South By North Strategies, Ltd.

Remembrance Of Things Past

The combination of Labor Day and the respective political conventions makes this reflection on economic change in America, courtesy of The Wire, especially relevant.

An Overlooked Fact

The Progressive Pulse highlights an overlooked fact in the ongoing partisan wrangling over raising the top two marginal federal income tax brackets.

Everyone will continue to receive some tax cut under either the Senate or House plan; even those families with incomes over $250,000 will still keep their tax cuts on the portion of their income below that quarter-million-dollar threshold.  These middle-income tax cuts promote consumer spending, allowing more middle-class families to support small businesses as paying customers, in turn providing these companies with additional revenues to increase profits and hire more workers. Higher-income families, on the other hand, tend to save, rather spend additional income resulting from tax breaks, in turn weakening the ability of these tax cuts to promote investment and job creation.

Recession And Recovery In North Carolina

North Carolina’s labor market has struggled since late 2007. Consequently, the state’s next governor and legislature will face complicated choices regarding how best to steer the state back onto a path toward prosperity. To help inform that process, the Global Research Institute of the University of North Carolina commissioned South by North Strategies, Ltd.  to compile social and economic data tracing the state’s journey from recession to recovery between 2007 and 2012.

The research contributed to two policy reports. The first document, entitled Recession and Recovery in North Carolina: A Data Snapshot, 2007-12, explores significant ways in which the “Great Recession” has altered North Carolina’s labor market. The second report, entitled Moving Beyond Plato Versus Plumbing, discusses and contextualizes current policy debates over post-secondary education, analyzes occupational projections, and presents recommendations for helping young people with diverse talents succeed in today’s labor market.

Both reports were featured at the forum “Red States and Purple States: A Roundtable for Journalists,” which was organized by the UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication and which took place on September 2, 2012 in Charlotte, North Carolina, in advance of the Democratic National Convention.

Editor’s Note

Policy Points is taking a few days off to enjoy the Labor Day holiday. Regular posting will resume on Wednesday, September 5, 2012. Thanks for your interest in the blog.

Around The Dial — August 30, 2012

Economic policy reports, blog postings, and media stories of interest:

• The Progressive Pulse argues for keeping higher ed in NC affordable.
• Matt Stoller flags why big issues are missing from the election.
• Working Economics points out Paul Ryan’s lack of real deficit hawkery.
• Crooked Timber  plumbs the incentive structure for public intellectuals.