Illinois’ economy needs a real comeback to get the state back to work. To address what is needed for a sustainable recovery, policymakers should look at one of Illinois’ primary pain points: the manufacturing sector. The recession caused Illinois to lose 116,800 manufacturing jobs from January 2008-January 2010. After that, Illinois began a weak manufacturing...

Since the Great Recession ended, Illinois’ food-stamp enrollment has outpaced job creation by a ratio of nearly 2-to-1. The jobs versus food stamps comparison is a strong indicator of economic hardship. And compared to the rest of the Midwest, Illinoisans are truly feeling the pain. Since the Great Recession ended, Illinois is the only state...

This article was written by Satta Sarmah and featured in Fast Company on September 26, 2014.  When 30-year-old Chicago native Sheyla Jarocz talks about how a brick and mortar storefront survives in the city’s North Center neighborhood, it sounds like a lonely mission. “I’ve tried to do promotions with nearby businesses,” said Jarocz, who opened Maash Boutique two years...

Illinois’ manufacturing sector has been hemorrhaging jobs for decades, and policy has a lot to do with it. Since 2004, Illinois has lost 125,000 manufacturing jobs. Most of these losses resulted from the Great Recession – a colossal 117,000 manufacturing jobs were shed from January 2008-January 2010 – but precious few have returned. In the...