Occupational licensing requirements are presented as 'consumer protection' but really only protect producers, making us all worse off. Minnesota has, traditionally, had an accommodating environment but between 2012 and 2017,…
The Congressional Budget Office's new Budget and Economic Outlook forecasts federal debt reaching nearly 100% of GDP by 2028. As Brian Riedl explains in an excellent commentary for the Manhattan Institute,…
As the Minnesota Legislature prepares to debate the best way to align the state's tax code with recent federal changes in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the Pioneer Press…
A round-up of the last week’s economic news stories in Minnesota.
Recognizing that they likely cost tax revenue, states have been reducing or eliminating their estate taxes in recent years. The increase in the federal exemption in the Tax Cuts and…
New data shows that, on jobs, Minnesota's metropolitan areas are losing ground relative to their neighbors.
With revenue base broadening on the way thanks to the federal tax bill, Minnesota's tax rates will have to come down if our state's residents are not to be hit…
New data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that from February 2017 to February 2018 Minnesota's rate of wage growth ranked 45th in the United States. Given our below…
"Incentives do make a difference". So said Governor Mark Dayton recently, discussing what state governments can do to attract investment. And that is particularly the case in the United States,…
A round-up of the last week’s economic news stories in Minnesota
We introduce our new focus on public opinion.
This is not your grandpa’s think tank.
American Experiment Economist John Phelan argues for mining jobs and against jerks.
Phelan tells the legislature that Minnesota’s economy is slumping down to the average.
When assessing the employment impact of renewable energy in Minnesota, we must take into account not just what is 'seen', the 6,200 jobs int creates, but also what is 'not…
There are an estimated 6,200 jobs in renewable energy in Minnesota. But these have come at the cost of higher energy prices for Minnesota's consumers. If they had that extra…
Minnesota's corporate tax rate is the third highest in the United States. For the sake of future economic growth, we should hope that Rep. Joe McDonald's bill proposing a modest…
Between 2000 and 2017, increased transfer payments accounted for 48% of the increase in Minnesota's per capita personal income. This trend-also seen at the national level-is unsustainable.
Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics gives the lie to the notion that there are lots of breadwinners trying to raise families on the minimum wage, especially in Minnesota.
A round-up of the last week’s economic news stories in Minnesota
If you haven’t read American Experiment’s explosive report on wind energy, Energy Policy in Minnesota: The High Cost of Failure, you should. It documents the fact that around $15 billion…
Governor Mark Dayton recently unveiled his proposal for Minnesota's state budget. On Wednesday, Morgan Scarboro of the Tax Foundation gave her take on it.
The purpose of an energy industry is to generate energy, not jobs. We should bear that in mind when discussing the economics of renewables.
Yesterday (March 20th, 2018) John Hinderaker, John Phelan, and I were invited to give a presentation in front of the Minnesota House of Representatives Committee on Job Growth and Energy…