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
Beyond the Bubble: Perceptions of Drug Crime in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
Tristin Smith, research assistant at the University of Michigan’s Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP), explores the prevalence of drug crime in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, highlighting how isolation contributes to the issue and calling for greater awareness, local action, and support for at-risk communities.
Taxing Tourists: A Global and Local Perspective
In his latest article for Rural Insights, Michael Broadway highlights how tourism drives economic benefits in the U.P. but also creates challenges like congestion, environmental strain, and housing shortages, prompting debate over increasing tourist taxes to balance community and business interests.
For What It’s Worth
In our latest UP Scholars article, Katelyn Jasmin writes about how partisan politics and polarization are hurting relationships within U.P. communities, but that simple actions like fostering open dialogue and questioning extremist politicians can help to rebuild trust.
Rethinking ‘Affordable’: The Case for ‘Attainable’ Housing in Marquette
MSHS senior Roenak Ghiardi writes that we need to shift our focus from “affordable” to “attainable” housing, a concept that better reflects the economic realities and needs of our community. Ghiardi is also Co-Founder and Editor of the newspaper “MSHS In Print.”
The Upper Peninsula’s Tension between Infrastructure Spending and Infrastructure Needs
In her latest article, UofM Research Assistant Mia Brodeur looks at the growing infrastructure needs and spending in the Upper Peninsula, highlighting challenges in meeting demands despite federal funding, including ARPA allocations, and successful local projects in UP counties like Marquette, Menominee, and Houghton.
