Job growth in Illinois remains sluggish and forecasts from IGPA's Regional Economic Applications Laboratory do not indicate major improvement anytime soon, according to the latest Illinois Economic Review. Read the Review.

June 9, 2011 _ A new study from the Brookings Institution, co-authored by IGPA demographer Matthew Hall, concludes that the growing economic contributions of America’s immigrants need to be better reflected in national policy.

In general, green taxes are taxes either directly on pollution emissions or on goods whose use causes pollution. In the revenue-raising context, the basic argument for green taxes can be summarized by the adage: “tax waste, not work.” Taxes on labor income discourage workers from engaging in productive activities, and thus hurt society. Taxing waste, by contrast, discourages harmful pollution, and thus benefits society. In addition, the revenue raised from these green taxes can help mitigate the state’s fiscal crisis.