By Alex Kanode The Arkansas Department of Corrections reports that there are almost 18,000 prisoners in the state. For a state of our size, this is a huge number. One reason is that released prisoners are more likely to reoffend here than in other states. This is known as our “recidivism rate”. One cause of […]
A prescription for Arkansas’s primary care shortage
By Caleb Taylor ACRE Director and UCA Associate Professor of Economics Dr. David Mitchell recently discussed the role of nurse practitioners in increasing access to care in Arkansas. Arkansas currently ranks 46th on the physician per capita list produced by the Association of American Medical Colleges, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Mitchell stated in an […]
How fit is Arkansas’s fiscal health?
By. Caleb Taylor Where do Arkansas’s finances rank nationally? Olivia Gonzalez, a research associate for the State and Local Policy Project at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, spoke Thursday, November 29th about Arkansas’s fiscal health and ranking in the COB Auditorium. According to the Mercatus Center’s latest state fiscal rankings, Arkansas ranks 25th […]
Which Tax Credits Should Arkansas Chop?
By Caleb Taylor Arkansas Tax Reform and Relief Legislative Task Force members discussed three tax credits for possible elimination on Monday, October 29th. The three insurance premium tax credits include the New Market Tax Credit ($16 M), the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit ($1 M) and the Home Office Tax Credit ($61 M). In total, these […]
Would a Minimum Wage Increase Help or Hurt Workers?
By. Dr. David Mitchell and Aaron Newell Would a higher minimum wage be a win for the little guy? Would it help families struggling to earn a living? Would companies let workers go? These are the questions in front of voters in November. A minimum wage is a price floor for low-skilled workers. Businesses must […]
How high should the minimum wage be in Arkansas?
By Caleb Taylor How high is too high? That’s the question UCA Assistant Professor of Economics and ACRE Scholar Jeremy Horpedahl considers in two recent media appearances regarding raising the minimum wage in Arkansas. Arkansans will vote on whether to continue to increase the minimum wage in Arkansas to $11 per hour in 2021. Arkansas […]
Why Do Arkansas’s Business Taxes Now Rank 46th out of the 50 States?
By Caleb Taylor Arkansas dropped three spots from 43rd to 46th from 2018 to 2019 in the Tax Foundation’s annual Small Business Tax Climate Index. The report was released on September 26th and is authored by the Tax Foundation’s Jared Walczak, Scott Drenkard and Joseph Bishop-Henchman. According to the authors, the index is “designed to […]
Let the Sunshine In: County Leaders Hear How to Improve Government Transparency
By Caleb Taylor How can Arkansas counties improve their online transparency? Arkansas Center for Research in Economics (ACRE) Policy Analyst Mavuto Kalulu and ACRE Program Coordinator Terra Aquia discussed this and the findings of a new Transparency Index at the County Judges 2018 Fall meeting on September 14th in North Little Rock. County Judges are […]
How do state licensing rules affect property crime rates?
By Caleb Taylor When occupational licensing laws make it hard for people, especially young people, to get jobs, that may lead to the “motive and opportunity” to commit property crimes. That’s the groundbreaking research result from UCA Associate Professor of Economics and ACRE Scholar Dr. Thomas Snyder and UCA graduate student Saliou N. Ouattara in […]
Legislators Move on Proposals from ACRE’s “Road Map to Tax Reform”
By Caleb Taylor Arkansas Tax Reform & Relief Legislative Task Force members voted August 22nd to approve a report that recommends reducing the top personal income tax rate to 6.5 percent, consolidate its three rate schedules, and more. The top personal income tax rate is currently 6.9 percent. The plan would cut taxes for individuals […]