Kind Snacks Uses Power of Technology to Impact Classrooms

By Gianni Vasquez Not only is making a profit a part of a company’s business model, but creating methods of positive social impact is equally important. This is characteristic of social enterprises such as Kind Snacks LLC, which was founded in 2004 by Daniel Lubetzky, a Mexican-American entrepreneur, author, and renowned activist. The company is … Continue reading Kind Snacks Uses Power of Technology to Impact Classrooms

Government Consolidation Rarely Lives Up to Promises

By Matt Kelly Government consolidation is an often-touted solution to economic and social problems in American cities. Several initiatives to combine local governments  have resulted in conjoined regional governments, including Indianapolis-Marion County (IN), Athens-Clarke County (GA), and Jacksonville-Duval County (FL). Tallahassee and Leon County have seen six campaigns for consolidation over 50 years, all of … Continue reading Government Consolidation Rarely Lives Up to Promises

Study Finds Growth Management Laws Reduce Housing Affordability

by Matt Kelly A new study by Cato Institute Senior Fellow Randal O’Toole explores the history and effects of growth management in the United States. Growth-management laws, according to O’Toole, “restrict rural development in order to force most growth into the cities.” In “The New Feudalism: Why States Must Repeal Growth-Management Laws” O’Toole finds these … Continue reading Study Finds Growth Management Laws Reduce Housing Affordability

Gender Wage Gap in Florida

By Tyler Worthington, Tian Ma, and Igor Lukashevich One of the hottest topics in the 2016 presidential race is income inequality. Income inequality between the genders has been of particular interest. According to the White House, full-time working women are paid 78 cents for every dollar earned by a man. However, the labor market in … Continue reading Gender Wage Gap in Florida

Top  2% of state employees see faster rise in income than bottom 98% since the Great Recession

By: Igor Lukashevich In 2014, the world was abuzz with talk of Thomas Piketty’s treatise on global economic inequality, Capital in the Twenty-First Century. The rising global disparity of income, the author argued, will inevitably result in social and economic instability across the world. It is interesting to note that income inequality also exists, and … Continue reading Top  2% of state employees see faster rise in income than bottom 98% since the Great Recession

New Study Sheds Light on Ridesharing’s Labor Market

By Matt Kelly Few economic issues have been more talked about this year than the disruptive forays into the taxi market by ridesharing technology companies like Uber and Lyft. It seems reasonable to assume ridesharing drivers are of the same ilk as traditional taxi drivers, yet little academic research has been done...until now. A recent … Continue reading New Study Sheds Light on Ridesharing’s Labor Market

The Foundations of Political Capitalism

By Matt Kelly Thomas Piketty’s Capital in the Twenty-First Century raised quite a stir last year among economists. Piketty identifies rising wealth inequality as inherent in capitalism, and recommends a worldwide wealth tax to temper its effects. Many have taken issue with Piketty’s data and analysis, and the idea that inequality is rising at all … Continue reading The Foundations of Political Capitalism

Taxes, Inequality, and Business Climate

Original post date: September 19, 2014 Article by: Dan Davy Today, states are left with a difficult choice between maintaining revenue growth and providing a competitive business climate. Taxes that promote the most competitive business climates tend to be less progressive and have lower growth rates. Standard and Poor’s (S&P)  released a new report finding that states … Continue reading Taxes, Inequality, and Business Climate

The Pope, Entrepreneurship, and Human Dignity

Original post date: March 20, 2013 Article by: Sam Staley 5/8/2023 Edits: Some links that were no longer working have been fixed. The new Pope may be more sympathetic to entrepreneurship as a way to alleviate poverty than previous pontiffs. He seems to understand that individual freedom and liberty are essential to creating wealth, and … Continue reading The Pope, Entrepreneurship, and Human Dignity

Controversy Over Pension Liabilities May Leave Taxpayers in the Hole

Post date: November 13, 2012 Article by: Anonymous 5/8/2023 Edits: Some links that were no longer working have been fixed. A recent report published by the Leroy Collins Institute at Florida State University regarding Florida’s increasingly unfunded public pension plans received some controversial feedback, largely in response to the accounting methods used. Critiques of the … Continue reading Controversy Over Pension Liabilities May Leave Taxpayers in the Hole