jobs and employment	266
economics	208
state and local government	191
education	190
indiana	176
economic development	174
taxes	149
budget and spending	149
law and public policy	148
workforce and human capital	142

Commentaries tagged with quality of life and placemaking

July 13, 2025	A Golden Age of Economic ColumnistsThe recent mayoral primaries in NYC provide plentiful material for discussion.
June 29, 2025	More Changes to Economic Development Policy Are NeededThe IEDC board should consider whether they should be picking winners and losers in both business attraction and location.
June 22, 2025	We Have a Healthy Middle ClassThe biggest issue in the middle class involves changes to consumption, not earnings.
June 15, 2025	Economic Freedom Is Essential, but It Isn’t Just TaxesBusinesses and households prioritize standard of living among other factors.
April 27, 2025	Time to Fix Economic Development PolicyAllocating tax dollars to land development won’t cause economic growth.
April 20, 2025	The Unanticipated Effects of SB1Businesses, governments and households may all feel the effects.
April 6, 2025	American Scientific Brain Drain Is Now HappeningUniversities need to be free, not conformist.
March 30, 2025	The Birth and Death of Rustbelt CitiesEducational attainment is the fundamental factor leading to city growth or decline.
March 23, 2025	What the Census Tells Hoosiers About the FutureKeeping things the same really isn’t an option for communities.
March 9, 2025	A 1960s Rural Development PlanFarming and manufacturing jobs aren’t coming back, even as we hit new production records.
February 23, 2025	I Am Confused by Tax ProposalsIndiana, like almost every other government in the world, taxes three things: wealth, consumption and income.
February 16, 2025	The End of DEI and a Call to ActionHow can we ensure that everyone has equal access to schooling, health care and economic opportunity?
February 2, 2025	The Great State of Illiana (or is it Indinois?)Deep economic divergence has gripped the United States for four decades.
December 15, 2024	Indiana’s Commission on Higher Education Issues an Eye-Opening ReportOur current level of educational attainment and college attendance rates puts us squarely in the bottom 10 states and territories.
December 8, 2024	Sorting and Policy DivergenceWithout room for state-level differences in what it meant to be a Republican or Democrat, states began to align with national politics.
November 3, 2024	My Apology to LogansportThe city is well known as an immigration success story in the Midwest.
October 20, 2024	Lessons in Home PricesIndiana’s dominant housing problem is a surplus of homes that are unlikely to ever again be occupied.
October 13, 2024	Worsening Brain DrainThe declining educational spending at state universities should be of big interest to elected officials in all the towns around public universities.
September 22, 2024	Indiana’s Small Towns Need More ImmigrantsMany Midwestern counties are in their fourth or fifth decade of population decline.
September 1, 2024	Urban Growth Dominates the US Economy – and Puts Rural Places at RiskEducation becomes more important as more people become educated.
August 25, 2024	Three Property Tax PlansThere are problems with each of these tax proposals from our gubernatorial candidates.
August 18, 2024	What would a conservative tax system look like?There are three big things we can tax: wealth, income and spending.
July 21, 2024	Why Don’t We Learn from Economic Development Failures?Educational attainment alone is now a more powerful predictor of a region’s economic success than everything else combined.
July 7, 2024	Freedom Is DifficultSimply living in the United States is as easy as it gets, and almost always has been.
June 30, 2024	Silly Tax Cut ProposalsIn Indiana, a 1 percent increase in the average tax rate leads to a 2 percent increase in population growth.
June 2, 2024	Regional Cities Initiative, an Economic BoonBehind the concept was a clear understanding that most economic growth was happening in cities with solid quality-of-life investments.
May 5, 2024	US Debt Will Change Local Economic Development PoliciesThere’s no tax cut that will generate rapid economic growth, nor is there some magical spending mix that will cause a big spike in productivity.
April 21, 2024	Some Thoughts on the Caitlin Clark EffectAdvance ticket sales for WNBA games in Indianapolis are at record levels—and record prices.
April 14, 2024	The Midwest Is Struggling in the Post-COVID WorldWe are chasing past economic glories rather than pursuing economic opportunities of the future.
April 7, 2024	What Caused the Midwest to Thrive? EducationIndiana was universally literate before England was.
