A recent study of the business tax burden in the 50 states and District of Columbia ranks Illinois as 27th in the nation. Portrayed as being “not so bad” in the media sheds a lot of light on Illinois’ current economic position. But while Illinois ranks in the middle of the pack for business tax...

Gov. Pat Quinn is claiming that Illinois is making a comeback. But the evidence, supported by public opinion, belies that fact. Illinois remains an economic basket case: The state has the fastest-shrinking workforce in the nation Illinois has the second-highest property taxes in the country, as well as a high tax burden on individual and business incomes Illinois is the third-most corrupt state in the country Illinois loses one resident...

The state of Illinois received a near-failing grade for the quality of its natural-hair-braiding licensing rules, according to a new study released by the Institute for Justice. The study overviews natural-hair-braiding (a popular beauty practice among African and African-American communities in the U.S.) regulations in every state in the country, ranking each one based on...

Chicago needs entrepreneurs. But too often, the city slows them down or chases them out of town. The “City that Works” doesn’t work for startups. A simple process is necessary so that startups in Chicago can get off the ground and start working, hiring and paying taxes. One good place to start is to make...

Sara Travis loves Chicago. She’s lived here her whole life. When Sara decided to start her own business, there was no question that she would set up shop in her hometown. Sara founded The Brew Hub, a mobile coffee-vending business that sells iced coffees and teas, in June 2013. But she encountered endless obstacles to becoming...

It’s report-card season in Illinois, as the journey and efforts that began last August have come to fruition for students across the state. State governments can be graded too, in particular on the subject of jobs. How Illinois fares on job creation is critically important for local high school and college seniors, who have just...

According to a recent Gallup survey, only 60 percent of Illinoisans believe that this is a good state to start a business. Not only do we have one of the most negative views in the nation, but it stands in stark contrast to booming states such as North Dakota and Texas, where more than 80...

Illinois’ unemployment rate fell to 7.5 percent from 7.9 percent month-over-month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ most recent household survey. But there’s no reason to celebrate. Payroll jobs shrank by 2,600, with a loss of 5,400 private-sector jobs and an increase of 2,800 government jobs. The decline in the unemployment rate was driven...