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PPA makes available publications of broad interest in which we have played a role. These reports both inform the field and illustrate our work. No publication is ever posted without the express permission of the client.

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 Title: Propelling a New Economic Direction for Michigan
Client: Small Business Association of Michigan
Date: July 30, 2010
File(s):
Propelling a New Economic Direction for Michigan
This paper, which was written by Public Policy Associates, Inc., outlines the approach that the Small Business Association of Michigan, along with others, would like to take in regards to successfully rebuilding Michigan’s current economy. Research shows that smaller, younger, high-growth firms have accounted for most net job creation in recent years. This paper posits that a focus on nurturing and developing these small companies and giving them the tools that they need to succeed, a strategy known as “economic gardening,” will turn the state’s economy around.

Title: Hoping to Impact the Future of the Nation's Workforce
Client:  
Date: April 7, 2010
File(s):
Hoping to Impact the Future of the Nation's Workforce
With the nation still struggling to recover economically, the need for developing and deploying a high-skilled work force is more important than ever. Four leading researchers (Public Policy Associates, Inc., Berkeley Policy Associates, the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, and the University of California-San Diego) are calling for a “re-imagining” of the Workforce Development Act to promote training systems that foster regional cooperation and prepare workers not only for the jobs of today – but for the jobs of tomorrow.

Title: Nurturing America’s Growth in the Global Marketplace Through Talent Development: An Interim Report on the Evaluation of Generations II and III of WIRED
Client: U.S. Department of Labor
Date: December 30, 2009
File(s):
Nurturing America's Growth in the Global Marketplace Through Talent Development: An Interim Report on the Evaluation of Generations II and III of WIRED
This report, which was written by Public Policy Associates, Inc., in partnership with the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, summarizes the initial findings of a multiyear evaluation of 26 regional initiatives that received grants from the U.S. Department of Labor. The regions were facing challenges from global competition and changing economic conditions. The grants, each of which totaled $5 million over a three year period, were intended to bring together diverse regional organizations to work towards economic stability and workforce growth. This interim report focuses on the development of partnerships, governance arrangements, and the design of decision-making processes.

Title: Review and Analysis of Speaker Dillon's Proposal for a Mandatory State Government-Run Public Employee Health Insurance Plan
Client: Citizens for Accountability in Reform
Date: October 20, 2009
File(s):
Review and Analysis of Speaker Dillon’s Proposal for a Mandatory State Government-Run Public Employee Health Insurance Plan
The analysis conducted by Public Policy Associates, Inc. (PPA), a national research firm based in Lansing, concludes the proposal’s claims of achieving significant cost savings through “administrative efficiencies and economies of scale” are “largely illusory.” That is because large insurance pools already exist in Michigan, and the proposal fails to account for the substantial costs of growing state government and other administrative functions to run what would amount to a $4 billion to $5 billion insurance company.

The PPA analysis finds the only opportunity for savings is through what proposal backers call “standardization of benefits,” which the report calls “a poor synonym” for reducing benefits for the 500,000 public workers, plus dependents, the proposal would cover or requiring them to pay more for their insurance.

Title: 2008 Michigan Prisoner ReEntry Initiative Progress Report
Client: Michigan Department of Corrections
Date: December 4, 2008
File(s):
2008 MPRI Progress Report
It has been nearly five years since the planning for the MPRI began, and Michigan is moving rapidly yet thoughtfully in transforming its approach to corrections. Already, 60 percent of new parolees are being touched by the MPRI process. Every offender entering prison is being assessed to determine his or her strengths, risks and needs. The influence and impact will grow as Phase One is fully implemented and as the model evolves and improves in response to research and experience.

Title: LiLA Evaluation Second Interim Report
Client: Council for Adult and Experiential Learning
Date: July 6, 2007
File(s):
LiLA Evaluation Second Interim Report (896 KB)
CAEL Summary of the Second Interim Evaluation Report (130 KB)
The Lifelong Learning Accounts (LiLA) Demonstration is a project of the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL). Major support for the LiLA project, as well as funding for the evaluation, comes from the Ford Foundation. PPA is responsible for conducting the evaluation of the Demonstration. This is the second in a series of reports that assess the impact of LiLAs on program participants and summarizes the process lessons that have been learned through the initial phase of implementation.

Title: LiLA Evaluation First Interim Report
Client: Council for Adult and Experiential Learning
Date: July 2, 2007
File(s):
LiLA Evaluation First Interim Report (1,236 KB)
LiLA Evaluation First Interim Executive Summary Report (Short Form) (24 KB)
LiLA Evaluation First Interim Executive Summary Report (Long Form) (40 KB)
The Lifelong Learning Accounts (LiLA) Demonstration is a project of the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL). Major support for the LiLA project, as well as funding for the evaluation, comes from the Ford Foundation. PPA is responsible for conducting the evaluation of the Demonstration. The Interim Report presents an initial data point in the overall evaluation of the impact of LiLAs on program participants and summarizes the process lessons that have been learned through the initial phase of implementation.

