Policy Research

(June 17, 2024) One Arkansas sector stands out among private industry groups. Construction jobs grew from 51,400 (April 2020) to 68,200 (April 2024), a 32.75% growth rate that topped the U.S. average (25.7%) in the...

(June 2024) The tax cuts enacted by policymakers this month are the latest action in a decade-long 'ideas battle' that began more than a quarter-century ago with the Murphy Commission, a Policy Foundation project. (more…)

(June 2024) Following is a brief income tax history after this year's tax cut. (more…)

(June 25, 2024) Today's monthly jobs report provides further evidence of strong growth within Arkansas' Construction sector, a development noted last week in a Policy Foundation research memo. (more…)

(1Q-2024) The state of Arkansas has retained management consulting firm McKinsey & Co. for a three-year efficiency initiative, according to a recently-announced contract between the two parties. The 128-page $5.5 million services contract includes information...

"All post-secondary students enrolled in public, private or for-profit colleges and universities operating in Arkansas are our customers. To successfully serve those students, we also serve colleges and universities, policy makers, and taxpayers." Arkansas Department...

(December 2023) Nearly 115,000 Arkansas students attend charter, home or private schools, or are enrolled in a public school choice program in the current school year, state Department of Education and other records show. "The...

(October 2023) Nearly 5,000 Arkansas K-12 students have taken advantage of the education savings account (ESA) component of the LEARNS Act, according to a Policy Foundation analysis of state Department of Education data. LEARNS is...

"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 (ImprovingProductivity by...

(July 2023) Arkansans defeated a marijuana legalization measure last November after approving an initiated medical marijuana amendment in 2016. The 2022 proposal would have established a lower tax rate than the 2016 amendment. (1) A...