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...
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...
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...
The recently completed US Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation into Ferguson’s police department highlighted “the City’s focus on revenue rather...
Last week’s federal court ruling in the municipal bankruptcy case of Stockton, CA highlighted the enormous challenge faced by local governments with...
What if state and local government deficits doubled over night and nobody noticed? That’s what happened last Wednesday when the Bureau of Economic Analysis released...
In the week since Detroit became the largest U.S. city to declare bankruptcy, many commentators have speculated about what, if anything, this action means for...
A few years ago, it was fashionable to compare California, Illinois, or whatever U.S. state was struggling financially to the troubled island nation of Greece...
With state finances gradually improving , some Republican governors are turning their attention to fundamental tax reform. Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has proposed replacing his...
On Monday, I attended my first meeting of the District of Columbia Tax Reform Commission . The independent commission was authorized by the Tax Revision...