Title: A Look at Michigan's Emerging New Economy
Client: Public Policy Associates, Inc.
Date: October 11, 2006
File(s):
A Look at Michigan's Emerging New Economy (104 KB)
A study released by Public Policy Associates, Incorporated scrutinizes the composition of Michigan's workforce and finds significant increases in "emerging new economy" jobs in the last four years, a sign that the state is already in the process of redefining itself in the wake of auto industry declines.

Title: Early Learning Michigan Focus Group Report
Client: Early Learning Michigan
Date: October 21, 2005
File(s):
Early Learning Michigan Focus Group Report (238 KB)
Early Learning Michigan Focus Group Executive Summary (29 KB)
A wide variety of early childhood education associations and experts in Michigan, working under the umbrella of “Early Learning Michigan,” have come together to help the state build a more effective early childhood education system. As part of this project, which is funded by the Joyce Foundation, Public Policy Associates, Incorporated (PPA) was retained to conduct research to identify key audiences for early childhood education messages, effective messages to deliver, and credible messengers to deliver the message. To obtain insight into these topics, PPA conducted a series of six focus groups with key stakeholders. This is an executive summary of findings from the group discussions, which were conducted in July 2005 in the cities of Grand Rapids, Troy, and Saginaw, Michigan. For more detailed information on the project, see the full report.

Title: U.S. Department of Labor's Incumbent/Dislocated Worker Skill Shortage II (SS2) Demonstration Program
Client: U.S. Department of Labor
Date: September 15, 2005
File(s):
U.S. Department of Labor’s Incumbent/Dislocated Worker Skill Shortage II (SS2) Demonstration Program Cross-Cutting Summary Report (403 KB)
U.S. Department of Labor’s Incumbent/Dislocated Worker Skill Shortage II (SS2) Demonstration Program Grantee Listing (12 KB)
U.S. Department of Labor’s Incumbent/Dislocated Worker Skill Shortage II (SS2) Demonstration Program Demonstration Project Profiles
U.S. Department of Labor’s Incumbent/Dislocated Worker Skill Shortage II (SS2) Demonstration Program Labor Market Profiles

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Incumbent/Dislocated Worker Skill Shortage II (SS2) Demonstration Program (SGA/DFA 00-113) was the fourth in a series of programs focused on supporting efforts to identify and respond to specific employer-identified skills shortages in targeted occupational areas in which technology was playing an increasingly important role. Both incumbent and dislocated workers could be served, with an emphasis on those facing multiple barriers to employment, including low-skilled workers, those with limited transportation to work, those with inadequate or obsolete skills, and those having skills in declining occupations.

Title: Skills Shortages Demonstration Programs Evaluation
Client: U.S. Department of Labor
Date: October 15, 2004
File(s):
Volume #1 Cross-Cutting Summary of Key Findings - November 2003 (672 KB)
Volume #2 Site Profiles - August 2003 (1,282 KB)

USDOL sponsored four Skills Shortages Demonstration Grant Programs to support the development of partnerships and coalitions involved in strategic planning and the development of targeted training curricula and training programs to alleviate skills shortages. In total, 50 grantees located in 29 states received grant awards. These reports summarize the findings of the evaluation.

Volume #1 is a cross-cutting analysis of the effectiveness of the organizing strategies used by the grantees along with a discussion of the implications of the findings for national, state, and local policy and practice.

Volume #2 consists of 50 detailed site profiles.

Title: Auto-Mation and Serv-Ustry:Innovations for the Future
Client: Thumb Area Michigan Works
Date: June 1, 2004
File(s):
Auto-Mation and Serv-Ustry: Innovations for the Future (471 KB)
Preparing workers to become productive members of the 21st century workforce is one of the primary challenges facing our nation’s workforce development system. In addition to having the technical skills needed to operate technologically sophisticated equipment, workers need an additional array of workplace skills, including the ability to collaborate with their peers, interact with managers and supervisors, function as effective team members, and attend to organizational and personal standards for quality and timeliness.

The Auto-Mation and Serv-Ustry programs represent a new and innovative way to address these workforce development needs. The programs were developed through a partnership between the Thumb Area Michigan Works! Agency, Ford Motor Company, and Learning Designs, Inc. The curricula combine industry-specific occupational training with the development of workplace behaviors needed to successfully compete for jobs in the manufacturing and service industry sectors.

