Empowering State and Local Governance

“But while Sacramento may be most concerned with the amount of revenue filling its coffers, the losses to overall economic prosperity associated with out-migration are perhaps best reflected in the taxable income that may be lost when people leave the state. A person living in the state likely spends a large share of their income within the state, thereby producing other revenues for the state through property, sales, and gas taxes. Their spending also supports California businesses, employment, and general economic opportunity within the state. When an individual moves to a new state, California loses out on more than just income tax revenues; it also misses out on that future income and the spending that comes with it.”

—Senior Fellow Josh Rauh and Jillian Ludwig in Defining Ideas, February 18, 2022

“Politics in DC have become quite dysfunctional. Policy making can be easier at the state and local levels because the cross-cutting coalitions tend to be simpler, meaning that it is easier to affect meaningful change. I think also that some of the wisdom we gained from the COVID-19 experience is that one-size-fits-all policies don’t work for a country as diverse as the United States. Public health responses implemented in New York certainly weren’t appropriate for Topeka, Kansas.”

—Senior Fellow Stephen Haber in a Hoover Institution Q&A, September 23, 2021

“The long-run development of Alabama is closely tied to the skills of its population. And the skills of the population depend crucially on Alabama schools. Alabama students currently fall significantly behind students in other states. This learning gap is not solely attributable to the schools, but the schools are the primary force that can be employed to improve the outcomes. Improving the quality and impact of the schools is not something that can be done quickly, because there is no simple blueprint for how to get the gains in learning that are needed. Improvement is something that has a large local element, depending on both local demands and local capacities. It is nonetheless something that can be required, aided, and facilitated by the state.”

—Paul and Jean Hanna Senior Fellow Eric Hanushek in a Hoover Institution report to the Alabama Innovation Commission, October 19, 2021.