The State of State Science Standards 2012

American science performance is lagging as the economy becomes increasingly high tech, but our current science standards are doing little to solve the problem. Reviewers evaluated science standards for every state for this report and their findings were deeply troubling: The majority of states earned Ds or Fs for their standards in this crucial subject, with only six jurisdictions receiving As. Explore all the state report cards and see how your state performed

The state of state and local government finance

This paper provides an overview of the state-local government sector, a review of the short-run impact of the 2007-09 recession on state and local governments, and a brief summary of key long-run challenges state and local governments will encounter in the next decade. State and local governments in aggregate represent about one-seventh of the U.S. economy, with education and welfare (mostly Medicaid) accounting for more than half. These governments currently face nearly unprecedented fiscal turmoil as a result of the recent recession. Even after the economy recovers, states and localities will face challenges both to improve effectiveness and efficiency in public service provision and to generate revenue sufficient to fund these crucial public services.Municipal finance ; State finance ; Fiscal policy

Assessing the State of State Constitutionalism

State constitutions are terribly important legal documents, but their interpretation is remarkably understudied (and, of course, highly undertheorized) in the academic literature. This review essay discusses Robert Williams’s welcome new book, The Law of American State Constitutions (Oxford University Press, 2009). After summarizing the content of Williams’s book, it discusses the normative significance of his work, focusing especially on his discussion of independent state constitutions and the positive theory of interpretation he advances. The essay concludes by highlighting some areas where the field of state constitutional law is in need of further advancement, including research that positions state constitutions within federalism and engages in serious institutional analysis

The State of State Government Finances in India

The financial condition of the state governments in India has been a cause for concern for sometime now. Over the years, the consolidated financial position of the state governments has shown a marked deterioration in some of their major deficit indicators. One of the fundamental weaknesses of state government finances in India can be attributed to the increases in non-developmental expenditure, particularly the revenue component of the non-developmental expenditure, and interest payments as a proportion of revenue receipts. Structural imbalances in the form of large revenue deficits, rising interest burden, increasing distortions in the pattern of expenditure, and very slow growing non-tax revenues are major problem areas for state finances. These problems have been aggravated a great deal over the past few years because of a variety of reasons. The resource constraints in state finances have been accentuated by a near stagnant tax-GDP ratio, rising share of non-developmental outlay in the total expenditure, large volumes of hidden or implicit subsidies and increasing financial losses of state enterprises. A growing pressure on state finances has also stemmed from the rising demand for public services. Furthermore, the fiscal situation in the states is likely to come under much greater pressure with the acceptance of the Report of the Fifth Pay Commission by several state governments in India. Be that as it may, the critical problem in state finances is not only one of high levels of expenditure, but also one of increasing distortions in the pattern of expenditure. The three different methods of intergovernmental fiscal transfers have resulted in an inefficient transfer mechanism that has increased bureaucracy at the state level, accommodated numerous interest groups, and delinked plan requirements of states from actual transfers. Similarly, better fiscal performance is not acknowledged with higher transfers, instead the gap filling approach of the Finance Commission discourages fiscal discipline in the states. In the area of expenditure reduction, we have identified several potential areas for controlling expenditure of the state governments. In our view, by raising user charges on water in accordance with the costs incurred in providing water, and aligning tariff rates of the SEBs in line with their costs, the state governments could significantly cut their budgetary losses. In addition, a freeze on state government employment can help save scarce resources to be used for productive purposes elsewhere in the states

Testimony on the State of State Early Childhood Policies

On March 17th, 2009, Helene Stebbins testified before the House Committee on Education and Labor about the importance of early childhood development

The State of State EITCs: An Overview and Their Implications for Low- and Moderate-Income Households

The success of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) has prompted numerous states to develop and administer their own EITC programs. This brief presents the results of analyses that used data from a large sample of low- and moderate-income households to learn more about the relationship between state and federal EITCs as well as about their relationships, respective and combined, with financial behaviors and the experience of financial and material hardship. Given that many EITC beneficiaries face substantial risk of experiencing income volatility and financial shocks, insights gained from this brief can assist policymakers in understanding the importance of expanded EITCs and promoting emergency saving at tax time