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Monthly Archives: September 2012
N.H.’s Productivity Weakening As Neighboring Economies Grow
Center For Public Policy Studies
New Hampshire may have weathered the recession relatively well, but as other states’ economies are growing, New Hampshire’s is slowing down. That’s the word from the Center for Public Policy Studies, which released a report this week outlining some discouraging trends in New Hampshire’s economy. One of the study’s authors, Dennis Delay, spoke with NHPR’s Brady Carlson about the study.
“Over the long term, places with strong, distinctive identities are more likely to prosper than places without them…. Livability is not a middle-class luxury. It is an economic imperative” – Robert Solow
Delay says the CPPS turned to the celebrated economist Robert Solow, whose model of economic growth relies on three elements: (1) the availability of labor; (2) an increase in skills and productivity of that labor force; and (3) investment by companies in things like machinery and software.
Dispatches From The Stump: Rep. Charlie Bass On The Economy
Amanda Loder/StateImpact New Hampshire
Bass is stressing bipartisanship this campaign
Today, 2nd District Congressman Charlie Bass did a bit of campaigning close to home. He spoke at the Jaffrey-Rindge Rotary Club meeting at Franklin Pierce University this morning. It wasn’t a campaign event per se; Rotary International has strict rules about clubs not endorsing candidates, although politicians can address Rotary groups. And so, Bass spent his time this morning making the case for reelection.
He has a tough race ahead of him. He barely eked out a win against Democratic rival Ann McLane Kuster in 2010. And now she’s back for a rematch.
So on his home turf this morning, Bass campaigned in front of a politically diverse–but friendly–group, many of whom were more likely to call him “Charlie” than “Congressman.” Continue Reading
Dispatches From The Stump: Ann McLane Kuster On The Economy
Amanda Loder / StateImpact New Hampshire
Democrat Ann McLane Kuster focused heavily on the economy during her stump speech in Plymouth
StateImpact’s been on the campaign trail! And the race in the Second Congressional District is looking like a nail-biter. Democrat Ann McLane Kuster is running against incumbent Republican Congressman Charlie Bass in a rematch following her narrow loss in 2010.
Given the interest in this particular election–a fiscally conservative, socially moderate Republican versus a progressive Democrat who stresses her family’s “Yankee frugality” and “Republican roots”– we thought we’d go ahead and pop in on the candidates this week to hear their thoughts on the economy.
Last night, we followed Kuster to the Plymouth Area Democrats meeting at the town’s senior center. Continue Reading
Obama For America N.H. Rallies Small Business Owners
Small business owners are a contested demographic for the battling presidential campaigns. A September poll from George Washington University suggests the President is leading Governor Romney in support from small business owners, while an August poll by Manta put Romney in the lead with a wide margin. Continue Reading
It’s All Relative: Economic Growth In N.H. Slows Compared To Neighboring States
Brian Gottlob / PolEcon
Employment rates in New England and United States
New Hampshire’s economic strength relative to its neighbors has declined over the last year – and over the last decade. That’s concerning some economists in the state, who came together this week to discuss challenges at a lunch sponsored by the Manchester Chamber of Commerce. Continue Reading
Who Built What? Diving Deeper Into ‘We Built This’ Campaign Rhetoric
Emily Corwin / NHPR
Jack Gilchrist at his home
The three words of what has become Governor Romney’s campaign slogan, “We Built This,” are hard to avoid these days.
One could argue they exemplify a political rhetoric that pits business-loving Romney supporters against government-loving supporters of President Obama. And although “we built this” has become a rallying cry for the right, we found that even New Hampshire businessman Jack Gilchrist — who has become the face of the slogan — has had enough of the divisive tactics. So has long-time free-market economist, Brian Gottlob. So what’s behind the We Built This slogan, and how much do entrepreneurs really relate? Continue Reading
Outside Spending Plays Large Role In N.H. Campaigns
This article was written by Brian Wallstin for NHPR.
In the days leading up to the September 11 primary, a Manchester-based political action committee called New Hampshire Republicans for Freedom and Equality launched a direct-mail campaign to support the re-election of 40 Republican House members who helped turn back efforts to repeal the state’s same-sex marriage law. Continue Reading
N.H. Has Lowest Child Poverty Rate In U.S.
Temari09 / Flickr Creative Commons
New Hampshire has the lowest percentage of poor and low-income children in the country.
The Census Bureau has some good news for New Hampshire: The state has the lowest child poverty rate in the country. For a family with two parents and two kids, the government considers “poverty” as an annual income of $22,811. So these results are not terribly surprising in a state that has one of the highest median incomes in the country, and a relatively low unemployment rate. Even when you factor in the larger “low-income” category–the same family of four making less than double poverty wages ($45,622)–New Hampshire still has the best numbers in the country.
But it’s not all good news. Continue Reading
New Hampshire Fares Well In American Community Survey
The American Community Survey (ACS), a biennial report from the Census Department, was released this morning. Among the 50 states, New Hampshire fared well. In 2011, New Hampshire’s median income of $67,308 ranked second in the nation after Maryland — dropping one rung from 2009, when the state ranked first, with a median household income of $68.187.
The national median is $50,443.
Other high-ranking states Maryland, Connecticut, New Jersey and Massachusetts.
New Hampshire also ranked well when it came to economic disparity. Measured with a number called the “Gini Index,” income inequality was lowest in Wyoming, Idaho, and Alaska.