CIVICPULSE SPECIAL ISSUE REPORT SERIES
Local Government and COVID-19
Executive Summary
Local governments are on the frontlines of COVID-19: they are managing implementation of state and federal policies, distributing critical information to their residents, and responding to the unique concerns of their local community members. Yet, the local governance perspective tends to be overlooked in the national policy discourse. Drawing on our recurring surveys of local governments across all fifty states, this special-issue CivicPulse report series is dedicated to generating insights about challenges facing local governments during this unprecedented time. In doing so, we hope to both support local governments in their work as well as elevate their voices in the rapidly unfolding national conversation.
March 2021
COVID-19 Relief Funding for Local Government: Status of Existing Funds and Future Spending Priorities
What are the priorities for the new round of relief funding that local governments may receive in 2021? CivicPulse, in collaboration with Stanford University’s Bill Lane Center for the American West, surveyed 494 local government officials to ask about the status of existing COVID-19 relief funding and where future funds might be spent. With new funds on the horizon, local governments are still spending existing funds and see priorities shifting and broadening.
October 2020
Patterns of Local Protest against COVID-19 Restrictions across America
CivicPulse, in collaboration with Stanford University’s Bill Lane Center for the American West and Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, surveyed over 350 heads of local law enforcement agencies to find out where anti-lockdown protests were most common last spring. These findings could help predict where we might see them again this winter.
June 2020
Local Government Spending Priorities in the Wake of COVID-19
How will COVID-19 affect local government budgets? CivicPulse asks local elected officials to project how spending will change over the next year across twelve different program and functional areas. This CivicPulse Insights report was developed with Power Almanac.
May 2020
Should We Open Up? Our National Survey of Local Government Officials Shows We May Not Have A Choice
CivicPulse asks local officials about how compliance with measures combatting COVID-19 might change over time, and how their governments have been promoting these measures.
March 2020
The Local Government Perspective on COVID-19
CivicPulse asks local officials about their response to the COVID-19 epidemic, how they are learning about the crisis, and what they wish the state and federal governments knew.