Hicks Commentary: The Hollow Promise of MAGA Tariffs
This column was originally published on the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Weekly Commentary blog. By Michael Hicks March 1, 2026 Indiana is ground zero for President Donald Trump’s trade war damage, and the worst is still ahead. The Supreme “...”
Hicks Commentary: Quality of Life Is a Smart Business Attraction Tool
This column was originally published on the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Weekly Commentary blog. By Michael J. Hicks February 22, 2026 Quality of life matters more to businesses than it does to households. That may seem counterintuitive, but the “...”
Hicks Commentary: The Property Tax Is the Best Tax
This column was originally published on the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Weekly Commentary blog. By Michael J. Hicks February 15, 2026 The Indiana legislature is considering a bill that would fully phase out the property tax over the next few ye “...”
Hicks Commentary: Indiana General Assembly using Copy-and-Paste Legislation from Out of State
This column was originally published on the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Weekly Commentary blog. By Michael J. Hicks February 8, 2026 Indiana legislators are considering a bill to eliminate college degrees that don’t exist. Senate Bill 199 “...”
Hicks Commentary: It’s Sell Off America Time Around the World
This column was originally published on the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Weekly Commentary blog. By Michael J. Hicks February 1, 2026 The value of the U.S. dollar dropped against most foreign currencies in late January, while dollar-denominated “...”
Hicks Commentary: Another sign of constitutional crisis in disastrous week
This column was originally published on the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Weekly Commentary blog. By Michael J. Hicks January 25, 2026 The U.S. has entered a quiet constitutional crisis unlike anything we’ve faced. The most recent symptom is Pr “...”
Hicks Commentary: Side effects of property tax reform
This column was originally published on the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Weekly Commentary blog. By Michael J. Hicks January 18, 2026 One of the thornier issues in tax policy is anticipating behavioral, or second-order, effects. These are normal “...”
Hicks Commentary: A year of Christian nationalism
A note from the publisher of The Indiana Citizen: One year ago–on Inauguration Day, January 13, 2025–we asked one of Indiana’s leading public intellectuals, Ball State Economics Professor Michael Hicks, to analyze and anticipate the impact of having a Christian nationalist “...”
Hicks Commentary: A Reversal of Rural Fortunes
This column was originally published on the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Weekly Commentary blog. By Michael J. Hicks January 4, 2026 Small towns are in for a sobering stretch of economic challenges as elected officials reverse pandemic-era polic “...”
Hicks Commentary: Don’t Ask Your College Kids What They Learned, Ask Them Why They Learned
This column was originally published on the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Weekly Commentary blog. By Michael J. Hicks December 28, 2025 Exams are over and college students are home for the holiday break. Parents are certain to ask what they learn “...”