NC SPIN Posts by John Hood

Presidential stakes in state economies

I’ve long believed that governors or other former executives make the best presidents. Although several of my favorite occupants of the White House had legislative or congressional experience, as...    Read More

by John Hood   |   July 11, 2014

What largely explains the drop

The next time you see or hear a politician, policy analyst, activist, or journalist say that North Carolina’s unemployment rate has fallen “largely” because of workers dropping out of the labor...    Read More

by John Hood   |   July 7, 2014



Serve a different plate

As often happens at the North Carolina General Assembly, the new fiscal year has begun with the House and Senate have yet to complete their work on a budget-adjustment bill. Medicaid funding, teacher...    Read More

by John Hood   |   July 2, 2014

A sorting hat for politics

Political labels are necessary. They are also problematic. Without labels, political conversation would be difficult to sustain. Debate flows from disagreement. On any given proposal for government to...    Read More

by John Hood   |   June 30, 2014

N.C. Republicans popular

Gov. Pat McCrory and the GOP-led state legislature are at odds over the budget, Medicaid reform, Common Core, and other issues. Conservatives are disappointed with the McCrory administration’s...    Read More

by John Hood   |   June 29, 2014


The Master at work

Art Pope is a master of manipulation. Despite being the true political boss of North Carolina — the one that Gov. Pat McCroy, House Speaker Thom Tillis, and Senate leader Phil Berger take their...    Read More

by John Hood   |   June 27, 2014

Which Carolina is ahead?

Within hours of the announcement last week that two Charlotte-based companies, LPL Financial and The Lash Group, would relocate thousands of jobs across the border to South Carolina, political and...    Read More

by John Hood   |   June 25, 2014

Government spending remains high

Fiscal conservatives think government is too large, costs too much, and tries to do too much. Fiscal liberals think government is too small, spends too little, and doesn’t try to do enough. This is...    Read More

by John Hood   |   June 22, 2014


Are we there yet?

I know you’ve been there. It’s time for supper and you have neither the time nor the supplies to cook. So you and your family members or friends all pile in to the car to head out to a restaurant...    Read More

by John Hood   |   June 20, 2014