By Caleb Taylor Gov. Asa Hutchinson proposed biennial budget released last Tuesday contains an early Christmas present for new Arkansans, but does it make larger reforms more difficult? Hutchinson announced on Nov. 10 that he’d like to cut the top individual income tax rate to 4.9 percent for new residents of the Natural State. He […]
The ACRE Review
How to Prepare Arkansas for the Next Recession
By Caleb Taylor Arkansas’s small businesses are still feeling the effects of the economic downturn from COVID-19, ACRE Director and UCA Associate Professor of Economics Dr. David Mitchell said in a speech to about 25 Conway Kiwanis Club members at Larry’s Pizza on Wednesday, Nov. 4. Mitchell said the Natural State could be better prepared […]
Missouri Licensing Law a Good Example for Arkansas
By Caleb Taylor Should Arkansas follow Missouri’s lead on occupational licensing? ACRE Policy Analyst Alex Kanode and ACRE Scholar and UCA Associate Professor of Economics Dr. Thomas Snyder discussed in “Show-Me the way” (published in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on October 22) a recent occupational licensing reform bill passed by the Missouri legislature, known as universal […]
Towards Web Transparency at Lower Levels of Government: How are School Districts Reporting Procurement Processes and Outcomes?
By Joyce Ajayi, Mavuto Kalulu, and David Lee Year after year we are seeing more laws and initiatives go into effect to encourage local levels of government in Arkansas to have more online transparency. For example, Act 564 recently mandated all Arkansas counties to publish their annual budget and financial reports online. Why is this important? Local […]
2 Essay Contest Winners Are ACRE Undergraduate Fellows
By Caleb Taylor Tanner Corley and Zakree Massey, 2019–2020 ACRE Undergraduate Research Fellows, are two winners of the 2020 Carl Menger Essay Contest announced this week. The third winner is from Hillsdale College. Corley and Massey will each receive $500 after attending and presenting at the Society for the Development of Austrian Economics meeting at […]
Permanent 0.5% Sales Tax on Ballot
By Caleb Taylor Should Arkansas approve a permanent 0.5 percent sales tax for road funding in November? UCA Assistant Professor of Economics and ACRE Scholar Dr. Jeremy Horpedahl gave voters a few important points to consider in “Paying for roads,” in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on September 25. The 0.5 percent sales tax on the ballot […]
Is Arkansas’s Sales Tax Holiday Really Worth Celebrating?
By Caleb Taylor Arkansas’s annual sales tax holiday allows shoppers in Arkansas the opportunity to purchase certain school supplies, school art supplies, school instructional materials, and clothing free of state and local sales or use tax one weekend per year. The holiday occurred on August 1-2 this year. Sixteen other states have similar back-to-school holidays. […]
How to Minimize Corruption in Pandemic-Related Programs
By Caleb Taylor How can corruption be minimized in pandemic-related government programs? Incentivize whistleblowers and improve online transparency. Programs such as the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) or the Ready for Business Grant Program need greater scrutiny, according to ACRE Policy Analyst Dr. Mavuto Kalulu in “Be vigilant,” an op-ed published in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on […]
Improving Access to Mental Health Care for Arkansans
By Caleb Taylor How can Arkansas improve access to mental health care? Zak Massey, a former ACRE Research Fellow, discussed the benefits to Arkansas’s mental health outcomes of expanding scope of practice for nurse practitioners in an op-ed published in Arkansas Business on July 27 entitled “Free Nurse Practitioners.” Massey writes: Nurse practitioners can provide […]