States Craft Plans to Stimulate Economy
States aren't waiting for help from Washington, D.C., to boost their economies. More than half a dozen have passed or proposed their own economic stimulus packages designed to reinvigorate local...
View ArticleMassachusetts leads in `new economy'
Massachusetts once again leads all other states in moving its economy away from the old industrial "smokestack-chasing" model to one based on technology, creativity and innovation, a new report...
View ArticleHouse stimulus plan wins state praise
State officials got their first look of the massive economic package worth $825 billion that Congress promises to deliver next month to President-elect Barack Obama, and many liked what they saw.
View ArticleStates cope with rising homelessness
As many as 3.4 million Americans are likely to experience homelessness this year - a 35 percent increase since the recession started in December 2007 - and a majority will be families with children....
View ArticleStates team up to save in tight times
The recession is pushing the governors of Minnesota and Wisconsin to team up to deliver some basic state services and save taxpayers on both sides of their border $10 million to start. States have been...
View ArticleHome insulation program takes heat
A little-known home insulation program for low-income families is getting a huge boost in funding under the Obama administration's economic stimulus plan, but critics doubt states will be able to hire...
View ArticleTracking the recession: USDA hands out stimulus money for flood projects
Eleven states receive funds that federal officials say will rebuild dams and strengthen rural economies.
View ArticleTracking the recession: States target jobs
Though unemployment is rising in nearly every state, aggressive efforts to create jobs are paying off - modestly - in many states.
View ArticleWeekly wrap: Feds release long-awaited stimulus job guidelines
The Obama administration tells state officials to take "a simple headcount" of jobs saved or created by the stimulus program. Meanwhile, the demand for some special jobs is soaring. Officials also warn...
View ArticleStudy: Which States Lose Out to China?
TODAY'S TAKE: Since 2001, when China entered the World Trade Organization, at least 2.4 million American jobs have been lost as a result of increased U.S. trade with that country, according to a new...
View ArticleWork Shared, Jobs Spared
A program called work sharing is helping thousands of companies avoid layoffs by cutting workers' hours and making up some of the lost wages with state unemployment benefits. At no additional cost to...
View ArticleCollateral Costs
Collateral Costs: Incarceration’s Effect on Economic Mobility was a collaborative effort between the Pew Charitable Trusts' Economic Mobility Project and its Public Safety Performance Project (PSPP)....
View ArticleOklahoma House Republicans Question Leader's Conservatism
TRANSITION WATCH: Kris Steele's focus on economic issues angers some right-leaning Oklahoma Republicans, Connecticut's new governor is likely to dictate the fate of tens of millions of state e-mails,...
View ArticleStates to Try Outsourcing Economic Development
Which works best - a government-run business promotion agency or a private one? We're about to learn some lessons.
View ArticleStudy Finds Details Lacking in Economic Development Deals
TODAY'S TAKE: Governors are placing a premium on economic development, moving aggressively to lure more private-sector jobs to their states. The public, however, often is kept in the dark about the...
View ArticleSouth Carolina Dials Up Pressure Over Boeing Plant
TODAY'S TAKE: South Carolina officials are complaining about an effort by the National Labor Relations Board to derail a $1 billion Boeing plant in their state, saying the NLRB would be undermining...
View ArticleIn California, a State and Local War Over Revenue and Responsibilities
PART THREE OF THREE: At a desperate fiscal moment, California's state legislators and city officials are barely on speaking terms. Governor Jerry Brown lacks the power to bring the feuding factions...
View ArticleSarah Emmans: States' Revenue Estimating
Sarah McLaughlin Emmans explains the process states use to forecast revenue, discusses the challenges that they continue to face, and outlines measures some states have used to improve accuracy.
View Article'Enterprise Zones' Expand, Draw Scrutiny
ECONOMY & BUSINESS BEAT: For decades, states have singled out blighted areas within their borders and offered tax credits to businesses that invest in them. But critics say such "enterprise zones"...
View ArticleWill Nevada Diversify Its Boom-and-Bust Economy?
ECONOMY & BUSINESS BEAT: The state that leads the nation in unemployment and foreclosures is doing some soul-searching over how to control its volatile economic cycles.
View ArticleTennessee Republicans See Threat in U.N. Plan
Republicans in the Tennessee House of Representatives say a 20-year-old United Nations program for sustainable development is “destructive and insidious.”
View ArticleEvidence Counts
A report by the Pew Center on the States concludes that 13 states are leading the way in generating much-needed answers about tax incentives’ effectiveness. Twelve states have mixed results. Half the...
View ArticleInteractive: Job Gains and Losses 2007-2012
While most states posted modest gains, Rhode Island, Wisconsin and New Hampshire were among seven states that lost jobs.
