Closing the Opportunity Gap: Building equity in Oklahoma

Click here for a copy of a presentation of this research to the OKDHS Practice and Policy Lecture Series on 4/25/2013 Oklahoma’s prosperity depends on the financial success and economic achievement of the people who call it home.  For a… Read more [More...]

The survey says… Oklahoma businesses need a well-funded education system

A few months ago, Governor Fallin released the results of a survey of businesses from across the state that asked what they viewed as the strengths and weaknesses of doing business in Oklahoma.  The results showed clearly that Oklahoma businesses… Read more [More...]

It matters who guards the henhouse

No one would argue that Oklahoma’s business community does not have a major influence on public policy. They benefit from a significant lobbying infrastructure through Chambers of Commerce, extensive personal connections between business leaders and elected officials, and a state… Read more [More...]

Summer Re-Run: What's the best way to boost the economy? Hint — it’s not tax cuts

Note: This article originally appeared on the OK Policy Blog last December. Occasionally we are re-running blog posts on topical subjects that you may have missed the first time around. Several state leaders have taken to promoting more income tax… Read more [More...]

Watch This: Optimism and the American dream

The program Moyers & Company recently hosted PolicyLink Founder and CEO Angela Glover Blackwell to discuss the status of the American dream and the prospect of an equitable America.  We’ve previously blogged about PolicyLink’s equity-driven economic development agenda.  In this… Read more [More...]

New study: Harder to get ahead in Oklahoma than most other states

The ‘American Dream’ is pervasive in our collective discourse and consciousness.  Rooted in the founding documents and political mythology of the United States, it evokes an ethos of equal opportunity, regardless of one’s social class or original circumstance.  It’s an… Read more [More...]

Guest Post (Ken Fergesen): Taxes are essential for Oklahoma's quality of life

Ken Fergesen, a resident of Altus, is Chairman of NBC Oklahoma, and is active in banking, farming, civic, social and cultural organizations.. He is a past President of the State Chamber of Commerce. I am really concerned about our State. … Read more [More...]

Gov. Martin O'Malley: The business case for health reform

These comments were excerpted from a speech by Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley to a plenary session of an annual healthcare conference hosted by FamiliesUSA. Our country is now poised through the Affordable Care Act to help millions of American families… Read more [More...]

What's the best way to boost the economy? Hint — it's not tax cuts

Several state leaders have taken to promoting more income tax cuts as the best way to improve Oklahoma’s economy. But is that true? We recently heard Timothy Bartik, senior economist at the Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, discuss the latest… Read more [More...]

It's not the personal income tax

Why do some companies choose to locate their businesses  in Texas rather than Oklahoma? During the first two meetings of the Task Force on Comprehensive Tax Reform, co-chair Representative David Dank has stated repeatedly that the absence of the personal… Read more [More...]