Our POLITICS + POLICY category provides users with an extensive list of articles dealing with past, present, and future issues relating to politics and policy throughout the UP.
Recently Published
President Trump, Canada and the Upper Peninsula
Canadian travel to the U.S. is down sharply in 2025, and border towns like Sault Ste Marie are feeling the impact. Michael Broadway and Joslin Brown’s latest article explores how Trump-era policies are straining one of North America’s closest relationships.
Bridging Divides: The Ford School’s Resilient Democracies Initiative Encourages Conversations Across Differences
At the University of Michigan, leaders like Jenna Bednar are working to revive civil discourse through respectful dialogue—not debate. The Ford School’s Resilient Democracies initiative and speaker series bring together diverse voices to help students learn how to listen, find common ground, and engage across differences.
Births, Deaths and Migrants: The U.P.’s Changing Population 2020-2024
Rural Insights contributor Michael Broadway examines newly available data from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and IRS Migration data to provide an update on population changes in the UP between 2020-2024.
Eviction in the U.P. Deserves a Closer Look
Mia Brodeur, a research assistant at the University of Michigan’s Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP), writes about eviction rates in the Upper Peninsula based on the available data, and notes the importance of more and better data that will better serve the UP on this issue.
Left Behind Places: The Example of the Upper Peninsula
Michael Broadway explores the concept of “left-behind places,” focusing on economic disparities in the U.S., particularly Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