March 24, 2024	The Lasting Effect of the KKK in IndianaIndiana had the highest share of residents in the Klan at any time in history.
March 3, 2024	Indiana Needs More Municipal FlexibilityCities aren’t just critical to Indiana’s economy, they are the future of Indiana’s economy.
February 25, 2024	SB202 Offers the Wrong Solutions to a Real ProblemMy reference to ideological imbalance refers to the creation of an artificial close-mindedness that stifles debate, isolates important perspectives and diminishes the richness of a college education.
November 5, 2023	Municipal Elections Are Critical to Your ProsperityIn Indiana’s cities, like most cities nationwide, the problems mayors face aren’t partisan issues.
October 22, 2023	Economic Perceptions Driven by Educational and Geographic Differences in ProsperityThe geography of economic opportunity is shrinking.
September 3, 2023	Work From Home Is Here to StayAt least 1 million Hoosiers work from home at least one day per week.
August 13, 2023	A More Thoughtful Understanding of Quality of LifeRunning through a hypothetical list of amenities is the worst way to think about improving quality of life.
July 30, 2023	The Midwest Doesn’t Have a Housing Crisis, It Has a Neighborhood CrisisIn many areas, a new home cannot sell for the cost of construction.
July 23, 2023	Populists Are Wrong—Life Is Better TodayMany problems arise when comparing the past to today.
July 9, 2023	Human Capital Is the Source of ProsperitySuccessful places are both good for business and good for families.
June 25, 2023	Growing and Declining Places Have Different ChallengesThe Midwest came of age at a time when natural amenities and recreational opportunities played only a modest role in prosperity or migration.
May 14, 2023	Re-Thinking Economic Development A large share of the most mobile families—perhaps half—no longer need to live near where they work.
April 23, 2023	Economic Opportunity Is Now in High Quality of Life PlacesAs Americans grew richer, we began to value more than just economic opportunity in our location choices.
March 19, 2023	Remote Work Through the Eyes of Three 20-SomethingsRemote work is here to stay.
March 12, 2023	Remote Work and Labor MarketsThere are more remote workers today than there are immigrants in the U.S.
March 5, 2023	The Amish in IndianaIt is hard not to draw similarities between the Amish and newer immigrant groups.
February 26, 2023	Subsidizing Builders Fixes the Wrong Housing ProblemRemote workers and their families can now live wherever they wish.
January 15, 2023	Three Types of Public DebtAll types of public debt are effectively transfers of wealth from the future to our present selves.
January 8, 2023	Remote Work Is Indiana’s Biggest Opportunity and RiskThere are now more Hoosiers in remote work than there are in manufacturing and logistics combined.
January 1, 2023	The CHIPS Act Was Wise LegislationSemiconductors are a key part of national defense, among other industries.
December 11, 2022	READI Grant Is Great for Most of IndianaBusinesses and households value public services more highly than public infrastructure spending.
November 27, 2022	Economic Optimism and Worry on ThanksgivingThe balance of power between freedom and tyranny has never been this favorable.
November 6, 2022	Adopt the Governor’s Public Health Commission Report Proposals Hoosier health problems are in areas that are the most susceptible to public health interventions.
October 9, 2022	A Recession Is Time to Think About the Long TermManufacturing employment is now a smaller part of our economy than it was in previous downturns.
August 14, 2022	SB1 Will Be Deeply Damaging to Indiana’s EconomyPublic policy is about trade-offs, it is just imperative to know what they are.
July 31, 2022	Trying to Measure the Effect of Abortion Bans on Our EconomyThe effect we see right now is vastly different from what we’ll see in a few years.
July 24, 2022	Why Are Rich Places Growing and Poor Places in Decline?To participate in a new economy, a community’s workforce must possess the ability to absorb new skills that may be vastly different from what they currently know.
July 17, 2022	My 750th ColumnColumns like mine are designed to help people think about issues they might otherwise not read about.
May 22, 2022	The Undersupply of College Graduates Is Clobbering Indiana’s EconomyNationwide, about 8 in 10 of all net new jobs go to 4-year college graduates.
May 1, 2022	Lilly CEO Speaks to Indiana’s FutureIndiana must better educate a higher share of its young adults and make more communities into places they’d like to live.
April 3, 2022	The U.S. Job Creation MachineNo U.S. state, and very few cities, have more ‘global’ jobs than they did in the spring of 1992.
