Mackinac Center for Public Policy

In 2027, the Mackinac Center for Public Policy will celebrate 40 years of fighting for liberty, opportunity, and free-market ideas in Michigan and beyond. Since our founding in 1987, we have advanced people's freedom to shape their own lives and communities. This milestone inspires us to reflect on four decades of ideas, people and partnerships and to look ahead to the next generation of work in defense of individual liberty and human flourishing.

Michigan voters will have the opportunity next month to call for a new state constitutional convention. If voters approve, delegates to the convention would have a big job ahead of them. They should start with the basic question of “How is the state constitution doing?” For some portions, the answer is clearly, “Not well.” Some of the clear and plain language of the Michigan Constitution is being ignored and has little impact on how government operates.

This article originally appeared in The Detroit News August 25, 2026. The United States and Canada have both wrestled with an important question about public policy. Which branch of government should make law — the legislative body or the courts? Tim Haggstrom is a constitutional lawyer from Calgary, Alberta.

This article originally appeared in The Detroit News August 11, 2026. On Aug. 4, local government entities in Michigan sent 900 tax proposals to their local voters, and 842 passed. Policymakers who are concerned about affordability issues may want to focus on the cost of local government. These proposals (millages, bonds and sinking funds) will cost taxpayers $1.11 billion, according to Michigan Information & Research Service, which tallied the votes.

This article originally appeared in The Detroit News July 28, 2026. Change is coming to public education in the United States, brought on by cultural shifts, legal decisions and technological advances. Michigan policymakers would do well to anticipate the revolution, or our schools will be left behind. Public attitudes about education have shifted since the COVID-19 pandemic. The lockdowns spurred new demand for alternative forms of education.

| Font size: 75% 100% 125% 150% This article originally appeared in the Washington Post August 5, 2026. Anne Davis is a psychotherapist who spent two decades counseling homeless people and patients with mental illness in Colorado. But when she moved home to Michigan — which has a severe shortage of counselors, social workers and therapists — it took more than a year for the state to allow her to get back to work. The state desperately needs therapists like Davis.

MIDLAND, Mich. — The Mackinac Center for Public Policy invites Michigan high school students and young adults to submit an original two-minute speech or video explaining why free markets are better than socialism. The statewide contest asks participants to make a clear, persuasive case for economic freedom, competition, entrepreneurship, innovation, or individual liberty.

This article originally appeared in the Wall Street Journal July 31, 2026. The next battle between socialists and conventional Democrats will be fought in Michigan on Aug. 4, in a primary election for the U.S. Senate. Many Michiganders will vote that same day on tax hikes and other critical local questions—all in off-cycle elections in which low turnout makes them likelier to pass. This isn’t unique to the Great Lakes State and deserves more attention nationwide.

Michigan set itself on a path toward unreliable and expensive electricity a few years ago, but a recent decision by a federal regulatory agency should bring some good news to the state. Various laws, including Public Act 235 of 2023, require that least 60% of all electricity supplied to Michigan residents and businesses be met from solar or wind power by 2023.

Michigan’s policymakers cannot do much to change the world price for petroleum, but they can take two steps to help lower gasoline prices. They could reduce the state gasoline tax, which is almost 40% higher than Ohio’s comparable tax. Doing this could save up to $650 million per year.