Many Minnesota Jobs Don’t Meet Basic Needs

In parts of Minnesota, median wages are not sufficient to meet the basic needs of a typical family. Furthermore, in all regions of the state, there are likely a significant number of workers with wages that are not adequate to meet basic needs. These conclusions are...

What Happens Without a Special Session?

Legislative leaders and Governor Dayton continue to negotiate over the possibility of a special legislative session. The absence of a special session means no 2016 tax bill (and no bonding/transportation finance package), which in turn would mean more money left on...

Conservative Think Tank's Report Misses the Mark

The Center of the American Experiment (CAE) released a new report today, bemoaning Minnesota’s “mediocre” economic performance since 2000. Some of the trends noted in the report are legitimate, while others are not. However, the insinuation that “Minnesota’s...

Doctor Frankenstein, Meet Your Monster

Several weeks ago, the right wing Center of the American Experiment (CAE) observed that Minnesota’s economic performance over the course of the 21st century has been “mediocre” and touted a forthcoming report that would stimulate debate over “the extent to which...

Mid-Week Reads: Economics and Early Ed

Every week, North Star will take some time out of our schedules to bring you our favorite reads from the past week. Jeff Van Wychen The Third Way: Share-the-Gains Capitalism Economist and for U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich outlines three economic systems in...

Minnesota Receives Highest Possible Bond Rating

Minnesota received good fiscal and economic news recently, as the Fitch rating agency improved the state’s bond rating from AA+ to AAA—the highest rating possible. The improved rating will translate into reduced borrowing costs for Minnesota state and local...

Minnesota’s Working Poor Still Hurting

About a quarter of a million Minnesota workers had cause to celebrate earlier this week, as the state’s minimum wage increased. However, millions of workers in Minnesotans and other states are still stuck in low wage jobs that do not adequately compensate them for the...

Fiscal Policy Doesn’t Explain Below Average Employment Growth

Minnesota has lagged modestly behind the national average in terms of employment growth during the 21st century. However, there is no reason to blame Minnesota’s sub-par employment growth upon progressive fiscal policy. Rather, the state’s below average job growth is...

The Economic Case for Reducing Income Inequality

The trend in declining wages and increased income inequality has been well documented, most recently in a July 18 North Star article. Concern over these trends goes beyond the gut level response to the impropriety of concentrating a larger and larger share of societal...