When people can’t predict with at least some degree of confidence what economic policies their government will follow, they often delay consequential decisions and park their resources in safer, lower-yielding investments. Lawmakers should seek consensus, simplicity and predictability in making economic policy changes Read More
Jay Schalin, director of policy analysis at the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, writes that a new program on civic virtues and civil discourse is generating unnecessary controversy. Read More
Our political process is under tremendous pressure, no question. In North Carolina and beyond, politics has been overly coarsened, polarized, and trivialized. But the system isn’t irreparably broken. Read More
This is Constitution Week and Brenee Goforth, with the John Locke Foundation, tells how our delegation played a big role in compromises that ensured the passage of the Constitution that has guided us for 200 years. Read More
Political consultant Carter Wrenn told columnist Gary Pearce there are "two worlds in politics - the inside world and the outside world." The inside world is about 2,000 people who are deeply invested and pay attention to North Carolina politics. Then there are the 7 million registered voters who usually pay little attention. Read More
Legislators couldn't use political data to determine legislative districts but Professor Michael Bitzer can and his analysis produces interesting conclusions. Read More
Ours may be a divided state with respect to many ideological issues, but when it comes to how we choose the people who represent us and the rules those people employ to pass the laws that govern our society we pose great risk to our democracy with continued "ends-justifies-the-means" politics . Read More
If you are lamenting the loss of many favorite barbecue joints you aren't alone. Is there hope for the future? Read More
Economists are better at predicting the past than the future, but if a recession is to occur in the next three years Walden speculates on its severity. Read More
Civility and trust among politicians were already sorely tested before Wednesday's override vote on Governor Cooper's budget veto. Read More