The following article explains how these innovative programs were developed and are being used in the Thumb Area of Michigan. While it is premature to conduct a full evaluation, early lessons suggest that Auto-Mation and Serv-Ustry help individuals develop the skills and self-confidence needed to become productive members of their communities and participate in the new economy.

Title: Survey of New York Registered Voters: Attitudes Toward New York’s Bottle Bill and Proposed Reforms
Client: Environmental Advocates of New York
Date: February 1, 2004
File(s):
Survey of New York Registered Voters: Attitudes Toward New York's Bottle Bill and Proposed Reforms (104 KB)
New York’s Returnable Container Act, better known as the “bottle bill,” requires a five-cent refundable deposit on all beer, soda, and wine-cooler containers sold in New York State. The measure was enacted in 1982 to reduce litter and increase recycling. Since that time, the beverage market has changed, with noncarbonated beverages such as bottled water, iced tea, and sports drinks comprising an increasing market share. Additionally, curbside recycling is now mandatory throughout most of the state.

Currently, the State Legislature is considering several proposals that would modify New York’s container-deposit law. This report presents the results of a poll of 800 New York State registered voters conducted in late January 2004 that measured voters’ reactions to several proposed reforms to New York’s bottle bill and explored attitudes about the existing program.

Title: Flint Relative Tax Burden
Client: Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
Date: October 1, 2003
File(s):
Flint Relative Tax Burden (194 KB)
Appendix A (27KB)
Appendix B (27KB)
This study analyzes the relative burden on individuals and firms of the total taxes, fees, and debt currently borne by Flint, seven selected neighboring municipalities in Genesee County, and five other Michigan comparison cities: Troy, Auburn Hills, Pontiac, Kalamazoo, and Saginaw. Troy and Auburn Hills are included for comparison due to their proximity to Flint and their rapid growth, while Pontiac, Kalamazoo, and Saginaw are included due to their similarity to Flint as aging industrial centers.

Appendix A: Local Tax Breakdown

Appendix B: Glossary of Terms

Title: Contributions to One-Stop Systems: CBOs as Role Players
Client: National CBO Alliance
Date: March 1, 2003
File(s):
Contributions to One-Stop Systems: CBOs as Role Players (1.63MB)
The National CBO Alliance comprises five organizations that are long-time grantees of the U.S. Department of Labor and are tasked with providing training and technical assistance to their respective affiliates, which serve millions of mostly low-income residents across the nation. These organizations are: National Council of La Raza (NCLR), National Puerto Rican Forum (NPRF), National Urban League (NUL), Opportunities Industrialization Centers of America (OICA), and SER-Jobs for Progress National, Inc. (SER).

The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 requires that states create a network of One-Stop Career Centers as the principal delivery system for workforce development services. These One-Stops deliver or arrange for a wide range of services that WIA classifies into three categories: core, intensive, and training services. They are required to serve virtually all comers for at least the core level of services. Thus, the organizations that operate One-Stops must have fairly broad capabilities and substantial capacity. While many community-based organizations provide workforce services as at least part of their service mix, only a few are able to act as One-Stop operators. This may be due to the requirements imposed on One-Stop operators or because only a few operators are selected to run a relatively small number of One-Stops. In either case, CBOs may have services that they can offer to or through One-Stops that will be consistent with their missions and helpful to the workforce system.

One part of the solution is to have CBOs operate One-Stops. But it is clear that only a handful of CBOs have the financial resources and breadth of capabilities to operate full-service One-Stops. The National CBO Alliance has come to understand that another part of the solution can be the CBO as a "role player." This study attempts to uncover what those roles could be for CBOs in the One-Stop system.

Title: Revitalizing Michigan's Central Cities: A Vision and Framework for Action
Client: Michigan Future, Inc.
Date: February 1, 2003
File(s):
Revitalizing Michigan's Central Cities: A Vision and Framework for Action (169KB)
The report contains five sections:
  1. Our Vision: Michigan 2015
  2. Why Central Cities Matter
  3. Michigan's Challenges
  4. A Framework for Action
  5. Getting Started
The first two sections demonstrate that central cities are vital to Michigan's future. We understand that there is not today a large constituency for establishing revitalizing Michigan's central cities as a priority. As the last election demonstrated once again, there is a fair amount of antipathy to doing anything for Michigan's cities--particularly Detroit. But we believe that a bigger obstacle to action is apathy: a sense that central cities do not matter anymore. Many Michiganians seem to believe that we will do just fine in the future without vibrant central cities.

