Monthly Archives: December 2012

Universal childcare and preschool as a key to improving income mobility

Posted on December 12, 2012 by

Lane Kenworthy has a great op-ed in the Christian Science Monitor on the need for more government spending on kids. In this op-ed, he argues that  “The single most valuable step lawmakers could take [to increase opportunity for children from … Continue reading →

Posted in Distribution of benefits, Early childhood programs

Right-to-work laws and state economic development strategies

Posted on December 11, 2012 by

A high-profile issue right now, especially in Michigan, is the effects of state right-to-work laws on state economic development. As an economic development strategy, the adoption of a state right-to-work law is an uncertain and risky strategy, as I have … Continue reading →

Posted in Business incentives, Early childhood programs, Economic development

The secret of political success for pre-K programs

Posted on December 5, 2012 by

Sharon Lerner has an outstanding article in The American Prospect on universal pre-K in Oklahoma. She highlights how Oklahoma has succeeded in providing both access for all and high-quality pre-K services. Ms. Lerner also provides a valuable brief history of … Continue reading →

Posted in Early childhood programs

All business incentives are not created equal

Posted on December 4, 2012 by

Kenneth Thomas has a useful blog post pointing out that the New York Times database on business incentives, which accompanies Louise Story’s series, includes sales tax exemptions for business purchases of goods and services. Thomas’s figures, which are consistent with … Continue reading →

Posted in Business incentives, Economic development, Incentive design issues | 2 Comments

Film production incentives as economic development policy: why are they problematic?

Posted on December 4, 2012 by

Louise Story’s series in the New York Times on state and local business incentives concludes with an article (December 4, 2012) on film subsidies, highlighting Michigan’s experience. Why are film production incentives so problematic as economic development policy? I wrote … Continue reading →

Posted in Business incentives, Economic development, Incentive design issues

What should policymakers do about state and local business incentives?

Posted on December 2, 2012 by

Louise Story of the New York Times has a series, starting December 2nd (2012), on state and local business incentives. Full disclosure: I was interviewed by Ms. Story for the series, and I am quoted in the first article. From … Continue reading →

Posted in Business incentives, Incentive design issues, National vs. state vs. local