Help Is On The Way for Unemployed, But More Reform Needed in Arkansas
As record-breaking numbers of Americans file for unemployment, Congressional action will bring relief to struggling families during this time of national emergency. Arkansas must also act quickly to ensure that […]
Coronavirus and the Prospect of an Economic Recession
The economy has undergone a record-long expansion over the past decade, and that has lead some economists to worry that a recession is on the horizon. The coronavirus pandemic may […]
Coronavirus Highlights Public Health Policy Issues
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Wednesday, March 11, held a live-streamed press event to announce the state’s first presumptive positive case of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Gov. Hutchinson also […]
President’s Proposed Cuts Puts State Budget At Risk
President Trump’s 2021 budget proposes deep cuts to healthcare and basic assistance programs for low-income families while investing relatively little in our nation’s infrastructure. This is partially because it needs […]
More than 116,000 children would benefit from a high-quality early child care and education system in Arkansas
New research estimates that a “values-based” early child and education (ECE) system would benefit Arkansas’s children, teachers, and parents. A comprehensive publicly financed system that compensates educators fairly would serve […]
Equitable Economic Development Part 2: What Works For Economic Growth and Equity
Read Part 1: Why Tax Breaks For Business Are A Bad Deal For Public Budgets As discussed in Part 1 of this series, policymakers face a lot of pressure to deliver the […]
Democrats Should Stop Trying to Cut Taxes for the Wealthy and Invest in Kids Instead
The Chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means committee, Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA) has filed legislation that would repeal the cap on the federal deduction for state and local […]
Equitable Economic Development Part 1: Why Tax Breaks for Business are a Bad Deal for Public Budgets
Job creation and economic growth are key political issues, and policymakers are under pressure from a variety of constituents to produce results in these areas. Maybe that’s why policymakers have […]
New Census Data Show Worrying Increase in Child Poverty, Uninsured Rates in Arkansas
Arkansans wages and poverty levels remained flat in 2018, despite the continued economic growth and historically low unemployment rates of recent years, according to new Census data. Conditions were even worse […]
Census Data Releases: What to Look for in Which Data Sets
This is a big month for census data releases. On September 10, the U.S. Census Bureau will release poverty statistics based on the Current Population Survey (CPS). On September 26, […]