This Essay is one in a series of papers that sets the record straight about the type, quality and quantity of information that U.S. administrative agencies may employ to make more informed policy decisions. The Essay does its work in, at least, three ways. First, it encourages better use of...

This Article does four things. First, it explains how to provide new incentives for people to buy USPS money transfers through the Sure Money/Dinero Seguro Program (SM/DS). The Article also describes how a subsequent increase in USPS money transfer sales could expand local tax bases. Third, it...

This article explains who wins residential property tax appeals in Cook County, Illinois. It does so by collecting and combining public sector data, which has been recently released by the Cook County Assessor. The article, then, uses these data to compute three statistics. Lastly, it...

This essay argues for a modest expansion of the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System & Registry (NMLS). It does so, initially, by explaining why this online registry limits one type of recording fraud. The essay later describes how the NMLS could detect, and deter, more recording fraud. Lastly,...

It is often assumed that schools close, disproportionately, in disadvantaged parts of Chicago. The assumption, however, has yet to be substantiated by research. As a result, this article tests the assumption in order to explain where schools close in Chicago. It does so by introducing a new...

This article deals with Tax Increment Financing (TIF), which is a popular economic development tool. TIF borrows against future tax revenues to subsidize current development projects. In Illinois, this economic development tool is justified by its promise to expand the local tax base: by...

This article is one in a series of papers that sets the record straight about the type, quality and quantity of information that U.S. cities may employ, in order to make more informed policy decisions. It does so, specifically, by examining information that is collected by the City of Chicago....

Cities across the country are adopting mandatory inclusionary zoning. Yet, consensus about the appropriate constitutional standard to measure the propriety of mandatory inclusionary zoning has not been fully reached. Under one doctrinal lens, inclusionary zoning is a valid land use regulation...

Tolls are levies with a limited base. This base is made up of drivers that pay user fees, in cash or via electronic transponder, in exchange for access to state-administered roads. In Illinois, every single toll is a function of three factors: vehicle characteristics, tollway entry point, and...

This essay argues that third-party data collection, particularly of administrative complaints and departmental audit information, holds greater promise than lawsuit data collection. It does so by asserting that third-party data collection is more useful for three reasons. First, third-party data...