March 27, 2022	A Tough Two Decades for the Hoosier EconomyMost of Indiana’s job growth this century has been in low-wage work.
March 20, 2022	Quality of Life Spending Is a Conservative PolicyHome prices and wages signal the desirability of communities.
January 23, 2022	Indiana’s Long-Term Economic Prospects Are PoorState policymakers should be deeply alarmed about a return to a ‘normal’ economy.
December 26, 2021	Some Lessons from Hallmark Christmas MoviesA lot of economic ideas are packed into Hallmark movies.
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.
November 7, 2021	READI Grants Already a SuccessThe READI Grant program asks communities to identify and prioritize their long-term development projects.
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.
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.
June 13, 2021	Some Early Census Results for IndianaPeople are the driving force of economic growth.
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.
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 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.
March 7, 2021	Our Biggest Economic Challenge Is School Funding Better educational attainment both causes and is caused by a better economy.
February 21, 2021	Questions from an Economic ForecastThe economic recovery is in the hands of vaccine distributors, not economic policymakers.
December 27, 2020	Some Thoughts on the Coal EconomyMany of the cities and towns born in the Industrial Revolution have lost their original economic reason for being.
December 13, 2020	How to Stop Worrying About National PoliticsLocal government requires pragmatic competence, not ideological showmanship.
November 29, 2020	Regional Divergence and Local TaxesIn recent decades, nearly all large urban places thrived, while smaller cities and rural places mostly stagnated.
October 25, 2020	Indiana’s Hidden Fiscal DeficitSince 2009, Indiana slipped in every key measure of long-term growth.
October 18, 2020	Honest Self-Assessment Key to Future Growth If community leaders are focused on the short term, there is a natural tendency to ignore long term problems.
October 4, 2020	Some Thoughts on the Rural-Urban DivideRural places are culturally and ethnically diverse and face different challenges from urban places.
August 30, 2020	Gresham’s Law and Subsidized ApartmentsTax dollars that should’ve gone to schools, public safety and other purposes will now supporting new ‘executive housing.’
April 19, 2020	No Better Time to Rethink Economic Development SpendingCongress made clear that many not-for-profits provide local benefits that make the nation stronger.
February 23, 2020	Returning to Economic Growth Requires PatienceThere are no quick solutions, only long ones.
October 13, 2019	What Can Economic Development Research Do for Your Community?Nearly 70 million Americans live in counties that are losing population.
June 23, 2019	Low Cost of Living Probably Means Low-Valued CommunityThe value of two identical homes will vary by as much as 25 percent given the quality of the local schools.
April 7, 2019	Diverging Regional EconomiesThe places that are most eager to attract new factories are far less likely to get them.
February 17, 2019	Housing Demand in Indiana’s CommunitiesThe traditional economic factors of supply and demand explain nearly all new home construction in Indiana’s counties.
September 23, 2018	Critiques of Capitalism All About State and Local PoliciesYoung people turning to our workforce development system will find it focused wholly on supplying workers to businesses rather than offering a resource for career-minded adults.
August 5, 2018	Midwest Must Save Middle Class NeighborhoodsIf your community isn’t thriving, your problems are far deeper than you suppose.
June 17, 2018	Midwest Communities Need Fact-Based Leadership, Not BromidesFar too many people view their city or county as a business with a marketing problem.
April 29, 2018	A Not-So-Quiet Revolution in Economic DevelopmentThe economic development of the past 50 years has cheapened our land, immiserated workers, and starved local governments of much needed revenues.
April 22, 2018	A Tax and Spending AnecdoteIt is not the tax rate the matters, but rather the value we receive from taxes that informs our choices.
April 1, 2018	Think More Deeply About Community Strengths and WeaknessesSome forces pull people to cities, while others move them out.
March 11, 2018	Rustbelt Cities Must Focus on Middle Class NeighborhoodsSchool quality is always the most pressing issue for middle class neighborhoods, but other amenities matter. The cost of improving amenities in communities that are likely to survive for several decades is very small.
March 11, 2018	Rustbelt Cities Must Focus on Middle Class NeighborhoodsSchool quality is always the most pressing issue for middle class neighborhoods, but other amenities matter. The cost of improving amenities in communities that are likely to survive for several decades is very small.
