Kentucky Workers’ Productivity Is Growing But Wages Are Not
A big reason many Kentucky workers' wages are stuck is that they've been left out of the gains from economic...
Analysis
What the Research Says About Minimum Wage Increases
While Louisville considers whether to increase its minimum wage in the face of federal and state inaction, there’s no question that many thousands of low-wage workers stand to benefit. But...
Energy Future Contains Risks But Also Opportunities for Kentucky
KCEP Director Jason Bailey made the following remarks on the panel “EPA’s Carbon Pollution Rules and Kentucky” at the 2014 Governor’s Conference on Energy and the Environment: As we talk...
Student Loan Default Rates Drop Nationally but Not in Kentucky
As described in a WFPL article published today, Kentucky’s federal student loan default rate is now the 4th- highest among the states. Also, while new data shows some improvement in...
Don’t Pop the Champagne on a Job Recovery Just Yet
To glance at the recent headlines on jobs in Kentucky, you'd think things are really looking up. The latest monthly unemployment rate dropped from 7.4 percent to 7.1 percent. A...
S&P Report Says Growing Inequality Harming State Budgets, Especially in States More Dependent on Sales Taxes
A new report from the credit rating agency Standard and Poor’s (S&P) says that growing income inequality is making it harder for states to generate the revenue needed to fund education and...
New Census Data Does Not Reflect Health Insurance Gains Made in 2014, But Shows How Much Kentuckians Needed Coverage
The Census data released today from the American Community Survey (ACS) shows that 616,000 Kentuckians or one in seven residents did not have health insurance in 2013, which is about...
Two Pillars of Making Work Pay: Minimum Wage Increase and a State Earned Income Tax Credit
Increasing the state minimum wage and instituting a state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and are two policies that complement each other and can help working families better make ends...
Congressional Vote on Internet Tax Loopholes Could Help or Harm Kentucky’s Budget
The Senate is expected to vote soon on continuing a moratorium on state and local taxes of Internet access, and the specifics of what passes could mean hundreds of millions...
Increasing Accountability of For-Profit Colleges
In recent years, there has been a lot of debate over the value and role of for-profit colleges. Enrollment at these schools across the country has grown rapidly, but many...