The employment-participation rate for 16- to 19-year-olds in Minnesota fell from 69.8 percent in 2000 to 52.3 percent in 2016, a decline of 17.5 percentage points. Unemployment rates for black…
The national media has already written the first chapter of a potentially protracted standoff in northern Minnesota over the recently approved Enbridge 3 pipeline. The Wall Street Journal warns that…
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Driver and Vehicle Services division has unveiled their new, federally-compliant driver's licenses and ID cards. Hopefully the roll-out of the new licenses and ID cards…
When the Supreme Court handed down its decision in the Janus case recently, teacher's unions warned that pupils would suffer. However, new research suggests students might actually be better off…
Jobs Lost, Jobs Gained: Workforce Transitions in a Time of Automation is a study by McKinsey & Company, released in 2017, that examines work around the world “that can be…
For your summer reading: The Met Council's pet project SWLRT, now largely shifted onto the back of Hennepin County taxpayers, has been delayed again. And yet the Council is spending…
After a prolonged period of wage stagnation, the recent rise in wages is to be welcomed. But it won't help folks much if rising prices cancel out the benefits.
Thanks to Janus, government unions have an opportunity to reboot for the better, but they are faced with a choice: Will they continue prioritizing political objectives unrelated to meeting the…
School may be out but the recent Supreme Court ruling that public employees cannot be forced to pay union fees has cut the teachers unions’ summer vacation short. Kate Walsh…
What’s Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon so afraid of? The best way for Simon to back up the DFL’s denial of voter fraud in Minnesota would be to comply…
A round-up of the last week’s economic news stories in Minnesota.
One of the first things we expect from government is to protect us from violence. A government that can’t or won’t fulfill that basic function isn’t worth bothering with. Like…
Frustration over MnDOT’s clumsy management of the I-35W construction project in Minneapolis has driven some motorists over the line. The Star Tribune’s coverage of drivers’ misdeeds amounts to the equivalent…
Sometimes Governor Mark Dayton does the right thing, like he did when he reinstated the mineral rights for the former Essar Steel taconite mine.
The Twin Cities face a chronic shortage of affordable housing. But not the kind activists like to talk up. There’s nowhere near enough affordable new starter homes for middle class buyers on…
Current policies in Minnesota require the state to reduce carbon emissions by 80 percent from 2005 levels by 2050. This will not only require the addition of renewable energy sources…
The Trump Administration's replacement of the Clean Power Plan could be a boon to the state of Minnesota.
In response to Minnesota's pressing talent needs, TwinWest Chamber of Commerce has launched Opportunity Connect— “a new technology platform to seamlessly connect and support business, education and students/families with career…
Trade is one of the oldest topics in economics. It is also one of the oldest sources of economic dispute. Adam Smith wrote The Wealth of Nations in 1776 largely to…
The National Education Association, the country’s largest teachers’ union, held its annual convention in Minneapolis this year, beginning in late June and ending in early July. The convention was attended…
[Photo Source: Barbara Carlson, Facebook] Barbara Carlson, who died of cancer at age 80 earlier this week, was a friend. As just about everyone knows, she was routinely wet and…
The U.S. Supreme Court says public employees must affirmatively consent to the deduction of union fees.
In the wake of the Supreme Court's landmark Janus ruling, unions are in a state of outrage as workers are now allowed to leave. Pro-union media is raining down accusations…
Since 2015, Minnesota has fallen from the top of CNBCs ranking of America's Top States for Business to 6th this year, down three spots from 2017. The fall was driven…