HICKS: State both good, bad in human-capital game
Suppose we lived in a perfectly flat world that is a vast, featureless plain of identical square counties.
Economic Analysis
Articles
HICKS: Memorial Day puts economics in perspective
the things that determine our ultimate prosperity and happiness are not the vacillations of markets.
HICKS: State lucky to have community foundations
A good community foundation knows when there is an unmet need. After faith-based organizations, nobody is closer to understanding immediate needs better than a strong community foundation.
HICKS: Learn from Greece and live within your means
Greece will enter a generation of austerity in which its best and brightest young people will leave for Europe or America.
HICKS: Fear, not economics, drives immigration debate
Mexico is in the throes of a violent lawlessness that is spilling over into the United States. Dealing with this is neither
racist nor unconstitutional.
HICKS: Unemployment situation brings up questions
Perhaps the biggest problem is in estimating who is in and not in the formal work force. Even in good times, a surprising number of workers labor in the shadow economy, invisible to government statisticians.
HICKS: Good local governance will support schools
Reorganizing school districts is difficult, but we Hoosiers have done so before.
HICKS: Educated athletes add value to the magic
The greater truth is that what we learn from athletics might be just as important as what we learn in the classroom.
HICKS: President chooses wisely with recent donation
Why not treat charitable deductions the same way we treat most retirement savingsâ??extend the deadline until April 15?
HICKS: Health care battle won, but what about war?
The potential flaws in this bill are so enormous that to opponents of the bill it looks like planned failure, designed to usher in a national health service.
HICKS: Taxation not top factor in attracting business
Businesses care about taxes to be sure, but the availability of a pool of well-trained workers is at the forefront of most business-location decisions.
HICKS: Recession slows with costly job creation
While economists share broad agreement on a surprisingly large number of issues, the most visible discord lies in how two
groups view the causes of recession.
HICKS: Courage will be necessary to curb inflation
Inflation causes lenders to raise interest rates. Businesses slow their borrowing, produce less and require fewer workers. Within a year or so, inflation becomes everyoneâ??s problem.
HICKS: Cash-strapped cities paying for prior choices
We are making budget cuts today that could well have been slowly phased-in for a generation. What are the implications?
HICKS: Tenure is protectionism in a tweed jacket
Academic tenure, with its promise of lifelong employment based upon five to seven years of work experience, is silly and
makes those of us who have pursued a career in teaching and research look disingenuous.
HICKS: A growing love connection to new media
Changes in media, especially new media,
will alter the life of my kindergartner. I am no futurist, but it seems to me that three big trends are clearly emerging.
HICKS: Economic uncertainty is crushing job growth
Businesses take risks. Risk tolerance is
the hallmark of a successful businessman and entrepreneur. But those same businesses dread uncertainty.
HICKS: So far, federal stimulus plan isn’t stimulating
It has been roughly a year since the passage of the economic stimulus, formally the more harmonious American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act. This stimulus is a textbook example of what we economists call counter-cyclical fiscal policy.
HICKS: When it comes to migration, people follow the money
Folks tend to migrate to warmer, sunnier and more tax-friendly places.
HICKS: Urban-to-rural state tax flow makes sense
With only a few exceptions, tax dollars flow from urban counties to rural counties.