The Arkansas Center for Research in Economics (ACRE), established in 2014, is an Arkansas focused research center housed in the College of Business at the University of Central Arkansas. ACRE provides opportunities for students at UCA to learn more about economics, public policy and the importance of economic freedom through a variety of student programs, such as intensive reading groups and student research projects.
We are a proud part of the UCA community, but ACRE is independently funded by our generous donors. Please consider making a donation to help ACRE continue our student programs.
Recent Announcements
Janet Bufton to speak on Adam Smith and “What The Wealth of Nations Can Still Teach Us”
On October 8th at 1:40pm in the College of Business Auditorium, please join ACRE to hear a talk by Janet Bufton on the importance of Adam Smith’s 1776 book The Wealth of Nations.
Here is a summary of her talk: “Even after so long, Smith’s almost 1000-page long book continues to provide insight that feels contemporary. Some lessons from this book are so well-established that economists take them for granted. Others are less well-known but remain important. Join Janet Bufton, who spent eight years working to make Adam Smith’s work accessible, to consider what 250 years of inquiry into the Wealth of Nations has taught us.”
More details can be found on our Speaker Series page.
New Arkansas County Transparency Report has been published
ACRE is excited to announce the publication of our 5th edition of Access Arkansas: Arkansas County Transparency Report. The latest edition updates data on county web transparency through 2024 on fiscal, administrative, and political transparency. Dr. Mavuto Kalulu continues to be the lead author on this project, and is joined by new co-author Dr. Jeremy Horpedahl. Read the report to see where your county ranks on transparency, and what counties can do to improve government transparency for their citizens.
Recent ACRE Publications
Economic Freedom of North America 2023
co-published by ACRE and authored by Dean Stansel, José Torra, Fred McMahon, & Ángel Carrión-Tavárez
ACRE is proud to be a co-publisher of the 2023 Economic Freedom of North America report. This report measures economic freedom across a variety of dimensions for US states, as well as jurisdictions of Canada and Mexico. The information and data in the report are crucial for the kind of research that ACRE researchers do to better understand what is happening with public policy in Arkansas relative to other states. You can read the full report at this link, which includes a foreword highlighting Arkansas’s ranking by ACRE Director Jeremy Horpedahl (starting on page 5 of the PDF).
The Future of Arkansas Tax Reform: Next Steps on the Road Map to Competitiveness
by Jeremy Horpedahl and Tax Foundation Researchers
For Dr. Horpedahl’s latest book on tax reform in Arkansas, ACRE once again teamed up with experts at the Tax Foundation to look at how to reform and reduce taxes in Arkansas. They lay out several reform options for both personal and corporate income taxes that will continue to improve Arkansas’s competitiveness, implemented in a way that will not significantly upset the delivery of government services to constituents. As the public debate about taxes in Arkansas continues, Dr. Horpedahl and co-authors provide updated resources and advice from their influential 2016 book on the same topic to further advance the debate and tax reform.
Click to view our blog post on the book with a link to the book
Access Arkansas: County and City Web Transparency (4th edition)
by Dr. Joyce O. Ajayi and Dr. Mavuto Kalulu
In the fourth edition of their well-regarded publication, ACRE researchers Dr. Ajayi and Dr. Kalulu provide updated results on web transparency for Arkansas counties, as well as expand their analysis to include larger cities in Arkansas. Past editions of the publication have served to assist counties with becoming more transparent for their constituents, as well as helped Arkansas lawmakers write new rules and guidance for local governments regarding web transparency. See where your city and county rank!