Policy Research

(April 2008) Economists from the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank, the Univ. of Arkansas and the Policy Foundation participated in a recent forum on the Arkansas economy that aired statewide on public television (AETN). The monthly...

  "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." ("Taxes And Savings in Arkansas."...

"The state's income tax should be reduced … Consider an across-the-board cut, reduce the marginal rates, exempt taxpayers below a certain income level from filing, and expedite the process of indexing for inflation (Improving Productivity...

Performance-based budgeting would require state government to develop quantifiable measures for all functions and then allocate tax dollars based on the effectiveness of meeting performance goals. Activities-based costing allocates tax dollars in a consistent and...

"Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico has cut income and capital gains tax rates to make the state's economy more competitive, and his state is creatng jobs at one of the fastest rates in...

Arkansas is one of the poorest states in the nation, and also one of the least healthy according to health surveys. Proponents of a 'Healthy Arkansas' emphasis on prevention contend that more widespread use of...

  “(T)ax proposals should be submitted to a process of dynamic scoring in order to assess the economic impact. Findings should be reported to the public before enactment of the policies.” (Murphy Commission, 1998)  ...

Arkansas needs a more efficient K-12 public school system with fewer superintendents and other administrators. We should not close rural schools simply because they are small or rural if they are in compliance with Lake...

  “(T)ax proposals should be submitted to a process of dynamic scoring in order to assess the economic impact. Findings should be reported to the public before enactment of the policies.” (Murphy Commission, 1998)  ...

“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...