jobs and employment	262
economics	203
state and local government	188
education	186
indiana	173
economic development	171
taxes	146
budget and spending	145
law and public policy	144
workforce and human capital	139

CBER Weekly Commentaries - 2021

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January 3, 2021	Political Economy for the HolidaysTo avoid the stain of hypocrisy, ideas must also guide our behavior.
January 17, 2021	An Attack on America’s EconomyThis was not a protest, nor was it an accident.
January 24, 2021	A Recap of Mr. Trump’s PresidencyLet’s review the good, the bad, and the ugly.
January 31, 2021	How This Recession Is UnfoldingIt appears now that we’ll end 2020 with a downturn that ranks in the top five to seven worst years since the 1920s.
February 7, 2021	Indiana’s Lagging Educational AttainmentFinancial security without a college degree is possible but not probable.
February 14, 2021	Stop Restricting Indianapolis GrowthIn the 21st century, a full 85 percent of the state’s population growth happened within the Indianapolis metro area.
February 21, 2021	Questions from an Economic ForecastThe economic recovery is in the hands of vaccine distributors, not economic policymakers.
February 28, 2021	Teacher Pay Is the Symptom of Deeper ProblemsState spending per Hoosier student is down more than 7.0 percent since 2010.
March 7, 2021	Our Biggest Economic Challenge Is School Funding Better educational attainment both causes and is caused by a better economy.
March 14, 2021	Two Sides of the Minimum WageWhat role should the government play?
March 21, 2021	Let’s Be Honest About the COVID Relief BillToo little stimulus is far worse than too much.
March 28, 2021	What Will This Economic Recovery Yield for Indiana?The quest to better fund schools and improve our workforce cannot become a partisan issue.
April 4, 2021	Inflation Is Not Our Top ProblemRecession effects are influenced by the tradeoff between unemployment and inflation.
April 11, 2021	Economic Development Should Be About Value, Not CostIn the late 1970s–80s, you were taught that low tax rates and capital investment were the key to growth and prosperity, but that theory has not panned out as anticipated.
April 18, 2021	The Post-COVID World Favors High Quality-of-Place CommunitiesBetween 23 million and 35 million households will find themselves newly unencumbered by the need to live within an easy daily commute to work.
April 25, 2021	Polarization of Jobs and PlacesUnfortunately, short-term spending policies aren't likely have much long-term effect on the decline of middle-wage jobs.
May 2, 2021	Why Are We Hearing About a Labor Shortage?Government benefits are not to blame.
May 9, 2021	Mother’s Day Thoughts in the Wake of COVIDThe experience of women in the labor force has differed from that of men in key respects.
May 16, 2021	College Grads and Today’s Job MarketFewer than half of adults with only a high school diploma are currently working, while more than two-thirds with a college degree are working.
May 23, 2021	Thoughts on the Infrastructure PlanThis plan is perhaps too large but could be more effective than expected.
May 30, 2021	Pay Shortage, Not Labor ShortageThe most relevant data is not on the quantity of jobs, but the wages that indicate whether or not there is a labor shortage.
June 6, 2021	What Economists Got Right and Wrong about COVIDShifts in labor, occupational structure, and community amenities influence the degree of recovery.
June 13, 2021	Some Early Census Results for IndianaPeople are the driving force of economic growth.
June 20, 2021	Looking Back at a Century of Father’s DaysThe lives of our fathers and their fathers are representative of the early and mid-20th century.
June 27, 2021	School Choice, Cost Savings and Educational SpendingIndiana adopted universal school choice a little more than a decade ago.
July 4, 2021	The Ideals of Independence DayLiberty flows from the simple act of being human, not from government, religion, ancestry or race.
July 11, 2021	What Is ‘Quality of Place?’When choosing a place to live, workers consider the wages they will earn against the cost of housing and access to amenities.
July 18, 2021	Free Speech and Senate Bill 414The origin of free speech problems on campus lie primarily outside the classroom.
July 25, 2021	Ending the Pandemic UI Was a Rare Mistake by This AdministrationThe pandemic unemployment insurance payments were as close to a ‘free lunch’ for Hoosier taxpayers as anything we’ll ever receive.
August 1, 2021	Slowing Economy Caused by the UnvaccinatedIn just the last three months, more than 32,000 Americans died of COVID.
August 8, 2021	The Inflation Puzzle, Partly SolvedInflation reduces the standard of living of families and slows economic growth.
August 15, 2021	More Questions Than Answers About the Post-COVID WorkplaceWorkplaces vary widely in their degree of flexibility and productivity during the pandemic.
August 22, 2021	How to Think About the Infrastructure BillInfrastructure spending reallocates jobs far more often than it creates them.
August 29, 2021	COVID Reveals Regional InequalityThe latest jobs report captures the geographic clustering of COVID and economic performance.
September 5, 2021	The Evolving Nature of WorkWork has the potential to provide meaning and satisfaction, unconnected to the economic importance of the task at hand.
September 12, 2021	Lessons from Afghan Refugees and September 11Our fight against the extremists who attacked us 20 years ago is ongoing.
September 19, 2021	Vaccine Mandates Are Huge Cost SavingsMost individuals have dodged the financial cost of COVID health expenses, but insurance premiums are likely to rise.
September 26, 2021	What’s Happening in Labor MarketsWork environments and wages, as well as cost of care services, heavily influence choices in the current labor market.
October 3, 2021	Automation and Today’s Labor Market ChallengesThe process of workers matching with employers is messy and slow.
October 10, 2021	COVID and the Risks of Medical Care Delays As we think about the longer-term effects of COVID, we must consider how many people have deferred medical care because of the disease.
October 17, 2021	Market Adjustments Aren’t InflationToday, inflation is running far less than 1.0 percentage point off trend.
October 24, 2021	Deep Worries About Education and Employment Are Still With UsIndiana will start 2022 with three consecutive years of declining educational attainment of adults.
October 31, 2021	Who Can Fix Our Supply Chain Issues?Congress could ease logistics problems in any number of ways; the private sector is already at work.
November 7, 2021	READI Grants Already a SuccessThe READI Grant program asks communities to identify and prioritize their long-term development projects.
November 14, 2021	It Is Time to Be Honest About Debt, Spending and TaxationSpending that makes us more productive often pays for itself through increased GDP that is then taxed.
November 21, 2021	Tax Debate Should Be About Value of Government Services, Not PriceOver the past two decades, Indiana cut business taxes and saw agonizingly slow economic growth.
November 28, 2021	A Time to Give ThanksIf Mr. Lincoln could find reason to call us together for a day of gratitude, we can now have no cause to do otherwise.
December 5, 2021	Some More Talk About Inflation RisksA price increase does not equate inflation.
December 12, 2021	The 2022 ForecastFrom retail and restaurants to logistics and manufacturing firms, the U.S. economy has been astonishingly resilient.
December 19, 2021	READI Grant a Big Success and Important PolicyClusters of cities and counties do better with sharing ideas, vetting proposals and hiring talented staff.
December 26, 2021	Some Lessons from Hallmark Christmas MoviesA lot of economic ideas are packed into Hallmark movies.

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CBER Weekly Commentaries - 2021