Image via WikipediaThe University of Alaska Anchorage Institute for Social and Economic Analysis (ISER) is a real powerhouse in terms of regularly generating important new Research with implications for public policy in Alaska. The latest is Research Matters No. 35. How Vulnerable is Alaska’s Economy to Reduced Federal Spending? An excerpt from a recent ISER communication summarizes this research:

The federal government spent $9.25 billion in Alaska in 2006, and about a third of all jobs in Alaska can be traced, in one way or another, to that spending. Big increases in federal spending drove much of the economic growth in Alaska over the past decade. But now federal spending has stopped growing, and many Alaskans are worried that Alaska is vulnerable to cuts in spending, as the federal budget tightens. Read the rest of this entry »

Image via Wikipedia The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Alaska and the ACLU of Alaska Foundation are non-partisan organizations dedicated to advancing the cause of civil liberties in Alaska. The former fulfills its mission through legislative advocacy, coalition building, and grassroots advocacy. The latter pursues the same mission through public education and legal action.

The ACLU is currently involved in four lawsuits which could have significant public policy implications: Read the rest of this entry »

As Congress debates a stimulus to the economy in the wake of the housing bust, many economists are urging federal leaders to make aid to state governments a core part of the package. While direct tax rebates for individuals can help, it will not do much for the economy if states are forced to cut back on critical spending on public works, health care, and education at the same time. As Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz, who was also chair of the President’s Council of Economic Advisors in the 1990s, wrote this week in the New York Times:

The federal government should also provide some assistance to states and localities, which are already beginning to feel the pinch, as property values have fallen. Typically, they respond by cutting spending, and this acts as an automatic destabilizer.

What should go into that stimulus package for states? A few key components include spending on repairing our infrastructure, retrofitting buildings for energy savings, and funding SCHIP and Medicaid to cover families facing rising health costs.

See the rest of this article in a recent issue of Stateside Dispatch.

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The state of Alaska has a wide range of mechanisms to give tax and cash “incentives” to industry.  These range from state loans and loan guarantees to revenue bond financing and a variety of tax incentives.  See a summary of Alaska’s giveaways to industry and compare them with all the other state incentive plans in a chart prepared by Site Selection Online.  Do these giveaways of public dollars and resources result in the expected outcomes, and are they worth it?  I sure would like to see the follow-up studies that would answer the questions.

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According to the National Priorities Project, Alaskans soon will have collectively paid $780,600,000 for the war in Iraq. This figure is based on a total cost of $456 billion. Around $378 billion has already been spent or allocated by Congress, and Congress will debate additional war spending. The National Priorities Project estimates around $78 billion will be for the Iraq War. The $456 billion number is the total if Congress were to approve the additional spending requested. I have a little trouble putting my arms around Alaska’s three-quarters of a billion dollars, and maybe you do too, so think of it this way: Read the rest of this entry »