With nearly 58% of all town expen­ditures in Connecticut going to edu­cation, recent fiscal pressures have forced teachers and administrators to make do with less. But this pres­sure to perform is not new. The push for “assessment” and “accountabil­ity,” and the mandates and...

Connecticut may finally have a budget by the time this issue goes to press, but we’re not holding our breath. Governor Rell and the legislature are locked in a debate about whether to cut programs or raise taxes. but even a prolonged budget crisis may have an upside if it forces officials to...

Do public officials care about property values? If so, are their decisions about tax rates, public spending, land use, and regional cooperation paying off? Fiscal and land use data for Connecticut’s 169 towns offer some insights about development patterns and how local public policies may...

Is non-federal government in Connecticut too large? Many think so and are happy to see state and local governments scaling back to balance their budgets in the face of a major recession and a drop in tax collections. But is government here as big as the critics contend? And, if so, is this...