by FRANK STAHL Marion, Ind. — Marion in Grant County makes a handy laboratory for examining the mix of politics, capitalism, economics and, some might say, neo-mercantilism that is municipal economic development in Indiana today. With only about 30,000 residents, Marion is of a size that meaningful documentation can be gathered in only an afternoon. There is an innocence to official dealings here — many believe honestly and, alas, without question that mayoral and councilmanic…

by Andrea Neal Historians aren’t sure which white man stepped first on Hoosier soil, but he most certainly was French, and he likely arrived in the 1670s — 150 years before Indiana statehood. “Possibly it was an obscure Frenchman whose adventures were never recorded — if he lived to tell the tale,” wrote the historians John Barnhart and Dorothy Riker in their book, “Indiana to 1816,” the first in a five-volume history published for the…

by Leo Morris Indiana can take a lesson from Detroit — the biggest city in American history to declare bankruptcy: Stick with your “red model” of governing based on restraint and fiscal discipline. Resist those who urge you to drift closer to the “blue model” of high taxation, profligate spending and unsustainable benefits. Yes, there are many culprits in Detroit’s downfall, including the collapse of an auto industry that once dominated the world and the…

by Maryann O. Keating, Ph.D. There is currently discussion about apprenticeship and structured work experiences to promote the school-to-work transition. This concern emphasizes the development of young people to have the skills needed for applying academic learning to real-life situations. Here in Indiana there exists an exciting such program that enrolls thousands of young people between the ages 8 and 18 in critical-skills training — it is called 4-H. With a network reaching every corner…

by Maryann O. Keating, Ph.D The Wall Street Journal recently listed penthouses available for sale at $2.1 million or more at Philadelphia’s “most prestigious address.” Units were designed by an award-winning architect and are located in a fully staffed building with five-star concierge services. Each sale includes a 10-year tax abatement. In March of this year, it was reported that the city of Philadelphia mailed new valuations to owners of 580,000 parcels. One owner found…

by Cecil Bohanon, Ph.D. Recessions are always traumatic and recoveries always seem slow. This one is particularly hard on teens and young adults. The most recent report indicates a national unemployment rate of 7.6 percent in June 2013. This is a welcome decline from the June 2009 rate of 9.5 percent. By means of comparison, the national unemployment rate in June 1982 (in the midst of the Volker recession) was 9.6 percent. It had declined…

by Tad DeHaven The Indianapolis Star’s investigation of a contractor hired by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) to select companies to receive taxpayer handouts is further evidence that a separation of state government and commercial interests is needed. For that to happen, however, Indiana will need to separate itself from the federal money that perpetuates “crony capitalism.” The unfolding story of an Indiana company, Elevate Ventures, appears to be a prime example. Founded in late…

by Eric Schansberg, Ph.D. A prevailing wage is a legal arrangement to set minimum compensation (wages and benefits) in public-sector construction at rates above where market participants (demand and supply) would otherwise reach equilibrium. As always, the basic choice is between markets and government; we either allow people to do what they want — or not. And as always, there are both ethical and practical considerations. Ethically, one should ask how this could be a…

by Andrea Neal By the time Europeans reached Indiana in the 1600s, our economic future was already set. Cornfields stretched for miles along the river valleys and colorful vegetables filled gardens tended by Native Americans. Indiana was destined to be an agricultural state. Climate and topography made it so. In 1794, after Gen. Anthony Wayne’s army defeated Native Americans at the Battle of Fallen Timbers near Toledo, Ohio, his troops spent days destroying Indian grain…

by Stephen M. King, Ph.D. The chairman of the Howard County Republican Party declared recently that we do not have an “immigration problem; we have a Hispanic immigration problem.” His solution is to penalize employers who illegally hire illegal immigrants and redirect the considerable resources of the Department of Labor and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to regulating such businesses — reduce the demand and the supply diminishes, is his argument. I strongly disagree with this…