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...
To respond effectively to state and federal policy changes, city leaders, non-profit service providers, advocates, and researchers all need accurate data on how federal funds flow to local governments. Unfortunately, those data are spread across multiple sources that are often indecipherable or...
Tracy Gordon, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute and the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, spoke before the New Democrat Coalition 21st Century Task Force on October 4, 2017. She shared four things that Congress may want to keep in mind when considering changes to infrastructure policy....
States vary in how much governments collect in revenue and spend on goods and services. To understand the sources of these differences, we examined what states could raise (revenue capacity) and would spend (expenditure need) if they followed national averages, taking into account their own...
Every year, the Urban Institute produces hundreds of reports, briefings, webcasts, and blog posts. In this publication, Urban’s State and Local Finance Initiative has brought together the latest evidence-based research, data, and solutions with direct relevance for analysts charged with crafting...
This year marks the 100th Anniversary of California's initiative process. In 1911, California famously adopted the direct initiative process and ballot box decision-making has become almost as synonymous with the Golden State as beaches, hi-tech innovation, and Hollywood. While 75% of voters in...
The often overlooked municipal debt market has attracted considerable attention lately amid predictions of widespread local government defaults and changes to the federal tax exemption for municipal bonds. This paper explains essential features of muni bonds and assesses recent policy and market...
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...