In the last three sections we focus on public policy. We recommend a framework for action that is sufficiently powerful to make our central cities more attractive places to live--for newcomers and current city residents alike. Our recommendations require fundamental change by the state and its suburbs and cities. Enacting and implementing our agenda will challenge us. But if we are serious about turning around the fifty-year decline of our central cities, we must build a coalition that supports bold action and a long-term commitment.

A report by Michigan Future, Inc. Public Policy Associates' John Austin was lead policy advisor in developing this report. The report is being disseminated jointly by Michigan Future, Inc. and Public Policy Associates.

Title: What Does It Take? Attributes of Effective Community Foundation Chief Executives
Client: The James Irvine Foundation
Date: January 1, 2003
File(s):
What Does It Take? Attributes of Effective Community Foundation Chief Executives (244KB)
The single most important decision facing a community foundation board is that of selecting a chief executive — a president, CEO, or executive director for its organization. Unfortunately, board members are often left to their own devices when recruiting time rolls around. While much is known and written about desirable characteristics for chief executives in the private sector, and a growing body of knowledge is being generated regarding leaders of nonprofit organizations in general, relatively little has been recorded regarding attributes that translate into effective leadership of community foundations — a distinctly different animal within the nonprofit arena.

Published by the James Irvine Foundation; based on research done by Public Policy Associates for James Irvine on community foundation capacity building. The report is jointly authored by PPA and the Williams Group for James Irvine Foundation.

Title: How Community Foundations are Acting as Agents for Local Change
Client: The James Irvine Foundation
Date: January 1, 2003
File(s):
How Community Foundations are Acting as Agents for Local Change (464KB)
Community foundations have traditionally helped local donors support local charities. Increasingly, in California and across the country, community foundations are doing more—they are becoming active leaders within their communities.

Since 1995, The James Irvine Foundation has supported seven community foundations in California through the Community Foundations Initiative (CFI). While involved in the initiative, many of these community foundations have become actively engaged in important, sometimes controversial, regional issues. We refer to this role as “community catalyst,” and explaining that role is the focus of this report.

Published by the James Irvine Foundation; based on research done by Public Policy Associates for James Irvine on community foundation capacity building. The reports are jointly authored by PPA and the Williams Group for James Irvine Foundation.

Title: Employer-Linked Charter Schools: An Introduction
Client: U.S. Department of Education
Date: June 1, 2000
File(s):
Employer-Linked Charter Schools: An Introduction (127KB)
This book compiles key findings from a series of publications and case study reports on employer-linked charter schools developed during a project funded by the U.S. Department of Education. The Employer-Linked Charter School Project was a multiyear collaborative effort among Public Policy Associates, Incorporated, Charter Friends National Network, and the National Alliance of Business. The partnership also previously included Michigan Future, Incorporated.

PPA identified the trend that charter schools would be an important vehicle for employers, businesses, and other community organizations to organize creative, applied learning contexts. PPA spearheaded a national, three-year research and technical-assistance initiative for the U.S. Department of Education that explored the strengths of employer-linked charter schools and assisted interested parties around the country in their further development.

Title: Career Management Account Demonstration Project Evaluation
Client: United States Department of Labor
Date: December 1, 1998
File(s):
Career Management Account Demonstration Project Evaluation (2.26 MB)
On August 7, 1998, President Clinton signed into law the Workforce Investment Act (Public Law 105-220)—a comprehensive law that will substantially alter the federal government’s role in job training, adult education, and vocational rehabilitation. As this law is implemented over the next few years, it will dramatically change many elements of job training programs, including the way job-training services are provided at the local level.

Built on the premise of consumer choice, this new approach to doing business will be a significant change from established practice. Rather than being dependent upon case managers to prescribe a training regimen, individuals will be allowed and, indeed, expected to take an active role in managing their employment futures through the use of Individual Training Accounts.

The movement towards increased choice, flexibility, and customer decision making has been underway for several years. In an effort to better understand how consumer-choice models for worker training might work, in early 1995 the U.S. Department of Labor offered 13 demonstration sites the opportunity to experiment with different approaches to implementation. These demonstrations—the Career Management Accounts—involved dislocated workers under Title III of the JTPA program. The lessons learned from their collective experiences are the subject of this report.

Title: Welfare to Wages: Strategies to Assist the Private Sector to Employ Welfare Recipients
Client: Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
Date: January 1, 1998
File(s):
Welfare to Wages: Strategies to Assist the Private Sector to Employ Welfare Recipients (Volume 1) (1.51MB)
Welfare to Wages: Strategies to Assist the Private Sector to Employ Welfare Recipients (Volume 2) (3.2MB)
A research report examining employment issues affecting welfare recipients.

Volume 2 is a companion piece to Volume 1, detailing case studies.

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