Center for Business and Economic Research - Ball State University

CBER Data Center

About

Commentaries are published weekly and distributed through the Indianapolis Star and many other print and online publications. Disclaimer

Recent

The Economy Today – What’s Going On?The economic drag of tariffs will take many months to be felt in full.

The IEDC Mess Is Bigger Than One AuditAll told, Hoosier taxpayers probably spent $70,000 in economic development for every net job created in the state.

A Data Center StudyData centers have almost no local economic effects, with one possible exception.

The Resurrection of Keynesianism—in a MAGA HatThese economic policies are right out of the old-school Keynesianism of the ’60s and ’70s.

Top Tags

jobs and employment	274
economics	214
state and local government	200
education	196
indiana	183
economic development	178
law and public policy	159
taxes	156
budget and spending	156
workforce and human capital	149

Browse all tags

Reporter / Admin Login

Commentaries tagged with public

September 21, 2025	Summoning Better and Braver AngelsIt is necessary to speak plainly about the political violence that threatens all our freedoms.
April 20, 2025	The Unanticipated Effects of SB1Businesses, governments and households may all feel the effects.
March 2, 2025	What Is Government Inefficiency?Different levels of government concern themselves with different problems.
June 16, 2024	What Is Driving Misperceptions About the Economy?In a recent survey, more than half of Americans said the economy is shrinking, when in fact it has been growing steadily for four years.
April 21, 2024	Some Thoughts on the Caitlin Clark EffectAdvance ticket sales for WNBA games in Indianapolis are at record levels—and record prices.
July 17, 2022	My 750th ColumnColumns like mine are designed to help people think about issues they might otherwise not read about.
September 12, 2021	Lessons from Afghan Refugees and September 11Our fight against the extremists who attacked us 20 years ago is ongoing.
July 4, 2021	The Ideals of Independence DayLiberty flows from the simple act of being human, not from government, religion, ancestry or race.
May 21, 2017	Some Hard Truths on School Funding in IndianaThere are four sources of revenues for schools.
May 31, 2015	Thinking Warmly about Public PoolsCommunity pools serve as a ‘public good’ for the surrounding area.
March 8, 2015	Market Forces Have Changed Teacher EducationTwo factors affect enrollment in teaching programs, but not the factors many think of first.
April 21, 2013	Terror Bombings and the Broader EconomyWith the exception of 9/11, we Americans have been spared much of the bombing terror that is a part of life in much of the world.
July 9, 2012	Smart Cuts in GovernmentIt is often argued that government workers are overpaid and over-benefitted, but I think that the composition of the government workforce is a more pressing matter.
April 16, 2012	Accounting Mistakes and Local Government ReformThe $206 million in late payments is about half the total tax revenue our states' woefully mismanaged townships kept sitting in the bank over the past several years.

JavaScript is currently disabled in your browser. For full functionality of this website, JavaScript must be enabled. If you need assistance, Enable-JavaScript.com provides instructions.