According to a new study in Regional Science and Urban Economics, the Blue Line (aka Hiawatha light-rail) has failed to spur economic development in the areas surrounding LRT stops. The authors examined areas within one-half mile of LRT platforms and found that “neither construction nor operation of the line appears to affect land use change relative to the time before …
Archives for March 2014
Shining a light on teachers' contract negotiations
As we’ve written about previously, many public employee contracts are negotiated in private thanks to weak state laws that allow a public employer or a government employee union to unilaterally demand closed-door contract mediation for any reason. This year alone, dozens of Minnesota school districts and local teachers’ unions have negotiated teachers’ contracts out of the view of the media, …
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Mixed messages on broadband
Minnesota’s new business taxes have been panned by economists, business leaders, taxpayer advocates, and even the governor who signed the taxes into law. However, while the sales tax on warehousing and business equipment repairs have garnered much of the attention, the new “telecom tax” seemed to attract less scrutiny than it deserves. That may be changing. Last year, the legislature repealed a …