by Stephen M. King, Ph.D. In a recent Governing Magazine article (“What Happened to Federalism?”), the author laments that the 1996 closing of the U.S. Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (ACIR) was a mortal blow to the non-partisan influence and interaction of state and local officials with their federal counterparts on a plethora of policy issues. Today, ideological and partisan Washington-based think tanks such as the conservative Heritage Foundation and the more moderate to liberal…

by Thomas Heller Tax Increment Financing (TIF), a widely misunderstood economic-development tool in Indiana, operates something like a bank. TIF districts make investments in local public improvements (roads, etc.) hoping to attract follow-on investment from private companies. Often these improvements are financed by borrowing — that is, issuing bonds to be paid off by the growth or increment in the TIF district’s property values and the taxes collected therefrom. Local governments in Indiana, most specifically…

by Tad DeHaven When he was a high-ranking conservative Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives, Mike Pence was a chief critic of Washington’s out-of-control spending and growing debt. Now that he is Indiana’s governor, Pence is dependent on the same federal largesse that he bemoaned. Most Hoosiers would be surprised to know that under Pence’s first budget proposal, federal funds would have accounted for around 35 percent of state spending. Indiana state government is…

This is about my Indiana city’s inferiority complex. First, though, consider the issue of modern art — specifically “Helmholtz,” a 10-ton reddish orange outdoor sculpture toppled in a late-night car crash. Now, some believe there is a relationship between art, specifically nonobjective art, and progress, e.g., economic development, i.e., money. In my city, that position can be traced to a 1980s notion that without adequate cultural life, the hip wives of wealth-generating CEOs would nix…

(7.17.2013-1) by Andrea Neal Long before Indiana was Indiana, a river of ice glided across the state, bringing with it monsoon-like rains, mudflows to rival Mount St. Helens and rich sediment deposits that to this day nourish the crops that are the backbone of the Hoosier economy. Indiana the state has been 200 years in the making. Indiana the place goes back 2 million years to a time when ice sheets blanketed the middle latitudes…

For the past 10 years, we’ve distributed Andrea Neal’s biweekly essays on Indiana public-policy issues. She has written extensively about taxes, good governance, higher education, civic education and K-12 reform. Twenty-five Indiana newspapers have routinely published her column, making her one of the most widely read opinion writers in the state. Beginning with her column for distribution the week of June 17, her essays will focus on another passion — Indiana history. Neal will produce…

by Cecil Bohanon, Ph.D. All energy sources generate what economists call “external costs,” a concept Hoosiers will have to master to make sense of the current energy debate. It also ends up that most energy sources have benefited from federal government subsidies. There is a great deal of controversy about how much the federal government actually subsidizes various energy sources. Ideological and industry advocates generally insist that the subsidy to their preferred method of energy…

by Andrea Neal “For First Time, Majority in U.S. Supports Public Smoking Ban.” That was the headline in July 2011 as cigarette bans swept the country. In 2000, just one major U.S. city banned smoking at work sites, restaurants and bars. As of last year, 60 percent of the 50 largest cities did, including Indianapolis. Last July, Indiana became one of 38 states with smoke-free air laws. “Majority Now Supports Legalizing Marijuana.” That headline appeared…

A few hours on one of those genealogical web sites can put the immigration debate into sharp personal focus. I stumbled on her picture, a criminal mug shot actually, while looking for more glamorous ancestry. She was my great-grandmother, a suspected enemy alien. Wilma Philipina Rosina Haug Bader was required to register as such on June 18, 1918. The order was signed by the 23-year-old manager of the Enemy Alien Registration Section of the Department…

by Andrea Neal The nation’s eyes are on Indiana as it moves to reconsider the Common Core academic standards that are supposed to raise student achievement and standardize what children learn across the country. The operative word is “supposed.” These national academic standards were adopted by 46 states and the District of Columbia with little data to back them and almost no debate. Former Gov. Mitch Daniels and School Superintendent Tony Bennett pushed Indiana’s Board…