Center News

Reinbold to Present Paper at ASPA Conference

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 08:00:00 CST

Gary Reinbold, an assistant professor of public administration with a new part-time appointment in the Center, will be presenting a paper on inequalities and incentives in transfer and tax programs in Illinois at the American Society for Public Administration’s 74th Annual Conference. The conference will take place March 15-19, 2013 in New Orleans, LA. Reinbold’s research, supported by a public affairs research grant from the Center, analyzes the effects of 18 different transfer and tax programs on income inequality among nonelderly, nondisabled households in Illinois and on work and fertility incentives for those households.

Miller Receives Book Contract

Fri, 23 Nov 2012 08:00:00 CST

UIS political scientist Michael G. Miller with a part-time appointment in the Center has received a book contract from Cornell University Press for his manuscript, Subsidized Democracy: How Public Funding Changes Elections, and How It Can Work in the Future. Publication is expected in the fall of 2013. The book will focus on the manner in which state-level public funding changes both mass and elite political behavior. Using survey responses from the legislative candidate populations of 18 states in 2008, testimony of candidates in the 2006 Arizona election, and more than 20 years of elections data, Miller’s project describes how public funding alters candidates’ strategic decision-making through the course of a campaign, from the entry decision to the final hours, and how changes in their behavior produce a fundamentally different political environment. Miller has also received an advance contract from Routledge for a book , co-authored with Conor Dowling of the University of Mississippi, that provides a broad examination of how Super PACs and other organizations spending unregulated money in the wake of the 2010 Citizens United decision by the U.S. Supreme Court affect elections and political behavior.

New WUIS Morning Edition Host

Wed, 21 Nov 2012 11:00:00 CST

Peter Gray has officially been named WUIS Morning Edition host. Gray, a graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, previously worked as a reporter at WAND-TV and in independent film projects. Gray had been at WUIS in a part-time role for nearly a year. In addition to hosting the local portion of Morning Edition, he will host Friday’s Illinois Edition and report on local events and the arts.

Sangamon County Economic Outlook Results Released

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 08:00:00 CST

Sangamon County businesses expect tepid growth in the upcoming year, according to the Fall 2012 Sangamon County Economic Outlook Survey conducted by the UIS Survey Research Office. The biannual mail survey examines the economic perceptions and expectations of businesses and nonprofit employers in the county. Results show a decrease in expectations about the overall county economy from the Spring 2012 survey. Yet, while the overall outlook has dimmed slightly, respondents reported being positive about their own business prospects. Thirty-five percent of those completing the survey expect increases in their firm’s capital investments, 31 percent expect higher profitability, and 45 percent anticipate an increase in gross revenue over the next 12 months. In addition, for the third consecutive year, the medical/healthcare sector recorded the most positive outlook, with more than 75 percent of respondents expecting growth in the sector in the period ahead. The survey results are based on 170 responses from the private, non-profit, and government sectors. The biannual outlook surveys are sponsored by the University of Illinois Springfield Chancellor’s Office, the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce, and the Center for State Policy and Leadership.

Illinois Issues November Issue

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 08:00:00 CST

The downgrades of Illinois’ credit worthiness by bond rating agencies have been cited as a primary reason for overhauling Medicaid and state pensions. But what do the downgrades really mean in the real world? Illinois Issues’ November edition shows that the state actually has been paying lower rates on its bond issues than in recent history, although many other states’ rates are even better.