thousands of low-income households each year. For many, these programs are the difference between heating their homes on the coldest of winter nights and having their services disconnected. Recognizing the need for a sustainable energy assistance model, in 2013, the state’s legislature created the Michigan Energy Assistance Program […]
Q&A: PSC’s Jon Beard discusses how much Michigan should be spending on its water infrastructure
Unseen infrastructure, such as water pipes, is vital despite going unnoticed. That’s why Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association enlisted PSC to determine how much Michigan was investing in its underground infrastructure and whether that investment was sufficient to meet necessary repairs and replacements.
Engaging Detroit: URC’s Contributions to Resurgence in the Motor City
Detroit is Michigan’s iconic city, with a diverse population and a rich cultural history. Its innovation helped create the auto industry and America’s middle class. Michigan’s University Research Corridor (URC) is an alliance of Michigan State University (MSU), the University of Michigan (U-M), and Wayne State University (WSU). The URC ranks as one of the […]
Michigan’s Water Infrastructure Investment Needs
PSC evaluated the adequacy of water infrastructure investment in the state, determining the funding necessary to upgrade statewide systems and facilities to meet current standards while also evaluating whether the current investments made by communities are adequate to address challenges.
Striving for more graduates in Michigan
This article originally appeared in Capital Gains, an online magazine and website showcasing the growth and investments transforming the Lansing region, on February 24, 2016. It has been edited by PSC staff for this reprint in Bright Ideas. Ezekiel Moreno, a college adviser at Everett High School in Lansing Jeff Guilfoyle of Public Sector Consultants Brandi Johnson of the Michigan […]
Leveraging Michigan’s natural resources for economic development
As any Michigander knows, our state has abundant and diverse natural resources that everyone can enjoy. These resources contribute significantly to the state’s culture, history, identity and economy—attracting visitors, residents and businesses to the state. Michigan is not, however, a top ten state in terms of its natural resource economy (i.e., an economy based on […]
Creating 21st Century Communities: Making the economic case for place
The Michigan Municipal League (MML), through its public policy forums, research, and education, identified eight assets that Michigan’s communities need to grow and strengthen in order for our state to prosper in coming years. In 2015, MML hired Public Sector Consultants (PSC) to evaluate the relationship between these eight assets and economic growth indicators like […]