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 New York's local governments are among the most heavily "layered" in the nation, Rockefeller Institute Senior Fellow Donald J. Boyd writes in a new paper. Unlike most states, New York is characterized by at least two general-purpose local governments in every region except New York City. Boyd was a consultant to the New York State Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness, chaired by former Lieutenant Governor Stan Lundine. The Commission has just issued a report with recommendations to make local government more streamlined and cost-effective. Robert Ward, the Institute's deputy director, analyzed the Lundine Commission's report in a commentary for WAMC/Northeast Public Radio.
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State and Local Government Finance | May 1, 2008 |
Weaker consumer spending and other factors contributed to declines in sales tax collections in most states during the first quarter of 2008, according to preliminary numbers in a special flash State Revenue Report from the Rockefeller Institute. Southeastern states were hit the hardest. For the first time in six years, sales tax collections overall show a decline, in preliminary numbers. Read the press release. Press coverage of the new report is available at our Newsroom. |
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Faith-Based Human Services | April 24, 2008 |
Three recent items from the Rockefeller Institute’s project on faith-based social services highlight newsmakers and topics of current importance: Sen. Barack Obama’s interest in keeping a faith-based office in the White House, a top-ranking Democrat’s views on the faith-based effort and on Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and a Supreme Court decision not to review a case addressing whether a Jewish Community Center is covered by nondiscrimination provisions of the Civil Rights Act. All are available in the April 15 and April 22 editions of the Roundtable on Religion and Social Welfare Policy’s e-newsletter, available here. |
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State and Local Government Finance | March 31, 2008 |
States across the country are experiencing "a classic nutcracker effect," as revenues weaken and costs rise sharply, the Rockefeller Institute's latest State Revenue Report finds. After adjusting for inflation and legislated tax changes, states' tax revenues dropped by 4.3 percent in the most recent quarter. Read the press release. Press coverage of the new report is available at our Newsroom. |
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Health Care | March 26, 2008 |
Courtney Burke, director of the Rockefeller Institute’s Health Policy Research Center, recently wrote op-ed articles about health care reform for two newspapers in Maine and the Empire Page in New York. They include “Universal Health Coverage? States Will Differ” for the Maine Morning Sentinel; “Maine Should Keep Lead on Health-Care Reform” for the Kennebec Journal; and a commentary on how this year’s New York State budget may affect Medicaid reimbursement and primary care, for New York’s Empire Page. |
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State and Local Government Finance | March 17, 2008 |
As states throughout the country prepare budgets for the coming year, Rockefeller Institute Senior Fellow Donald J. Boyd examines the impact a new recession is likely to have on state and local governments. Boyd warns that, unless the economy rebounds, volatility in most state revenue systems may force midyear spending reductions this year and other unpopular policy actions in 2009. Boyd’s new research on both states and localities, in a March 14 presentation to analysts at Fidelity Investments, expands upon his recent paper that analyzed how state finances would be affected by a recession. Both reports are available here. |
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New York State Activities | March 14, 2008 |
New York State Transportation Commissioner Astrid Glynn and Elliot G. Sander, executive director of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, spoke at a Rockefeller Institute Public Policy Forum on the future of transportation in New York. Details on their remarks are available here. |
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Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations | March 4, 2008 |
The Committee on National Statistics of the National Academies issued a report in January 2006 on the first-ever review of the work of the Governments Division of the U.S. Census Bureau. Panel member Yolanda Kodrzycki of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston prepared a policy brief on the work of the panel and its findings. |
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State and Local Government Finance | January 30, 2008 |
Rockefeller Fiscal Report: Looking at the past five recessions, Rockefeller Institute Senior Fellow Donald J. Boyd addresses the question — “What could happen now to state government finances in a recession?” Data are presented on all 50 states. |
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Health Care | January 28, 2008 |
To restructure Medicaid programs, states have often sought and obtained regulatory exemptions that allow federal dollars to be used in new and creative ways. The use of such waivers by states during the presidencies of George W. Bush and Bill Clinton is explored by Frank Thompson and Courtney Burke in a new article titled “Executive Federalism and Medicaid Demonstration Waivers: Implications for Policy and Democratic Process” in the December 2007 issue of the Journal of Health Policy, Politics and Law. |
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