View ArticleCompeting Globally: Governors Give, Get Ideas
Politicians in hyper-partisan Washington may shun any proposal from across the aisle, but some governors aren’t shy about stealing a neighboring state’s idea and giving credit, regardless of their...
View ArticleIllinois Gov. Quinn Unveils $1.6 Billion in Transit Projects
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn set in motion more than $1.6 billion in new transportation projects, which he says will create 20,000 jobs and relieve both vehicle and rail traffic congestion across his state.
View ArticleRhode Island Faces an Investment Gone Awry
After an investment many questioned from the beginning, Curt Schilling’s 38 Studios bankruptcy has left Rhode Island with a significant debt to pay, and facing questions over the future of economic...
View ArticleArt for the Economy’s Sake
After years of budget cuts, state funding for the arts is making a comeback.
View ArticleRedevelopment in California: The Program That Disappeared
One of the oldest urban redevelopment programs in the country went out of existence this year. Cities in California have yet to recover from the blow.
View ArticleBond Measures Put Some Governors’ Clout on Line
Some governors are urging voters to approve bond issues as way to boost their states’ economies.
View ArticleVoters Approve More State Debt
Voters in New Jersey and Alabama heed their governors’ call and approve bond issues as a way to boost their states’ economies.
View ArticleOklahoma Among States Limiting Property Taxes
Lowering property taxes is always popular, and results from the November 6 elections show this year was no exemption
View ArticleTexas Cancer Agency Fights Controversy
The state’s $3 billion effort to attack cancer is under fire for the way some awards have been made.
View ArticleAvoiding Blank Checks
Two up-front steps can help states create fiscally sound tax incentives. When policy makers omit these steps, they leave their states vulnerable to unexpected budget challenges.
View ArticleState Tax Incentives for Economic Development
This collection of research highlights steps that states can take to create fiscally sound state tax incentives and to determine whether existing incentives are generating solid economic returns.
View ArticleEconomic Development Agencies Face New Scrutiny
When Wisconsin partially privatized its Department of Commerce last year, the hope was to create a less bureaucratic job creation organization. Since then, though, the new entity has faced a series of...
View ArticleSales Tax Breaks Erode State Revenues
As shoppers in 15 states rush to buy tax-free clothing and school supplies this August, some lawmakers are experiencing buyer's remorse: Their "sales-tax holidays" are pinching revenues at a time when...
View ArticleWhich States Tax Your Travel the Most?
Your vacation dollar won’t go as far in some destinations because of state and local travel taxes.
View ArticleJackson Free Press: Lawmakers Must Decide on Raft of Tax-cut Bills
How much is too much? When it comes to tax cuts, that's the question that lawmakers and Gov. Phil Bryant must decide in coming weeks.
View ArticleAtlanta Journal-Constitution: Incentives for companies in Georgia sometimes...
Hungry for jobs, Georgia has spent hundreds of millions of public dollars in the last decade on grants to recruit and retain businesses.
View ArticleAtlanta Journal-Constitution: Evaluate State Job Incentives
Are Georgians getting a good return on the millions of state tax dollars spent each year on economic development incentives? Opinions on that question are plentiful, but missing from the debate is the...
View ArticleStates Use Connections to Boost China Exports
As President Obama prepares for his visit with the new Chinese President Xi in California this weekend, some states have already cultivated business ties to China and Xi.
View ArticleHow Did States Create Jobs?
States this year awarded tax breaks to businesses, touted worker-training programs and even poached jobs from each other to boost their economies and create work for the nearly 12 million Americans...
View ArticleHow Many Jobs Did Your State Create?
Oil-rich North Dakota boasted the largest over-the-year percentage increase in employment, and Texas created the most jobs over the past year.
View ArticleRhode Island Requires Tax Incentive Evaluations
Earlier this month, Rhode Island adopted a law requiring that economic development tax incentives undergo regular and rigorous evaluations. The legislation passed the General Assembly and was signed by...
View ArticleRhode Island's Plan for Evaluating Tax Incentives
Rhode Island's reforms will help the state base its economic development strategy on solid evidence. Here's how the evaluation process works.
View ArticleBangor Daily News: With Tax Breaks, Maine Should Take Cue From Financial...
For years, the Maine Legislature has added dozens of tax credits, exemptions and refunds to the state’s tax code. Rarely have lawmakers revisited those carve-outs to assess whether they’re...
View ArticleIsraeli Technology Draws U.S. States
With its reputation for innovation, Israel is a big draw for governors wanting to boost their economies. Some states are doing better than others.
View ArticleFive Years After Crash, States Still Picking Up Pieces
Could some states dip back into recession? Most are recovering, but only a handful of states are churning out jobs five years after the financial crash.
View ArticleFinancial Crisis: 5 Years Later and Still Not Recovered
Five years has not been long enough for most states to recover from the damage inflicted by the Great Recession, in spite of falling unemployment and recovering tax revenues.
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