April 20, 2013
Michael Hicks, an economist and director of Ball State University's Center of Business and Economic Research, said the resiliency and relative strength of Indiana's economy is the one bright spot in the unemployment report.
"With job losses of 11,000, we still see overall job numbers over the past year exceeding all but a few states," he said. "Moreover, we enjoy a growing labor force, which speaks well to long-term prospects. Still, these numbers are bad, and with a worsening national economy, employment data are likely to disappoint for months to come."
April 11, 2013
Those opposed to the chained CPI say it will mean smaller increases in Social Security checks over time. Ball State Economist Mike Hicks says the chained CPI allows people to choose between similar products in places where they're cheaper. He says many economists believe the current CPI overstates inflation because it doesn't take this into account.
April 5, 2013
Another economist, Michael Hicks of Ball State University in Indiana, says it may take a decade or longer to get back to the unemployment levels seen before the financial crisis.
April 2, 2013
Ball State’s Beaubien says. A healthy city has to have healthy suburbs—it’s not one or the other. And the more choices a region provides, the better. “It’s the equivalent of a community only having a Ford dealership,” he says. “If someone wants a Toyota, they’re going to have to go somewhere else.
March 30, 2013
Ball State President Jo Ann Gora told the House Ways and Means Committee in January that the school has been at a disadvantage because it has worked to raise admission standards and the quality of programs while keeping enrollment around 16,000. That strategy, along with Ball State's focus on non-STEM degrees, has hurt it’s funding, she said. Note: Associated Press distributed this story nationally.
March 19, 2013
Many people find these questions to be simple ones, at least based on a new Ball State study that showed Hamilton, Hendricks and Johnson counties experiencing the state’s largest net migrations in recent years -- meaning people moving in from another county. Marion County suffered the lowest such migration, meaning thousands more moved out than moved in.
March 17, 2013
Though it continues to draw more new residents than any other city in the state, Indianapolis continues to lose population at a slightly higher rate, according to a new population-movement study by Ball State University. Hamilton County, the suburban neighbor to the north, continues to reap the benefits. "It is kind of surprising that the rankings are so consistent," said Dagney Faulk, the director of research, who co-authored the study. "Hamilton County has had the highest population growth for years, it’s always at the top. Marion County has the most moving in, but they also have the most moving out. It’s the classic story that’s been going on for decades all across America."
February 18, 2013
"I think it probably is the end for Reader's Digest," David Sumner, a professor of journalism at Ball State University, tells our Newscast unit. "It's facing problems from two or three different levels — from declining readership, advertising, more so than the vast majority of American magazines."The average reader of the magazine, Sumner says, is in her 50s, and her household income is between $50,000 and $60,000. Note: This story ran on NPR affiliates across the nation.
February 18, 2013
Another Bass Pro fan is Michael Hicks, an economist at Ball State University. Hicks has written a research paper on Cabela's, a Bass Pro Shop rival with a similar rustic theme and entertainment offerings.
February 4, 2013
Rising gas prices over the coming decade may make public transportation significantly more attractive to Hoosiers, say three new reports from Ball State University.
February 3, 2013
President Jo Ann Gora of Ball State University told legislators last month that a cumulative loss of $77 million is “unsustainable."BSU is punished for raising admissions standards, she said. "We would like a greater recognition of the quality of the education experience," Gora said in an interview, noting that the university increased its graduation rate by 12 percent over the past decade. "We believe, and our trustees believe, in our approach. That is why we are so troubled that this formula does not recognize our success."
January 16, 2013
Walmart is such that they ought to easily accommodate any vet looking for work," said Mike Hicks, a Ball State University economist who has studied Walmart's retail impact. "They probably won't see a huge uptick in vet applications, but it is smart from both a public relations and human capital perspectives."
December 2, 2012
Environmentally, wind is also a comparatively clean alternative to generating electricity with fossil fuels, said Scott Rice-Snow, a geological sciences professor at Ball State. And that's true for much of the wind industry, said Michael Hicks, an economist at Ball State. While it might still be viable to use existing turbines, "if the incentives went away, it might mean we see less new or future investment," he said.
Note: This story originated with the Anderson Herald-Bulletin and distributed by Associated Press. The Indianapolis Business Journal also posted it.
December 1, 2012
A new report from Ball State's Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) suggests going over the so-called "fiscal cliff" would result in Indiana residents paying more taxes and employers hiring fewer workers. The study also predicts unemployment would be more than a percentage point higher each year over the next five years.
November 12, 2012
Study: Indiana airports provide state with significant economic boost
Michael Hicks, director of Ball State University’s Bureau of Business Research, said the study’s estimates of indirect jobs and spending that airports induce appear reasonable. But he questioned whether many of the small airports around the state can claim to be responsible for the jobs and spending numbers tallied in the survey.