When a government watchdog as knowledgeable as Steven Greenhut, a Bloomberg View contributor, writes that California deserves to knock New York out of last place in rankings of state business climates, it’s tempting to agree. If only he had a stronger case. Read More
One out of every six police officers and firefighters retiring from state and local agencies outside New York City last year qualified for annual pensions of $100,000, according to state pension fund data posted today at SeeThroughNY, the Empire Center’s government transparency website. Read More
New York Post Texas Gov. Rick Perry is looking to lasso some East Coast business for his low-tax Lone Star State with a new $1 million ad campaign and trip next week to the Big Apple and Connecticut. Perry has already begun air Read More
Don’t look now, but the Legislature is a step away from passing a straight four-year extension of the Taylor Law’s police and binding arbitration provision, which is due to sunset June 30. The Senate extender bill (sponsored by Martin Golden, R-Brooklyn) was reported out of the Civil Service and Pensions Committee last week and advanced to third reading on the floor calendar this week. Read More
In promoting his twin panaceas for the upstate economy—casino gambling and tax-free zones on college and university campuses—Governor Andrew Cuomo hasn’t minced words about the region’s mediocre economic performance. “We’re on the third generation of people giving the speech and writing the story” of upstate’s decline, he said at one recent news conference. Read More
New York’s economy grew at barely half the rate for all 50 states in 2012, according to newly released federal data. The Empire State’s share of real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was up 1.3 percent last year, compared to 2.5 percent for all states (and 1.5 percent for the northeast as a whole). Read More
New York’s economy grew at barely half the rate for all 50 states in 2012, according to newly released federal data. The Empire State’s share of real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was up 1.3 percent last year, compared to 2.5 percent for all states (and 1.5 percent for the northeast as a whole). Read More
Upstate New York has been declining economically for decades, relative to both the rest of the state and to the nation as a whole. Upstate cities, reeling from a significant long-term loss of jobs and people, are among New York's most fiscally distressed municipalities. What do the latest economic data tell us about the path of the upstate economy? What are the prospects for a revival of the region and its cities? To what extent might natural gas "fracking" boost growth? We invite you to join us for the presentation of a pair of Empire Center reports delving into those questions -- culminating in a keynote from an internationally recognized leader in entrepreneurship, innovation and economic growth. Read More