Illinois’ comeback story starts here.
A weekly podcast tackling Illinois' most important issues.
This edition of The Policy Shop is by Director of Fiscal and Economic Research Bryce Hill. Illinois ended 2023 with some bad news: There are fewer of us. Again. Multiple that “again” by 10. For 10 years in a row, Illinois’ population gains could not keep up with the rate of people packing up and...
This edition of The Policy Shop is by policy analyst Hannah Schmid. The Chicago Teachers Union has been making a list, checking it twice, figuring out how to be naughty – not nice. Killed private school choice. The CTU destroyed the Invest in Kids Act through liberal investments of cash and threats during 2023, making Illinois the only...
This edition of The Policy Shop is by writer Patrick Andriesen. Here’s a thought: Violent crimes are surging in Chicago and sending businesses packing, so let’s cut the number of cops on the street. That’s some brilliant, progressive thinking, right? Two Illinois Policy Institute reports this week highlighted Chicago’s crime problems, problems 66% of voters...
This edition of The Policy Shop is by Head of Policy Josh Bandoch. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson wants to help the homeless, but his plan for doing so likely involves creating more homeless people who will need help. More people to help requires more government. That requires more taxes. More taxes mean fewer businesses and...
This edition of The Policy Shop is by Director of Fiscal and Economic Research Bryce Hill. You’ve got $19 today. Can you get through the day on just that? Food. Shelter. Clothes. Transportation. Even if you make it through today, can you do it again tomorrow? Then the day after? Then for years? No stress...
This edition of The Policy Shop is by Mailee Smith, senior director of labor policy and staff attorney. The Illinois General Assembly has departed Springfield to go eat turkey. Most of them should be eating crow. On Nov. 9 they made Illinois the only state in the nation to roll back school choice. State lawmakers...
This edition of The Policy Shop is by policy analyst Hannah Schmid. The Illinois General Assembly is back in Springfield, and so are low-income students who are among the nearly 10,000 Invest in Kids scholarship recipients. They are at the Statehouse to remind lawmakers there are real kids with futures at stake. But the teachers unions are...
Illinois schoolchildren did a little better this past school year, but they are still behind where they were before the pandemic hit and put them out of their classrooms for large blocks of time. It’s interesting timing as Illinois state lawmakers are showing too little interest in keeping the one thing that worked during the...
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