Illinois’ comeback story starts here.
A weekly podcast tackling Illinois' most important issues.
This edition of The Policy Shop is by Head of Policy Josh Bandoch. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson wants to help the homeless, but his plan for doing so likely involves creating more homeless people who will need help. More people to help requires more government. That requires more taxes. More taxes mean fewer businesses and...
This edition of The Policy Shop is by Director of Fiscal and Economic Research Bryce Hill. You’ve got $19 today. Can you get through the day on just that? Food. Shelter. Clothes. Transportation. Even if you make it through today, can you do it again tomorrow? Then the day after? Then for years? No stress...
This edition of The Policy Shop is by Mailee Smith, senior director of labor policy and staff attorney. The Illinois General Assembly has departed Springfield to go eat turkey. Most of them should be eating crow. On Nov. 9 they made Illinois the only state in the nation to roll back school choice. State lawmakers...
This edition of The Policy Shop is by policy analyst Hannah Schmid. The Illinois General Assembly is back in Springfield, and so are low-income students who are among the nearly 10,000 Invest in Kids scholarship recipients. They are at the Statehouse to remind lawmakers there are real kids with futures at stake. But the teachers unions are...
Illinois schoolchildren did a little better this past school year, but they are still behind where they were before the pandemic hit and put them out of their classrooms for large blocks of time. It’s interesting timing as Illinois state lawmakers are showing too little interest in keeping the one thing that worked during the...
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has a lot of plans to change the social order, but what he doesn’t have is a plan for how to stanch the city’s literal or figurative bleeding. Without law and order, people and businesses will continue to flee: 32,990 people in 2022, plus major businesses over crime and taxes. Chicago’s...
This edition of The Policy Shop is by policy analyst Hannah Schmid. On Tuesday the Illinois General Assembly will begin the fall veto session, when they have a chance to override the vetoes issued by Gov. J.B. Pritzker plus put other bills in motion. The best use of their time this fall is to save...
This edition of The Policy Shop is by policy advisor Paul Vallas. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s promises are colliding with his problems, which will be on full display today when he delivers his budget address to the City Council. There’s a $538 million projected deficit. There are over 17,000 migrants expected to cost the city...
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