Category Archives: Economic development

Continued high unemployment and early childhood programs, Part I

Posted on June 7, 2011 by timbartik

Last Friday’s monthly labor market report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics yielded disappointing news. The unemployment rate ticked up from 9.0% to 9.1%. Job growth was only 54,000 jobs. This is less than the approximately 125,000 job growth … Continue reading →

Posted in Early childhood programs, Economic development | 1 Comment

What works in job creation and economic development

Posted on June 2, 2011 by timbartik

Yesterday, I gave the keynote address to a conference organized by the National Employment Law Project (NELP). The NELP conference focused on grassroots ideas for creating jobs and economic opportunities in local communities. My keynote address was entitled “What Works … Continue reading →

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Comments on Michigan’s just enacted budget

Posted on May 31, 2011 by timbartik

The State of Michigan has just passed its 2011-2012 budget.  The Early Childhood Investment Corporation of Michigan has provided some news coverage of the implications of this budget for early childhood program. As the article’s lead says, the budget is … Continue reading →

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Good policy analysis requires thinking about overall effects of feasible policy options

Posted on May 25, 2011 by timbartik

A recent conversation with a reporter involved some discussion of how individuals frequently analyze the effects of public policies from a perspective that is too narrow. Good policy analysis requires looking at ALL the effects of a feasible policy package. … Continue reading →

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Michigan’s recently-enacted business tax cuts

Posted on May 23, 2011 by timbartik

Several reporters have recently asked for my opinion on the business tax cuts recently enacted in Michigan. These business tax cuts lower the main state business tax in Michigan by about $1.7 billion annually. Will these tax cuts succeed in … Continue reading →

Posted in Business incentives, Economic development | 1 Comment

The special value of greater capability for local earnings

Posted on May 19, 2011 by timbartik

I’ve been reading Martha Nussbaum’s just-published book, Creating Capabilities: The Human Development Approach. Martha Nussbaum is a well-known philosopher at the University of Chicago. She is one of the co-creators (with Nobel-prize-winning economist Amartya Sen) of what is sometimes called … Continue reading →

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An example of an economic development organization that understands that early childhood education is part of economic development

Posted on May 18, 2011 by timbartik

One of my web searches came across a recent blog post from the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) about early childhood education. SMIF states its vision as follows: “Since 1986, Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation has been a catalyst for economic … Continue reading →

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Powerpoint on early childhood programs and local economic development

Posted on May 9, 2011 by timbartik

I gave a talk this morning to the Youth Human Capital and Economic Development Network. This network is sponsored by the Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Working Group of the Milton Friedman Institute at the University of Chicago. This overall … Continue reading →

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The economic development benefits of reducing the earnings penalty of mental illness

Posted on April 22, 2011 by timbartik

In chapter 12 of Investing in Kids, I consider a wide variety of improvements in a state’s human capital, and their potential economic development benefits for a state economy. One human capital improvement I consider is reducing the earnings penalty … Continue reading →

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More devilish details about educational investments versus business tax cuts

Posted on April 19, 2011 by timbartik

A previous post responded to a question from an early childhood and education program advocate, who is trying to convince state legislators and their staff that educational investments compare favorably with business tax cuts. Their question was: “Do we have … Continue reading →

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