November 21 , 2016 - Mary Strow
Economic Profile: Washington State Convention Center Addition Project
Today we're out with an Economic Profile paper on the Washington State Convention Center addition project in downtown Seattle. Some highlights: WSCC intends to construct an additional convention building (the Addition), which would roughly double the amount of space available to host conventions. The project would span three blocks in downtown Seattle near the current […]
November 16 , 2016 - Mary Strow
New-ish filing in McCleary case
In all the pre- and post-election news, we missed a recent filing with the state Supreme Court on the McCleary education funding case. The organization Washington's Paramount Duty, which has been quite vocal in calling for "new revenue" for K-12 education but not specific about where it should come from, on Nov. 7 asked the court to […]
November 15 , 2016 - Mary Strow
New Special Report: How Medicaid and Prescription Drug Spending Impact the State Budget
Today we're out with a new Special Report on Medicaid, prescription drug spending and the state budget. You can read it here. Here are some highlights: Medicaid, through the state Health Care Authority (HCA), now provides health insurance for almost two million Washington state residents, and makes up over 16 percent of the state budget. […]
November 08 , 2016 - Mary Strow
November 04 , 2016 - Mary Strow
Business schools get real
The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday on a shift in teaching methods by M.B.A. programs: Business schools are moving away from the case-study method—the long-held standard of business education—and asking students to resolve actual corporate dilemmas in real time. This focus on "real life" education appears to mirror the growing awareness by lawmakers here in Washington […]
November 03 , 2016 - Mary Strow
A (friendly) debate on trade agreements & populism
Bloomberg View has an interesting online debate between economists Tyler Cowen and Noah Smith on "Free Trade and the Populist Backlash." Bloomberg sets up the debate thusly: The benefits of free trade have been a cornerstone of economic thought for decades. Recently, though, trade agreements have become the target of a populist backlash, with opposition […]
October 24 , 2016 - Mary Strow
Special Report: Expanded state environmental regulations have negative impacts for Washington
Today we're publishing a new Special Report, "The Expanded SEPA [State Environmental Policy Act] Has Reduced Regulatory Certainty in Washington." You can read the report here. In 2013 and 2014, the state Department of Ecology expanded the scope of review for the purposes of the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) beyond state borders, in a […]
October 18 , 2016 - Mary Strow
New Policy Brief on I-732: Imposing a New Carbon Tax in Washington State
We've put together a Policy Brief – which you can read in full here – on I-732, the statewide initiative on the November ballot that would create a new carbon tax in Washington. In brief: Initiative 732 would impose a tax on carbon dioxide emissions and at the same time lower other taxes. The carbon tax would […]
October 12 , 2016 - Mary Strow
Tax Foundation dings gross receipts tax
Washington's Business and Occupation (B&O) tax stands out as one of the few gross receipts taxes (GRTs) still around in America. Last week the Tax Foundation wrote critically of GRTs, noting that Though gross receipts taxes are business taxes and as such are sometimes viewed as progressive, in reality, they have potential to be more regressive […]