A Tale of Two States: Guest Blogger Rick Haglund’s Final Post

Many states have cut benefits to the poor and unemployed in the belief that these payments dissuade people from looking for paid work. Minnesota takes a different view. It has created one of the strongest safety nets in the country, spending generously on benefits to help those who have lost jobs or been stricken by […]

A Tale of Two States: Welcome Everyone

Many states have “welcome” signs at their borders. Minnesota means it. It’s a state that embraces immigrants, sees same-sex marriage as a civil right and an economic benefit, and recently enacted groundbreaking legislation designed to improve conditions for women in the workplace. Contrast those policies with Michigan, which is fighting to prevent the legalization of […]

A Tale of Two States: The Road To Prosperity

Michigan residents are clamoring for the Legislature to better fund the state’s crumbling roads, bridges and mass transit. But lawmakers have repeatedly failed to boost taxes that would raise the $1.2 billion more a year that Gov. Rick Snyder has said is necessary to fix the roads. Minnesota years ago developed a comprehensive transportation funding […]

A Tale of Two States: Education & More from #StatePoliciesMatter Author, Rick Haglund

Art Rolnick, the former director of research at the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank and an expert on economic development, says the secret to Minnesota’s decades of prosperity is found in its commitment to developing human capital. “The key to the success of Minnesota’s economy over the past 50 years is the quality of its work […]

A Tale Of Two States: From the Author of Michigan Future’s Latest Report

Metro Minneapolis-St. Paul has long been one of the nation’s most prosperous metropolitan areas with a rich mix of businesses and one of the best-educated work forces in the country. In 2012, metro Minneapolis had per capita income of $50,260, the 27th highest of all metro areas in the United States, according to the Bureau of […]

Minnesota: a high-tax, high-prosperity state

Many states, including Michigan, have embraced low taxes and small government as their strategy to try to grow their economies. Minnesota has long trod a different path, one that features high taxes and smart investments in areas such as transportation, cities and education. It also has the strongest economy in the Great Lakes region and […]

Upcoming posts

For the next several weeks these posts will be written by Rick Haglund. Rick authored our latest report: State Policies Matter: How Minnesota’s Tax, Spending and Social Policies Help it Achieve the Best Economy Among Great Lakes States. His posts will highlight the lessons he learned in his investigation of Minnesota’a approach to growing its economy. By […]