Local financial crisis and the democratic process: a case study of Michigan's Emergency Manager Law

The nation's turn into the 21st century has witnessed an influx of local financial crises. Several state governments have enacted legislation in response; this research investigates one such legislative course of action-Michigan's Public Act (PA) 436 and its predecessor, PA 4, both commonly referred to as the Emergency Manager (EM) Law- and its impact on the democratic process in three affected cities: Hamtramck, Pontiac and Detroit. A detailed case study of these legislative acts and their effects revealed both convergent and divergent impacts on the local democratic process: in all three cases emergency management was found to lead to the loss of control of the agenda for both local representatives and residents, the reduction in the sharing of information by the EM, a diminishment of access to decision-makers (the respective EMs in each city), and the reduction in the relative voting power of both residents and elected leaders. Alternatively, the impact upon Detroit's democratic process was found to a lesser extent than Hamtramck and Pontiac, especially in terms of the greater degree of inclusion, participation and control of the agenda available to Detroit elected officials (most notably, the newly elected mayor, Mike Duggan).