Category Archives: Business incentives

Why some business tax credits are so costly per job created

Posted on October 12, 2012 by timbartik

A just-posted working paper, by my colleague Kevin Hollenbeck and me, examined the state of Washington’s business tax credit for R&D spending.  Our conclusion is that this tax credit is quite costly per job created.  The cost per job-year created … Continue reading →

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New York Times magazine article on Kalamazoo Promise

Posted on September 13, 2012 by timbartik

Journalist Ted Fishman’s article on the Kalamazoo Promise (see previous blog post for description of the Promise) appears in the September 16 Sunday magazine of the New York Times. The article can be found here. The article describes the many … Continue reading →

Posted in Business incentives, Early childhood programs, Economic development | 1 Comment

Business taxation and state economic development goals

Posted on August 31, 2012 by timbartik

The Upjohn Institute has posted a recent working paper of mine, co-authored with my colleague George Erickcek, that looks at how different types of business tax cuts affect economic development goals such as job creation. The Institute’s website also right … Continue reading →

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What is a good business climate for job creation? Changing the conventional wisdom

Posted on June 1, 2012 by timbartik

Most people use some simple principles to guide their judgments about public policy. I think this is quite understandable. Why should we expect most people to spend their time trying to interpret conflicting empirical studies? As a recent blog post … Continue reading →

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Why relocation doesn’t solve local labor market problems

Posted on May 28, 2012 by timbartik

Well-known blogger Matt Yglesias has an interesting post commenting on labor economist Enrico Moretti’s recent Wall Street Journal column. Moretti argues that policymakers should help workers to move away from high unemployment metro areas. (Moretti’s column is based in part … Continue reading →

Posted in Business incentives, Early childhood programs, Economic development, National vs. state vs. local | Comments Off on Why relocation doesn’t solve local labor market problems

Improving evaluation of economic development programs

Posted on April 30, 2012 by timbartik

The Pew Center on the States recently released a major study analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of what states are currently doing to assess their tax incentives for economic development. (I should disclose that I reviewed an advance copy of … Continue reading →

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Early childhood programs and local economic development: supply-side economics or Keynesian economics?

Posted on February 14, 2012 by timbartik

I recently encountered the statement that my book was in some way based on Keynesian economics, which is thought by some to be politically controversial. I have nothing against Keynesian economics as a way of analyzing business cycles and macroeconomic … Continue reading →

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Generating good jobs: what role for government?

Posted on January 23, 2012 by timbartik

I have been asked by some persons my reaction to the recent New York Times article by Motoko Rich on state customized job training programs. I have argued that state customized job training programs can be an effective way of … Continue reading →

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How socially valuable is additional employment?

Posted on December 5, 2011 by timbartik

I have a new working paper available that looks at how job-creating policies should be evaluated in benefit-cost analyses. The paper is technical, and is mainly addressed to economists interested in benefit-cost analysis. However, the paper’s findings have some important … Continue reading →

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Two new reviews of “Investing in Kids”

Posted on December 2, 2011 by timbartik

Two new book reviews have been published of my book Investing in Kids. One review  appeared in Business Economics, the academic journal of the National Association for Business Economics. This review is by Steve Barnett, one of the leading scholars … Continue reading →

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