The Great Recession had the most severe impact on state tax revenues of any downturn since the Great Depression. We hypothesize that states with more progressive tax structures are more vulnerable to economic downturns, and that progressivity and income volatility may interact to amplify the...

In November 2020, Illinois voters will consider an amendment that would strike the following two sentences from the Illinois constitution. “A tax on or measured by income shall be at a non-graduated rate. At any one time there may be no more than one such tax imposed by the State for State...

This report provides background information and evidence-based answers in response to questions posed by an Illinois legislator. The questions are: (1) Can you describe the income distribution in Illinois and how this has evolved over the recent past? (2) Can you project out the income...

In her book, Flat Earth: The history of an infamous idea, 1 Christine Garwood explains that from medieval times, long predating Christopher Columbus’ famous voyages, educated people knew that the earth was not flat. Nevertheless, the flat earth myth persisted for centuries and even has some,...