Hicks Commentary: An Anecdote on Taxation
This column was originally published on the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Weekly Commentary blog. By Michael J. Hicks November 16, 2025 I enjoy telling this little anecdote about how voters tend to feel about taxes and spending. From 2004 to 2007 “...”
Hicks Commentary: How to Thank a Veteran
This column was originally published on the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Weekly Commentary blog. By Michael J. Hicks November 9, 2025 As Veterans Day approaches, I am reminded that the hardships of military service provided me with the most valu “...”
Hicks Commentary: A Half Century with the Wrong Ideas
This column was originally published on the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Weekly Commentary blog. By Michael J. Hicks November 2, 2025 Economists have developed three competing explanations, or theories, to explain differences in economic growth “...”
Hicks Commentary: Our New Diploma Problems
This column was originally published on the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Weekly Commentary blog. By Michael J. Hicks October 26, 2025 In crafting Indiana’s new high school diploma requirements, the state Department of Education identified only “...”
Hicks Commentary: The Economy Today – What’s Going On?
This column was originally published on the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Weekly Commentary blog. By Michael J. Hicks October 19, 2025 A close observer of the economy might be tempted to ask, “What is going on?” The stock market continues to “...”
Hicks Commentary: The IEDC Mess Is Bigger Than One Audit
This column was originally published on the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Weekly Commentary blog. By Michael J. Hicks October 12, 2025 The Indiana Economic Development Corp. audit is the latest example of the truly first-rate effort of the Braun “...”
Hicks Commentary: A Data Center Study
This column was originally published on the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Weekly Commentary blog. By Michael J. Hicks October 5, 2025 Data centers have almost no local economic effects, with one possible exception. That’s the result of my r “...”
Hicks Commentary: The Resurrection of Keynesianism—in a MAGA Hat
This column was originally published on the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Weekly Commentary blog. By Michael J. Hicks September 28, 2025 Federal Reserve’s 0.25% interest rate cut, announced Sept. 17, will have little economic effect by itself. “...”
Hicks Commentary: Summoning Better and Braver Angels
This column was originally published on the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Weekly Commentary blog. By Michael Hicks September 21, 2024 The assassination of Charlie Kirk was an evil, vile and pernicious act that targeted not merely one man, but als “...”
Hicks Commentary: I’m Not Trying to Change Your Mind
This column was originally published on the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Weekly Commentary blog. By Michael J. Hicks September 14, 2025 Readers frequently offer advice on my columns, with a common theme of helping me be more persuasive. I apprec “...”