Fiscal Policy

National debt. The equation is simple. Rapidly expanding entitlement programs combined with war spending and lower-than-anticipated tax revenues have shoved American into a quagmire of national debt. The media has covered the story well.

But what has been less reported are the ramifications of this exorbitant federal spending on state and municipal governments. Rarer still are the stories that explain what this means for the average American.

Decisions made in Washington affect individuals and businesses in Midwestern states like Indiana. But under the direction of Governor Mitch Daniels, Indiana has weathered the recent economic storm far better than most states thanks to Daniels’ prudent fiscal policies and practices. In fact, the state received its first-ever AAA bond rating from Standard & Poor’s in 2008 and from both Fitch and Moody’s in 2010.

Sagamore believes that Indiana has an edge on state fiscal policy. That’s why we recruited Dr. Ryan Streeter, an expert on fiscal issues, to lead a new research project that will seek to change the national debate surrounding federal, state and local government spending.

Dr. Ryan Streeter

Biography
Streeter joins Sagamore as Distinguished Visiting Fellow and Director of Fiscal Studies
Articles and Books
By Senior Fellow Ryan Streeter
The Legatum Prosperity Index
The world's only assessment of wealth and wellbeing

Bradley Working Group on State and Local Finance

Lessons from the Bradley Working Group
Including insights from Mitch Daniels
The State Spending Crisis
What the experts have to say

Laboratories of Fiscal Reform

The Indiana Model
Mitch Daniels scores jobs for Hoosiers
Video: Indiana's Sandbox of Innovation
Jeff Heinzman speaks at the Imagine Indiana Leadership Summitt