Jeremy Jackson, professor of agribusiness and applied economics and director of the Center for Public Choice and Private Enterprise, is featured in a March 15 WalletHub article, “2022’s Most and Least Federally Dependent States,” by managing editor John S. Kiernan.
According to the article, federal assistance to states came into the spotlight during the coronavirus pandemic, when some states received far more money per case than others from the stimulus packages. However, Americans have looked at federal assistance programs with growing scrutiny for years, and the number of people dependent on government assistance was decreasing prior to the pandemic.
WalletHub examined all 50 states’ federal funding. A total of three key metrics were used.
Alaska was named the most federally dependent state based on combined resident and state government rankings. North Dakota ranked No. 23 and Minnesota was No. 38.
Jackson answered these questions:
• Should federal resources be allocated to states according to how much they pay in federal taxes or should some states subsidize others?
• What programs should be a state/local responsibility and what should be a federal responsibility?
• What is the fairest way to redistribute federal resources back to the states?
• What more can the current administration do to help reduce the impact of revenue shortball in state budgets during this economic downturn?
“The federal government should not be involved in redistribution schemes amongst the states,” Jackson said in the article. “Rather policy goals of the federal government should be limited to those items for which externalities extend beyond state borders. These include categories like national defense and the interstate highway system, which is needed for trade and mobility amongst the states.”
Jackson earned his bachelor’s degree at Baylor University and his master’s degree and doctorate in economics from Washington University in St. Louis. Jackson’s research involves strategic interactions, such as regulation of gas emissions in the dairy industry, strategic pricing of research and development use licenses and the effects of the minimum wage on youth unemployment.
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