Joseph Coletti

A new working paper’s conclusions make sense if you believe the data that a higher minimum wage makes it harder to find low-skill jobs. The impact is significant Our results provide no evidence that minimum wage increases reduce crime. Instead, we find that raising the minimum wage increases…

Governor Cooper’s $3.9 billion bond proposal for schools and water systems is the fourth entry in the contest to use state government debt capacity. The State Capital and Infrastructure Fund (SCIF) already dedicates 4 percent of General Fund revenue to debt service and new capital projects. The Debt…

Unfunded pension liabilities are driving up the cost of state government borrowing. For states, there may not be much difference between Republicans and Democrats. But for local governments, Democratic control means more unfunded promises. When people voter with their feet, the problem gets worse: Today’s public-sector employees…

Andrew Biggs provides a reminder that governments are the main source of concern for future retirees’ incomes. while household retirement savings are growing, government retirement plans—Social Security, government employee pensions and the federal Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp.—are underfunded by up to $26 trillion. The World Economic Forum estimates that…

Wake County Superior Court Judge Bryan Collins overturned two constitutional amendments approved by voters in November, arguing that the General Assembly are “usurpers” who “did not represent the people of North Carolina.” John Hood explains how this fact-free ruling will endanger Democrats and invite “chaos and confrontation.” In his…

North Carolina’s one-year income growth in the third quarter of 2018 was faster than any state in the southeast. The Pew Charitable Trusts has a great tool to see this and cross-state comparisons.

If you are comfortable providing your name, phone number, and mailing address to get the tax stamps required for illegal substances, Jonathan Holbrook of the School of Government would like to hear how it goes. Actually, we all would.

New York has received the “greatest revenue shock in recent years,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced earlier this week. Cuomo said income taxes will be $2.3 billion lower than expected when he introduced a $178 billion budget last month. “That’s as serious as a heart attack. This is worse than…