Hicks Commentary: The bittersweet ending of a semester
This column was originally published on the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Weekly Commentary blog. By Michael J. Hicks May 17, 2026 Graduation day is always bittersweet for me. This year I’m losing an excellent graduate student, saying goodbye t “...”
Hicks Commentary: The Anti-Philanthropy Monopolists of Indiana
This column was originally published on the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Weekly Commentary blog. By Michael J. Hicks May 10, 2026 Indiana is gifted with a large philanthropic community. However, its enormous contributions to the vitality of our “...”
Hicks Commentary: The Real AI Effects Will Be Felt Across Places, Not People
This column was originally published on the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Weekly Commentary blog. By Michael J. Hicks May 3, 2026 I’ve spent a lot of time studying the potential labor market effects of artificial intelligence. I think the great “...”
Hicks Commentary: Indiana’s Real Tax Problem
This column was originally published on the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Weekly Commentary blog. By Michael J. Hicks April 26, 2026 Indiana’s state tax collections have remained stable for the past three decades, but that is changing. Indiana “...”
Hicks Commentary: The Remainder of Trump’s Term Will Be About Remedying Mistakes
This column was originally published on the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Weekly Commentary blog. By Michael J. Hicks April 19, 2026 It’s been a full year since President Donald Trump made his first big cuts to his tariffs. In many ways, the pr “...”
Hicks Commentary: The Economic Effects of Limiting Wind and Solar Development
This column was originally published on the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Weekly Commentary blog. By Michael J. Hicks April 12, 2026 Indiana has experienced astonishing growth in renewable energy production, which now accounts for almost 16% of t “...”
Hicks Commentary: It’s Time to Measure the “Value Added” Performance of Schools
This column was originally published on the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Weekly Commentary blog. By Michael J. Hicks April 5, 2026 For families with kids, the most important part of choosing a neighborhood is usually the quality of local schools “...”
Hicks Commentary: Oil Supply Shocks Have the Same Economic Effects as Tariffs
This column was originally published on the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Weekly Commentary blog. By Michael J. Hicks March 29, 2026 The world is facing what could be the largest energy shock in history. We aren’t there yet. The U.S. and Israel “...”
Hicks Commentary: The Cost of War and the Shift from Attack to Defense
This column was originally published on the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Weekly Commentary blog. By Michael J. Hicks March 22, 2026 In the two weeks following the outbreak of war, the benchmark price of crude oil rose 44.6%. Even if oil prices s “...”
Hicks Commentary: The uproar over data centers
This column was originally published on the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Weekly Commentary blog. By Michael J. Hicks March 15, 2026 Today’s uproar over data centers reminds me a lot of the angst over Walmart two decades ago. There’s an enorm “...”