If Gov. Jennifer Granholm and the Michigan Legislature need specifics on how to close Michigan’s looming $1.7 billion budget deficit, they need look no further than the Mackinac Center for Public Policy’s new report on balancing the state budget, released today.

More than 200 specific recommendations from Mackinac Center analysts total more than $2 billion in cost savings and revenue enhancements. All budget reductions, including those involving federal funds, total $3.7 billion. 157 pages. … more

  The close of the twentieth century finds Michigan in a position that seemed impossible barely a decade ago: record low unemployment, a thriving economy, growing educational opportunities, and a sense of accomplishment and high spirits. But much can be done to make Michigan an even better place to live and work.
  This report's five sections offer the Governor and the Legislature 41 specific recommendations that will strengthen property rights protection, reform labor law to protect worker rights, improve education for Michigan children, spur economic growth and development, and enhance the state's transportation infrastructure. … more

At its core, the budget of the state of Michigan is not about money-it is about people and the way they organize their society. This line-by-line analysis of Michigan's 1995-96 state budget reflects a principled vision for Michigan culture by asking this question about each budget item: Should this program or activity be done by the authority of the state and financed by taxes, or should it be done by its individual citizens acting in voluntary cooperation and private contract with one another? The study recommends over $2 billion in spending reductions (over 7 percent of the state budget) achieved by eliminating unnecessary and counterproductive programs, rolling back unjustified program growth, and contracting out for services that can be handled more efficiently by the private sector. This landmark analysis will help citizens, candidates, and officials of any state craft budgets that promote the strengthening of private institutions and civil society. 97 pages. … more

After one year of Detroit Mayor Archer's administration, analysts Kleiman and Hutchison conclude that although some promising new directions were taken, much work remains. Experience in other major cities such as Philadelphia point the way for Detroit: Mayor Archer should move quickly to cut tax rates and privatize more services. 10 pages. … more

Unfunded mandates forced on state governments by Congress pose a substantial challenge to both their budgets and their fiscal sovereignty. Nearly one-third of the growth in Michigan state government revenue for 1993 was consumed by the cost of federal Medicaid mandates alone. The authors' recommendations include the creation of a mandate ombudsman and database, requirements that Congress determine the cost of mandates before passing them, and a call for Michigan's federal representatives to appear before the state legislature to explain their positions on mandate issues. 17 pages. … more