growth

The N.C. Department of Public Instruction released the 2018-19 state accountability results this week.  The release included end-of-grade and end-of-course test results, growth (or value-added) scores, school performance grades,…

On September 6, the State Board of Education and Department of Public Instruction released state test scores and other accountability measures for the 2017-18 school year.  Compared to the…

Click here to view and here to listen to Dr. Roy Cordato discussing this Spotlight report. RALEIGH — North Carolina lawmakers would harm, not help, the state’s economic…

RALEIGH — The latest federal employment report delivers excellent news for North Carolina. That’s the assessment from the John Locke Foundation’s chairman, who notes that state employers added 14,000 new…

RALEIGH — The latest federal employment data for North Carolina show positive signs of economic recovery, despite an increase in the state’s official unemployment rate for May. That’s the assessment…

Click here to view and here to listen to Dr. Roy Cordato discussing this Spotlight report. RALEIGH — North Carolina’s new tax reforms help set the stage for…

RALEIGH — A system based on “flex growth” makes more sense than so-called “smart growth” as North Carolina and its local governments set their development and transportation policies. That’s the…

County and municipal governments provide many key services while taking in billions of dollars in revenue, but finding comparative data is hard. That's why this report provides information of how much local government costs in every city and county in North Carolina.

County and municipal governments provide many key services while taking in billions of dollars in revenue, but finding comparative data is hard. That's why this report provides information of how much local government costs in every city and county in North Carolina.

Business incentives are like lottery tickets, providing big rewards for governments if you don’t count the costs. Iredell County modeled the financial costs and benefits of an incentive offered in 2009 and showed a positive net present value for the incentives, but neglected to factor in the opportunity cost of forgoing the next best use for the funds and the likelihood the investment would have happened without an incentive.