Richard S. Davis

Mobility math: 12 Percent of Americans can count on being in the 1 Percent

Static formulations aside, there’s some good news about social and economic mobility. An article in the New York Times by social welfare professor Mark Rank lays it out: The picture drawn of the 1 percent has been that of a static population, just as the 99 percent is often portrayed as unchanging.  But, he writes: […]

Looking beyond employment effects of higher minimum wage: loss of non-monetary benefits, increased workload, heavier payroll taxes

Mark Perry, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, effectively counters claims that a higher minimum wage has minimal impacts on employment. I’ve argued before on CD that saying (or finding empirically) that minimum wage increases have no or very small effects on employment levels is not the same as saying that minimum wage increases have no negative effects on low-skilled and unskilled […]

More on union-backed class size reduction initiative – costly and unfunded

In my column today, I write about I-1351, the class size reduction initiative endorsed and promoted by the Washington Education Association. We first wrote about it here. I note that the initiative bears some resemblance to Initiative 728, passed by the voters in 2000 as an unfunded mandate. Like I-728, I-1351 doesn’t raise taxes. It […]

Job loss from minimum wage hikes often less than expected, NCPA explains why. Increase is offset by reducing other compensation.

The National Center for Policy Analysis takes on one of the challenges posed by supporters of an increased minimum wage. Specifically, they answer the question of why job losses often come in lower than opponents predict. It’s a short, compelling research post. The gist: Both proponents and opponents of minimum-wage hikes do not realize that […]

Teachers' union promotes class size initiative for fall ballot

The Washington Education Association formally endorsed Initiative 1351, another unfunded mandate to reduce class sizes. The union describes it this way. The initiative reduces class sizes for all grades. For example, I-1351 would fund class sizes of 17 students per class in K-3, and 15 per class in high-poverty schools. The initiative would also will […]

NYT looks at Seattle minimum wage, plus some inconvenient facts on possible impacts

The New York Times uses Seattle’s $15 minimum wage initiative (small “I” so far) to highlight efforts across the country to combat income inequality by raising the wage floor. The story by Annie Lowrey leads by citing the travails of a low-wage worker whose hours have been cut back. By now, we’re accustomed to such tales […]

Amid a flurry of minimum wage actions across the country, Seattle's proposed $15 floor stands alone

The New York Times reports on the presidential push for a higher federal minimum wage. While this Congress is unlikely to approve it, the White House claims credit for the emergence of state and local actions to raise the minimum. In the last 14 months, since Mr. Obama first called for the wage increase in […]

Tax incentives for research and development are important to state economy

In my column today I address the state legislature’s failure to extend R&D tax incentives that have been in place since 1994. It’s a topic we’ve written on before, including this policy brief. Similar incentive programs are standard in most states, particularly those with a strong tech sector. I imagine their reinstatement will be a […]

Two good columns on education and trades

Don Brunell writes in The Columbian about underemployed and unemployed college graduates and the shortage of skilled workers in the trades. I recommend the piece. It addresses an important issue, one deserving more attention as we consider how to assure a better match between education, career opportunities and the demands of the workplace. Nationally, an […]

Washington ranks #27 in new Tax Foundation study of state/local tax burdens

The full study is here.