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

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The views expressed in these commentaries do not reflect those of Ball State University or the Center for Business and Economic Research.

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The Recovery Has Not Been Kind to IndianaIndiana should have enjoyed a far more robust economic recovery.

Economic Policies Stuck in the 1960sToday, we have fewer of the ‘footloose’ jobs and more of the ‘non-footloose’ jobs that depend on local sales.

Time for an Education Tax IncreaseNothing predicts the income of a region better than the average education of its citizens.

Beware Claims of a Golden Age in Our EconomyWe cannot go back, and are naïve to want to do so.

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Commentaries tagged with state and local government

November 25, 2019 Time for an Education Tax IncreaseNothing predicts the income of a region better than the average education of its citizens.
September 8, 2019 The Costs of Natural DisastersNatural disasters impose costs on society, businesses, households and government.
August 25, 2019 Lessons Learned from an Economic Development DebacleModern factories with emissions don’t belong near populated places.
August 18, 2019 Disdain for Voters at Root of Tax IncentivesTax incentives come at the expense of local taxpayers and taxing units.
June 16, 2019 My Talk to School SuperintendentsFuture job skills are likely to demand more fundamental learning.
May 30, 2019 Our ‘Business-Centric’ Model Is Wrong and HurtfulMistaking the economy of a nation or region as one giant company can lead to deep policy mistakes.
May 19, 2019 Our New Immigration StudyNew immigrants in Indiana should be especially welcomed.
April 28, 2019 Immigration Was the Bright Spot in the 2018 Indiana Population DataOnly 15 of Indiana’s 92 counties grew faster than the nation as a whole.
April 14, 2019 We Need to Send 10,000 More Hoosier Kids to College Next YearIf only 20 percent of the gains of higher education are due to actual learning or acquired skills, it may still be the best investment our state and local governments can make.
April 7, 2019 Diverging Regional EconomiesThe places that are most eager to attract new factories are far less likely to get them.
March 24, 2019 A Frank Column on Education, Subsidies and PayWe should be very careful about promoting job training in careers that offer low wages.
March 17, 2019 Beware Panacea for Economic GrowthAs a stand-alone feature of economic growth, only human capital matters.
March 3, 2019 Some Unpleasant News on Education Spending PrioritiesThe State of Indiana funds K-12 education, and school boards pay teachers.
January 27, 2019 Local Newspapers Are Key in Reporting CorruptionResearch suggests that newspaper closures lead to higher costs of local government borrowing.
January 6, 2019 Brookings Study Paints Grim Picture of Indiana’s Workforce Investment FocusWe are focusing our workforce spending towards yesterday’s jobs and doing little to prepare workers for the skills needed to enter the careers of the future.
November 18, 2018 Amazon LessonsThe clearest lesson of Amazon is that people matter to business location decisions, probably more than everything else combined.
October 28, 2018 Thinking About the Next RecessionThe good is news is that labor markets seem strong, jobs are plentiful and wages may be rising.
October 7, 2018 Amazon and Some Harsh Facts About Pay and Labor ShortagesIn several industries, businesses are unwilling or unable to pay market wages for the workers they want.
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.
May 20, 2018 School Referenda and Local GovernmentRecent examples reinforce the simple notions of local governance.
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.
March 25, 2018 Schools Need Bolder ActionEvery extra dollar must be spent on educating Muncie’s children and restoring confidence in the future.
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.
January 14, 2018 School Financial Problems an Important Issue for This Legislative SessionSchool children in poor areas receive more funding than students in rich areas.
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 29, 2017 Gas Tax Hike Popular Evidence of Good GovernanceTaxpayers generally support higher taxes when they can reasonably expect better public services for them.
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 23, 2017 Automation, Trade and Urbanization Require More Resilient People and PlacesOur study implies that regional inequality might be poised for a big increase.
June 11, 2017 Illinois a Joking Matter No LongerThe scale of Chicago’s problems are eye-popping.
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.
March 19, 2017 Taxing Robots Is NonsenseBill Gates is right to worry about tax systems, but he takes the wrong approach in solution.
January 22, 2017 The Wrong Political Message Won’t Help Our EconomyTo create jobs, focus on places, not businesses.
January 8, 2017 Indiana’s Dwindling Tax BaseAn adjustment to our sales and gas taxes may pave the way for better infrastructure and education.
October 30, 2016 Don’t Miss the ‘Unseen’ EconomyMaybe the best example of the unseen economy is local economic development.
September 11, 2016 Cut the Tax Cut Debate, Spend the Money WiselyLet’s focus on workers, not businesses.
March 6, 2016 The Irony of Dark Boxes and TIFBig box stores kill other big box stores.
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.
January 17, 2016 Some Cures for Indiana’s Troubled Local Government FinanceTo fund schools, parks, and roads, we must tackle three things.
January 3, 2016 Regional Cities and Stellar Communities Are Revolutionary PoliciesStellar Communities and the Regional Cities Initiative are leading Indiana’s economic development efforts into the 21st century.
November 15, 2015 Plans for the Regional Cities Initiative Are RevealingLet's briefly review the proposed initiatives.
July 19, 2015 Workers Aren’t CommoditiesEconomic development and business attraction are misunderstood.
June 28, 2015 Some Truth about Hoosier School BudgetsToday’s funding is tied to students, not schools.
March 1, 2015 We Need to Study, Modify and Preserve TIFIn the coming months we must better understand the characteristics of good and bad TIFs using data, not just anecdote.
January 25, 2015 Rockport Bill Is a Net Job KillerThough it may create jobs locally, this plan likely would increase tax costs and decrease jobs statewide.
October 5, 2014 More Wisdom in Tax Increment FinancingThe arrival of new sporting goods store raises questions about local government policy.
October 11, 2010 The Drivers License Odyssey…previously licensed to drive an M1 Tank and various smaller tracked and wheeled vehicles. Obtaining an Indiana license, he thought, would be easy. It was not.

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