Institute Index

February 1, 2013 - A by-the-numbers look at how claims of "states' rights" -- once used to defend racial segregation -- are being used to justify legislative assaults on the interests of economically struggling citizens in North Carolina, Mississippi and elsewhere across the South.

January 25, 2013 - North Carolina and Louisiana are among the states considering a plan to eliminate corporate and personal income taxes. But analyses of the plan and other work by its author find serious flaws -- and one of the plan's own financiers is distancing himself from it publicly.

January 18, 2013 - Southern states with weak gun laws are a major source of weapons used to commit crimes in other states -- but some of the region's political leaders say they plan to resist new federal initiatives to curb gun violence.

January 11, 2013 - With new data out showing that 2012 was the warmest year on record for the contiguous United States, and with costs mounting due to droughts and other climate-related disasters, will political leaders finally take action to address the problem?

January 4, 2013 - A by-the-numbers look at the so-called "fiscal cliff" deal approved at the 11th hour by Congress shows that the wealthy and corporate interests got some big breaks.

December 21, 2012 - There are growing calls for better gun regulation in the wake of the Sandy Hook elementary school massacre. But what are gun-control advocates up against when they take on the National Rifle Association?

December 14, 2012 - This week the federal government took big steps toward building a commercial offshore wind industry in the Southeast -- but its future could be threatened by the expiration of a key tax credit.