State Policy Reports

September 2020, Volume 38, Issue 17

Potential Applications of Regional Price Parities

The Bureau of Economic Analysis has published 2018 state cost of living estimates and their impacts on state per capita income. Apart from being fascinating, these Regional Price Parities offer the possibility of tailoring federal policies to states’ unique circumstances.

August 2020, Volume 38, Issue 15-16

A Federal Budget Update

Most years, Reports dedicates this issue to sharing the federal budget update it has been providing at various annual meetings. Even though we’re grounded by the pandemic this year, the show must go on.

July 2020, Volume 38, Issue 14

The Value of Added FMAP

The Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) is commonly known as the Medicaid matching rate. It directs billions of dollars in federal aid to states in normal times, and even more now.

State and Local Employment Plunges

The Economic Policy Institute’s analysis of the Bureau of Labor Statistics jobs report shows a decline of nearly 1.5 million state and local government jobs between February and June 2020.

July 2020, Volume 38, Issue 13

Stress Test Update

Moody’s Analytics has updated its projection of state fiscal needs to combat COVID-19. The takeaway? Needs are greater and the time for action was yesterday.

UI Recovery Trends

Which state workforces are seeing the quickest recovery from COVID-19?

Tax Mix Matters

The Pew Charitable Trusts recently posted an article that posits, “Where States Get Their Money Will Shape Pandemic’s Fiscal Fallout.”

June 2020, Volume 38, Issue 12

Index of State Economic Momentum

The Index of State Economic Momentum ranks states based on their most recent performance on three key measures of economic vitality: personal income growth, employment growth, and population growth. Reports updates the index each quarter. In the second quarter of 2020, Idaho moved into in the top spot, while Minnesota most closely approximated the national average economic performance.

June 2020, Volume 38, Issue 11

Camelot Components: State Solvency

Hal Hovey, Reports founding editor, developed the State Solvency Index in 1993 to evaluate state finances and financial management. It is a component of the Camelot Index, highlighted in Reports Volume 38, Issue 8. This issue of Reports delves into the most recent solvency details.