Good jobs in the skilled trades are going begging because students are almost universally being steered towards bachelor’s degrees. So what is going on here? Why are kids stepping over…
Mining opponents throughout the country cite tourism and recreation industries as "sustainable" alternatives to mining, including in Minnesota. However, what these arguments miss is that people who live in areas…
In doing research for a new book inspired by Great Jobs Without a Four-Year Degree, I recently conducted a roundtable with five young adults at which we talked about a…
Ronald Reagan once said the best welfare program was a job. Turns out it may be the best college loan policy, as well.
A round-up of the last week’s economic news stories in Minnesota.
Minnesota’s workforce reality requires increased talent recruitment and retention to tackle a worker shortage expected to explode the number of unfilled technical positions from the current 60,000 to close to…
Sen. Warren's "Accountable Capitalism Act" fundamentally misunderstands business and the free market system. That is why it is such a rotten bit of legislation. Let us hope it doesn't make…
In terms of per capita incomes, what matters is productivity. Immigration will help boost per capita GDP to the extent that it boosts productivity. From an economic standpoint, we want…
A recent paper from the Federal Reserve shows that we can expect states with high corporate tax rates to perform poorly on entrepreneurship. Minnesota has high corporate tax rates and…
Minnesota beer retailers are taxed $0.15 per gallon and then an alcohol-specific sales tax of 9 percent.
For most, the St. Croix is a scenic river. For others, it is an Iron Curtain or 38th Parallel, separating different economic systems. This is the position taken by the…
A round-up of the last week’s economic news stories in Minnesota.
In late June, the American Enterprise Institute released a study by three scholars which found “more than one-in-two black men (57%) have made it into the middle class or higher…
When politicians decree that labor costs will rise, businesses are incentivized to switch to capital inputs rather than labor. Who wins and who loses from this?
Leaving aside the question of whether government ought to be involving itself in these sorts of personal decisions, cigarette taxes don't even appear to be working on their own terms. But…
We all want to see higher wages. They’re are the best way of guaranteeing a good standard of living. But, to be sustainable, they need to come from higher productivity,…
A round-up of the last week’s economic news stories in Minnesota.
At 23 years old, Jamieson Lindquist already has a fruit-filled career and future. With a two-year degree in agriculture, Lindquist is debt free, owns his own home, and is the…
Minneapolis has passed an ordnance raising the city's minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2020 and St. Paul is currently considering similar legislation. But why? If you are unsatisfied with…
President Trump describes his trade policies as "America First." But he could just as well say "Buy Local." After all, in terms of the economic logic, his trade war is…
This op-ed appeared July 29, 2018 in the Duluth News Tribune. This month, the News Tribune published a commentary by Sandra B. Zellmer and Alexandra B. Klass of the Center for Progressive…
David Cooper of the Economic Policy Institute, author of a recent report comparing the economic performances of Minnesota and Wisconsin, has a counterpoint to my counterpoint in today's Star Tribune.…
Economic policies in the Gopher State have yielded better results? Data suggest otherwise.
More information helps Minnesotans support the expansion of mining.