In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, city leaders are working to tackle structural inequities in access to wealth and opportunity. An infusion of federal dollars from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and American Rescue Plan Act provides an opportunity to rethink past budget choices....
By examining federal aid to state and local governments during the Great Recession, we draw lessons that can inform current state and local efforts to build an inclusive economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. We primarily compare the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 with the...
On November 3, 2020, Californians will vote on Proposition 15, also known as the California Schools and Local Communities Funding Act of 2020. The proposition would require commercial and industrial properties to be taxed based on their market value rather than on their purchase price. This...
On November 3, 2020, Californians will vote on Proposition 15, also known as the California Schools and Local Communities Funding Act of 2020. The proposition would require commercial and industrial properties to be taxed based on their market value rather than on their...
On November 3, 2020, Californians will vote on Proposition 15, also known as the California Schools and Local Communities Funding Act of 2020. The proposition would require commercial and industrial properties to be taxed based on their market value rather than on their...
Tracy Gordon, senior fellow, testified before the US House of Representatives Committee on the Budget for a hearing on “Why Federal Investments Matter: Stability from Congress to State Capitals.” In her testimony she notes that while states and localities are key economic players and service...
This report was updated on August 29, 2019, to correct a citation in box 7. Proposition 111, approved in California in 1990, was incorrectly cited as Proposition 11 with a year of 1991.
Governors, lawmakers, and journalists often decry constitutional and statutory formulas,...
American places are pulling apart from one another—economically, socially, and politically. Declining regional income convergence, increasing geographic concentration of joblessness, and an increasing awareness of the social costs of long-term joblessness and economic isolation have led many...
Cities are where people come together to work, live, and thrive. Cities also face a host of fiscal challenges, many of which were laid bare in the Great Recession. Given these challenges, stakeholders of many kinds have sought more and better indicators of city fiscal health. This paper provides...
While advancing racial equity has been a top priority for the Biden Administration , mayors were attempting to tackle unequal access to wealth and opportunity...
On his first day in office, President Biden signed an executive order acknowledging the toll of structural racism in the United States and initiating a...
As the lame duck Congress considers further stimulus for an economy that is rebounding but still deeply troubled , Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)...
Congress is headed toward a fourth COVID-19 relief package – and arguably the first one directly addressing state and local governments’ pandemic-induced fiscal crisis ...
The $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act signed into law last week will allocate roughly $200 billion in fiscal relief to...
On January 15, I testified before the House Budget Committee on how to strengthen the federal-state-local government partnership. I urged Congress to revise funding formulas...
The recent feud between President Trump and Representative Elijah Cummings (D-MD) over conditions in Baltimore may have one benefit: it lets us reopen a debate...
Whenever the federal government goes completely nuts , it can be comforting to remember the United States is a highly decentralized country . Fifty states...
Amazon’s decision to build big new facilities in New York City and Northern Virginia prompted a predictable outcry about the reported $2 billion plus in...
Americans appear deeply divided, in part because they are experiencing vastly different economic outcomes based on where they live. What causes these regional disparities? How...
President Trump wants to do something about infrastructure. As a presidential candidate, he decried the state of American roads, bridges, transit, and airports, comparing the...
Congressional plans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act have governors worried – and with good reason. Although proposals continue to evolve, states stand...
Last week, the Senate passed and President Obama signed into law the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act ( PROMESA ). The law...
