Labor market Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal: State hits lowest unemployment rate in 20 years as more Minnesotans go back to work MPR News: Unemployment rate falls, labor market tightens Duluth…
In a puzzling statement when he was running for the presidency, now President Joe Biden said “Milton Friedman isn’t running the show anymore.” Quite what he meant by that is anyone’s guess,…
In 2021, Minnesota’s population grew by just 225 people, losing 13,453 residents to other states. This was Minnesota’s biggest net loss of domestic migrants to other states in at least…
The value of a dollar is what it can buy you. In economics, this is referred to as purchasing power. A dollar is worth more if it can buy you…
Minnesotans are getting back into the workforce. According to new numbers, Minnesota’s unemployment rate in February was the lowest in decades. And fortunately, this is due to people moving into…
State and local taxes and spending Star Tribune: Gov. Tim Walz proposes bigger rebate checks as surplus grows Kare 11: Gov. Walz unveils revised Minnesota state budget Knox Radio: MN…
The rate of year-over-year inflation in the United States hit a 40-year high of 7.9 percent in February. In the Midwest, the rate was a touch higher at 8.0 percent, driven in…
Broad agreement exists that we suffer an affordable housing crisis in Minnesota — especially in the Twin Cities. The cause is no mystery. Affordable housing is scarce here because state…
During the pandemic, people made calls for the cancellation of student debt. However, the best that President Joe Biden could offer was putting a pause on loan payments. These calls…
Last week, I testified in front of the Senate Committee on Housing Finance and Policy in support of SF 3259. This bill would give cities the ability to impose both…
State and local taxes and spending MPR News: GOP pushes to end taxes on Social Security, but many don’t pay them KNSI: Deal to Stop Minnesota’s Business Tax Increase Remains…
The rate of year-over-year inflation in the United States hit a 40 year high in February. The rate of increase was higher in the Midwest than it was for the…
The rent control ordinance passed in St. Paul last November is having exactly the consequences that were predicted before it was passed. If you set a price below a market…
The consequences of St. Paul’s rent control policy continue to pile up. While Mayor Melvin Carter is looking for a way to amend the policy, numbers show that construction has…
State and local taxes and spending St. Cloud Times: Minnesota needs to end tax on Social Security: Letter The Center Square: How Much Minnesota Homeowners Pay in Property Taxes Each…
Proponents of minimum wage laws often claim that the laws are responsible for increasing incomes of low-wage workers. In that case, employers are assumed to have significant market power, while…
Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) announced that inflation was 0.8 percent in February and 7.9 percent over the year (for the Midwest, the figures were 0.9 percent and 8.0 percent, respectively). This…
High prices are not problems in themselves; rather, they are symptoms of underlying problems which lead demand to outstrip supply. Digging into these underlying problems and their causes requires some…
The effects of minimum wage hikes on the workforce are well documented. According to research evidence, minimum wage hikes lead to job losses and may also cause employers to reduce…
State and local taxes and spending Owatonna People’s Press: Support the Drink Local Economic Recovery Act Duluth News Tribune: ‘Send the money back’: All Minnesota tax filers could see rate…
Earlier this month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released figures showing that, over the previous year, prices had risen by 7.5 percent, the fastest year-on-year rate since February 1982. Because…
Minnesota’s craft brewers have been an economic success story over the last decade. From 2011 to 2020, Brewer’s Association data shows the number of craft breweries increased by 520% statewide,…
Economic development Duluth News Tribune: Local View: Mining isn’t Minnesota’s future; natural resources are Finance & Commerce: Rochester-area fund looks to spur development Star Tribune: Counterpoint: We must welcome investment…
Americans are dying. More specifically, non-college-educated, middle-aged white Americans are dying at higher rates compared to older generations of non-college-educated white Americans when they were at the same age, as…