Sub-local forms of governments (private community associations, business improvement districts, etc) have been on the rise throughout America the past thirty years. Sub-local governments can specialize and otherwise more effectively address urban problems that have defied the efforts of conventional city governments. Professor Nelson joins us on the podcast to discuss what the rise in more localized systems means for city and urban governance and the provision of public goods at various levels of government.
Robert Nelson is a Professor at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy and a Senior Scholar at the Mercatus Center. Prior to joining the University of Maryland, Dr. Nelson worked in a variety of government posts addressing public policy in the areas of the environment, industry, and land use policy.
Episode 14- The Rise of Sublocal Governance [19:24m]:
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TABOR (the Taxpayers Bill of Rights) is on the ballot in two states (Maine and Washington) this week for the first time since it was enacted in 1992 in Colorado by voters. TABOR limits state spending from increasing faster than the growth of state population plus inflation in any given year. On this podcast we discuss the orgins of TABOR in California in the 1970s, where Colorado is now after 20 years of TABOR, and what the passage of TABOR in one or both of these states will mean for nation.
Joining us to discuss TABOR is Jonathan Williams, Director of the Tax and Fiscal Policy task force for the American Legislative Exchange Council and a co-author of Rich States, Poor States. Mr. Williams has been working in both Maine and Washington to discuss the benefits of TABOR.
Episode 13- Exploing TABOR [20:58m]:
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Over the last 10 years spending has gone up dramatically at both the federal and state level. The progression of spending as a percentage of GDP over the last decade has risen from 18% to over 26%. This trend is not only true for the federal government, but also in many states. In this episode Dr. Veronique de Rugy, a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center, joins us to discuss the dangers of the spending addiction, fiscal federalism, unfunded mandates to the states, and provides recommendations to state policy makers on unique ways to gain revenue.
Dr. de Rugy’s research interests include tax competition, financial privacy, spending, and fiscal sovereignty issues. She holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Paris-Sorbonne.
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Episode 12- The Spending Addiction [17:25m]:
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This week we talk with the Tax Foundation to discuss their interesting and telling new publication the “2010 State Business Tax Climate Index.” The Index measures the competitiveness of the 50 states’ tax systems and ranks them accordingly based on the taxes that matter most to businesses and business investment: corporate income, individual income, sales, property and unemployment insurance taxes. Tune in to find out which states come out on top and bottom, and what policy makers can do to boost their ranking.
Joining us to discuss the findings of the Index is author Dr. Kail Padgitt. Dr. Padgitt holds a Ph.D and Master’s degree in economics from George Mason University concentrating on the areas of Public Economics, Industrial Organization and Experimental Economics. Kail has taught Public Choice and International Economics at George Mason University.
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Episode 11- How's Business? Find Out Where Your State Ranks [10:58m]:
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