February 26, 2018	School Choice Saves CommunitiesAll school choice did was let students flee underperforming schools without forcing families to move.
February 11, 2018	Housing Shortages Are Really Neighborhood ProblemsA third of the variation of home prices in a city are determined by school quality.
February 4, 2018	Most Indiana Counties Should Stop Pursuing Economic GrowthEighty or more Indiana counties are in absolute or relative decline.
January 28, 2018	HB 1315 Is a Pragmatic Fix to Muncie School DilemmaThis school corporation needs a restoration of confidence before it can achieve any real stability.
December 3, 2017	Indiana Doesn’t Have a Jobs ProblemBusinesses in Indiana offer jobs that far outnumber the unemployed.
November 19, 2017	Population Decline Is No MysteryMost folks in declining cities and towns seemingly have no idea why they are in decline.
October 22, 2017	Rustbelt Was Losing People Long Before They Lost Factory JobsIn the 1960s, population decline was already evident in the fated Rustbelt cities.
October 15, 2017	The Lessons of GDP DataPlaces that are doing well have shifted their focus to attracting people, not factories.
September 24, 2017	Time to Quit Building Business Incubators, Co-Working Spaces and Maker’s SpacesThese spaces do not significantly improve the local economy.
July 2, 2017	The Wisdom of Long-Run ThinkingIndiana has few centers of rapid growth, but most counties must rethink their plan for the next 50 years.
June 25, 2017	Some Economics of Food DesertsFood deserts are more about poor places than poor people.
June 4, 2017	Municipal Pools and Parks MatterThe real purpose of municipal recreational facilities is to provide benefits that would otherwise be unlikely to accrue to a community.
February 12, 2017	Bad Ideas Have Real CostsInstead of focusing on local food, focus on local schools and neighborhoods.
January 22, 2017	The Wrong Political Message Won’t Help Our EconomyTo create jobs, focus on places, not businesses.
December 25, 2016	Holiday Season a Good Time to Think About Personal ChoiceWe make choices about leisure, labor, making a living, and building a life.
October 2, 2016	Economic Changes Mean Primacy of Place MattersMaking cities good for workers is good for business.
September 11, 2016	Cut the Tax Cut Debate, Spend the Money WiselyLet’s focus on workers, not businesses.
May 15, 2016	Economic Development Conference is a ‘Must Attend’ EventSchool improvement is the first step in modern economic development policies.
April 3, 2016	Population Numbers Offer Warning to Indiana We should shift our focus from rural to urban communities.
February 14, 2016	Economic Development Policies Point to Bigger Statewide ProblemsTheir problem isn’t that they have too few jobs, but rather that the folks who hold those jobs don’t want to live in those counties.
February 7, 2016	Practical Men, Economic Development and Long-Dead EconomistsThe import-export economic base model is an outdated concept.
January 17, 2016	Some Cures for Indiana’s Troubled Local Government FinanceTo fund schools, parks, and roads, we must tackle three things.
November 15, 2015	Plans for the Regional Cities Initiative Are RevealingLet's briefly review the proposed initiatives.
November 1, 2015	Mayor’s Election All About Primacy of PlaceModern economic development policies have been in the spotlight thanks to municipal election debates.
October 4, 2015	Lessons from a Public LectureResearch now convincingly argues that relative city size is mostly influenced by the location choices of more educated households and agglomerations.
September 27, 2015	The Lessons of Mounds LakeThe myriad problems with the proposal came to light in a democratic process that spanned several months.
July 19, 2015	Workers Aren’t CommoditiesEconomic development and business attraction are misunderstood.
June 21, 2015	Watch Economic Development SpendingBusinesses must locate where their customers are, not where economic developers lure them.
May 31, 2015	Thinking Warmly about Public PoolsCommunity pools serve as a ‘public good’ for the surrounding area.
March 15, 2015	The Borg-Warner Natatorium; Repurposing Hoosier FactoriesMany vacant properties will never again be used for their original purpose.
February 8, 2015	A Re-Look at the “Creative Class”How do communities attract workers employed in the jobs of tomorrow?
June 15, 2014	The Fault in Our Film Tax CreditsTax incentives caused this Indianapolis-set movie to be shot in another state.

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Commentaries tagged with quality of life and placemaking