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(February 2010) Government will emerge as Arkansas’ largest labor market sector this decade if two long-term employment trends continue to advance. The Policy Foundation published a 2003 memo (“Convergence”) that forecast total Arkansas Government employment would exceed Manufacturing employment given long-term trends. The memo identified two trends: long-term contraction in Arkansas Manufacturing, and growth in […]

How weak is the current Arkansas jobs market? The recession officially ended in June 2009 (National Bureau of Economic Research) but the number of employed Arkansans is less than December 2007 when it started. In fact, Arkansas nonfarm employment has declined to 2004 levels, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).  Arkansas entrepreneurs created world-famous […]

  “ARKids First ‘B’ program spending exceeds inflation, income growth.” “The long-term liabilities of the ARKids First program should be identified.” Policy Foundation memos, 2006 (January 21, 2010) The public (government) option that served as the basis for various congressional proposals failed for several reasons including grass-roots opposition from taxpayers sympathetic to the Tea Party […]

  (December 2009) Arkansas will see a reduction in job growth, with 17,100 to 23,300 fewer jobs in 2030 under a ‘Cap-and-Trade’ proposal, according to a new study by the Arkansas Policy Foundation and the American Council for Capital Formation. Margo Thorning, Ph.D, and Pinar Cebi Wilber, Ph.D authored the study, which concludes: “If federal […]

  “In order for Arkansas to move from a low-wage to a high-wage economy, the state needs to decrease marginal tax rates … In order to attract (high-income) workers to Arkansas.” (Murphy Commission, 1998) “Commodity booms in the 1970s and the last decade were an important factor in propelling growth in two western states (Wyoming, […]

  “Dynamic scoring of tax rate changes should be utilized in budgetary projections for the State of Arkansas. It is irresponsible to ignore the behavioral impacts of tax rate changes on consumers and suppliers of labor and capital.” (Murphy Commission, Policy Foundation, 1998) (October 12, 2009) State revenues from a 2008 severance tax hike are […]

  “Dynamic scoring of tax rate changes should be utilized in budgetary projections for the State of Arkansas. It is irresponsible to ignore the behavioral impacts of tax rate changes on consumers and suppliers of labor and capital.” (Murphy Commission, Policy Foundation, 1998) Dynamic analysis can provide legislators with more information when considering fiscal proposals. Legislators, […]

Arkansas 2007-2008 School District Rankings Michael T. Scoles, Ph.D.1 Overview The Arkansas Policy Foundation (APF) has provided letter- grade rankings of Arkansas school districts, beginning with the spring 2005 administration of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS). For the 2007-2008 school year, the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) began using the Stanford Achievement Test […]

  “Charter schools create an alternate form of public schooling where schools are granted significant autonomy but are held accountable for results. The ‘charter’ is essentially a contract … Unlike other public schools, parents specifically request the charter school and if the school fails to attract students, or if it fails to meet the terms […]

State government should be measured for accountability and performance. (Murphy Commission, 1998) (July 2009) The state Department of Community Corrections includes performance measures in its “Agency Strategic Plan, Fiscal Years 2007-2011.” The performance measures can be viewed on pages 3-4, 6-7 and 9 of the following document: http://www.dcc.arkansas.gov/pdfs/publications/StrategicPlan07-11.pdf Community Corrections should also undergo an independent […]