School District Responses to Property Tax Caps, Referenda, and State Funding Formula Changes
In this policy brief we provide (1) an overview of changes to public school funding in Indiana due to tax caps, referenda, and state funding formula changes, and (2) a summary of a study conducted by Ball State researchers, which examines the impact of these changes. Published March 25, 2025.
The policy brief summarizes the findings of a journal article of the same title published in the Journal of Regional Analysis and Policy, December 2024.
Child Care and Women's Participation in the Workforce: Estimates for Indiana
In this brief, we examine (1) the relationship between child care availability and the level of women’s participation in the workforce, (2) the underlying financial factors that affect the demand for child care services and the supply of child care workers, and (3) an overview of public policies and programs available in Indiana. Published June 26, 2024.
Indiana Has a Monopoly Problem in Healthcare: Preliminary Evidence and Recommendations
This policy brief provides preliminary analysis as to the degree of competition in Indiana's healthcare markets. We conclude that evidence strongly suggests healthcare markets in Indiana experience significant monopoly power, which has increased prices, allowed not-for-profit providers to accrue stunningly large profits, increased the burden on Hoosier families, and likely reduced healthcare outcomes across the state. Published Sept. 25, 2019.
Fiscal, Economic, and Social Effects of Immigration in the Hoosier State
This study details the current realities and implications of immigration in Indiana as a whole, including effects on demographics, education, wealth and poverty, employment, and the labor market. Study sponsored by Conexus Indiana. Published May 13, 2019.
To supplement this study, we have created fact sheets for each Economic Growth/Workforce Development region, which give a snapshot of how the foreign-born population is changing at these various geographies, as well as the benefits and challenges they represent.
The Myth and the Reality of Manufacturing in America
This study for Conexus Indiana examines the composition of the industry before and after the Great Recession. We debunk common misconceptions about manufacturing and estimate the industry's future health.
How Vulnerable Are American Communities to Automation, Trade, & Urbanization?
This study highlights divergence in regional economic performance and the impact on households and communities, which necessitates an urgent call to research and policy analysis. The executive summary provides an overview of key points, and the appendix shows larger regional maps of county-level data for all 50 states.
Assessing E-Readiness and the Human Development & Technology Index
This study, Assessing Indiana's E-Readiness in the Development of the Digital Society, seeks to bridge the gaps in research on the relationship between broadband accessibility and human development by assessing the e-readiness of Indiana counties.
In the companion piece, Human Development & Technology in US Counties, the authors expand the scope of their previous research using the Human Development & Technology Index (HDTI) to assess geographic trends in the access to and the quality of broadband technology across all US counties. This work includes considerations for policy makers.
What Comes First, People or Jobs? Evidence and Lessons from Indiana
In this study, we examine population and employment growth in Indiana’s 92 counties in the decades of the 1970s and the 2000s to determine whether job attraction or people attraction is a larger factor in county population growth. We control for educational attainment, initial population, urban/rural influence, natural amenities, income inequality and intergenerational mobility, the size of local government, and spatial spillover effects.