The Problem of Low Wages in Kentucky
The economy is growing, but job growth is happening way too slowly. To make matters worse, low wages keep many...
Research
Senior Tax Breaks Don’t Attract Migrants
Those arguing for state income tax cuts often claim that such cuts will result in the relocation of large numbers of people from other states, but the economic evidence simply...
Spring Job Growth in Kentucky Slows, Big Gap Remains
After stronger job increases over the winter, Kentucky’s employment growth slowed in the most recent two months with the state adding only 1,400 net jobs in March and 1,900 net...
Study Calls for New Approach to State Financial Aid
A new report by the Brookings Institution makes the case for overhauling state financial aid grant programs to focus on “students whose chances of enrolling and succeeding in college will...
Kentucky’s Adult Education Challenge
Education cannot solve all of our economic problems, as the many college-educated young people now unemployed and underemployed can attest. But low levels of educational attainment are an important reason...
Budget Makes Education Goals Harder to Achieve with Cuts to Per-Student Funding
Kentucky has set high goals and taken great strides in improving educational achievement and degree attainment rates. However, the 2013-2014 state budget will make progress difficult over the next two...
Growth of Economic Development Incentives Comes with Little Accountability
Two new reports released this week call attention to the growth of state economic development tax incentives and the lack of accountability mechanisms that would enable states to know what...
What Are Taxes For?
Tax Day is an important time for Kentuckians to consider the role of government in our state and nation. Taxes are a critical tool for doing things together that we...
Decline of TANF Caseloads Not the Result of Decreasing Poverty
Caseloads for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), a safety net program designed to help families facing economic hardship meet basic needs, have declined sharply since 1995. Some policymakers have...
Budget Agreement Affirms Deep Cuts to Core Investments
The 2012-2014 budget bill that passed both the House and Senate late last week is—like the budgets previously proposed this year by the Governor, House and Senate—based primarily on cuts....