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Greetings!
As the summer season winds down we look forward to cooler temperatures, Autumn colors and inaugurating the final quarter of the calendar year. Last Fall, the Economics Center began a research study for a non-profit business organization which examined how sales tax rates influence consumer spending. Research Associate Jennifer Pitzer, and Assistant Research Professor Ben Passty, took a look at the results and asked, "Why didn't consumers dramatically increase spending in response to the State of Ohio lowering the sales tax rate from 6 to 5.5 percent in 2006?"
The sluggish economic recovery is forcing businesses, households, and all levels of government to make tough choices about how to meet our priorities with waning resources. The spirited discussions at state and national levels about how much government spends and on what and where that money comes from indicate that a serious reconsideration of how governments manage their obligations and how this will impact their constituents is at hand.
To read the conclusion and participate in this month's poll, visit:
Can cutting sales taxes increase spending? Evidence from Ohio.
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Economics Center's Research Associate, Jennifer Pitzer, presents research at the International Energy Program Evaluation Conference
In August Research Associate Jennifer Pitzer, PhD, traveled to the International Energy Program Evaluation Conference in Boston to present research conducted jointly with the Cadmus Group for the local non-profit People Working Cooperatively. Her collaborators from Cadmus Group include Jamie Drakos and M. Sami Khawaja. The presentation focused on some of the non-energy related benefits associated with PWC's work in Cincinnati, specifically finding that their efforts do positively impact the sale prices of homes that receive their services and other homes in the neighborhood. The research is a new addition to the standard evaluation that PWC has pursued to measure their impact and broadens the discussion of PWC's work and outcomes. In recognition of this contribution to the evaluation of PWC, Jennifer Pitzer has been asked to receive PWC's Chairman Award on behalf of the Economics Center. The Chairman's Award is an important award to PWC, given only to those who have directly benefited their mission of serving low income elderly and disabled homeowners with critical home repairs and services. |
"As a research-based organization, Cincinnati Works relies heavily on the type of data and analysis the Economic Center provides. Their ability to analyze economic trends and assess the impact they have on job seekers and workforce development is valuable to the work that we do here at Cincinnati Works." 
