The industrial Midwest went through wrenching economic restructuring during the 1970s and 1980s and yet rebounded to outperform the U.S. economy during much of the 1990s. Key to this resurgence was restructuring in core industries (including manufacturing) that increased the productivity and...

The state of Illinois has been facing a precarious fiscal situation for the past several years. According to the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club, Illinois has accumulated over $120 billion in total indebtedness. This works out to nearly $25,000 per household. Even in the short run,...

The 2001 recession proved alarming to state government finances. A relatively shallow national recession led to a severe downturn in state revenues that took three years to unwind. In the current economic downturn, early signs of fiscal stress are already apparent. This raises several...