Hicks Commentary: What Made Us Fumble Education Policy?
This column was originally published on the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Weekly Commentary blog. By Michael J. Hicks August 17, 2025 Indiana made a billion-dollar mistake based on a flawed jobs forecast a decade ago, and we’re still paying â...â
Hicks Commentary: Grim Recessionary Facts
This column was originally published on the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Weekly Commentary blog. By Michael J. Hicks August 10, 2025 In March, I predicted the U.S. economy would enter recession and in April I explained how Indiana would be esp â...â
Hicks Commentary: Some Easy (and Not So Easy) Spending Cuts for the Next Budget
This column was originally published on the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Weekly Commentary blog. By Michael J. Hicks August 3, 2025 The coming decade is almost certain to see Americans take more seriously our large national debt. I see this as â...â
Hicks Commentary: More Bad News about Hoosier College Attendance
This column was originally published on the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Weekly Commentary blog. By Michael J. Hicks July 27, 2025 The Indiana Commission for Higher Education has released the stateâs go-to-college data for 2023, the most rec â...â
Hicks Commentary: Itâs Stagflation, Not Inflation
This column was originally published on the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Weekly Commentary blog. By Michael J. Hicks July 20, 2025 The average American family will pay about $2,500 more this year because of tariffs. But unlike inflation, your â...â
Hicks Commentary: A Golden Age of Economic Columnists
This column was originally published on the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Weekly Commentary blog. By Michael J. Hicks July 13, 2025 I have the very good fortune to be living amid a veritable golden age of economic columnists. There is such an i â...â
Hicks Commentary: Churchill Was Right About Americans
This column was originally published on the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Weekly Commentary blog. By Michael J. Hicks July 6, 2025 Our nation was born in an epic struggle over the radical ideals of our foundingâthat (1) we each have value and â...â
Hicks Commentary: More Changes to Economic Development Policy Are Needed
This column was originally published on the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Weekly Commentary blog. By Michael J. Hicks June 29, 2025 Several weeks ago, I wrote that Hoosiers should offer Gov. Mike Braun grace in his efforts to reorient the Indiana â...â
Hicks Commentary: We Have a Healthy Middle Class
This column was originally published on the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Weekly Commentary blog. By Michael J. Hicks June 22, 2025 Iâm often asked, âWhat has happened to the middle class?â The best answer I can think of puts the question â...â
Hicks Commentary: Economic Freedom Is Essential, but It Isnât Just Taxes
This column was originally published on the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Weekly Commentary blog. By Michael J. Hicks June 15, 2025 Over the past few years, academic economists and think tanks have published studies on freedom that offer valuable â...â