January 2010
Reduce Capital Gains Taxes
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...
January 2010
Public Option Failure Means Medical Care Issue Shifts To State Level
"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...
December 2009
Study: ‘Cap-And-Trade’ Will Lead To 17,100 To 23,300 Fewer Jobs In Arkansas
(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...
November 2009
Tax Cut, Commodity Prices, Agriculture Boost Arkansas Income To 46th In U.S.
"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...
October 2009
Policymakers Weighing Tax Changes Would Benefit From Dynamic Analysis
"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...
September 2009
Dynamic Analysis of State Severance Tax Hike
"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...
August 2009
Arkansas 2007-2008 School District Rankings
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...
July 2009
New Charter Schools Planned In Failing Arkansas School Districts
"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...
July 2009
Community Corrections Needs Independent Performance Review
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...
June 2009
When Will The Recession End?
Summary: U.S. payroll employment or industrial production growth for one quarter will suggest the recession is ending. (June 5, 2009) The most frequent question we hear is: 'When will the recession end?'1 Last May 2 we announced...
