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January 11, 2012

November Granite State Poll Number Ridiculously Close To Primary Night Figure

Before the primary, StateImpact broke down voter psychology with University of New Hampshire Survey Center Director Andy Smith. (You can read the full post here.) One of the things his WMUR Granite State Poll found back in November was that 63 percent of voters said the combined issue of the economy and jobs was their […]

For Your Entertainment: Tourism And One Of Primary Night’s Most Amusing Tweets

One of our most popular New Hampshire primary posts looked at how much the months-long political circus affects Granite State tourism. (You can read that post here.) Political tourism is definitely a niche hobby. Given that context, we were rather entertained by this tweet from Union-Leader Editorial Page Editor Drew Cline:

January 10, 2012

How Much Does The Primary Actually Help NH Tourism?

In an earlier post, we spent a fair amount of time breaking down the economic impact of New Hampshire primary spending. (You can read that post here.) But there was one aspect we didn’t really touch on, and that’s the money generated by tourists who come here to watch the First In The Nation primary […]

Why Candidates Are Spending Less On The NH Primary This Cycle–And What It Could Mean For The Future

There’s been a collective notion swirling among New Hampshire politicos and pundits that this year’s Republican primary just doesn’t stack up to past events. Candidates aren’t as anxious to go to town hall meetings and shake hands at nondescript diners. By and large, they’re not throwing astronomical sums of cash into unending TV ads. Yes, […]

January 9, 2012

Six Ways New Hampshire Voters Think About Jobs And The Economy

Given the national atmosphere, it’s difficult to overestimate the importance of each presidential hopeful’s economic blueprints as the New Hampshire primary draws closer. (Our cheat sheet of the GOP candidates’ positions on the economy is available here.) This year, longtime NH pollster Andy Smith, who directs the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, says it’s […]

January 5, 2012

Days Before The Primary, Restaurant Bans Politicians

It’s pretty much a given that when presidential candidates want to chat up the citizenry, they include a hearty portion of local restaurant stops in their schedules. That’s especially true in an important early primary state like New Hampshire. Footage of politicians smiling, shaking hands, and chowing down wings served by smiling waiters at Any […]

January 4, 2012

The Ultimate NH Primary Cheat Sheet: Where The Candidates Stand on Economic Policy

After months of political debates, ad buying, and hand-shaking, the New Hampshire Republican primary is finally upon us. And not surprisingly, the latest WMUR Granite State Poll from the University of New Hampshire Survey Center shows that the economy/jobs is the top issue for about 60 percent of the state’s voters. The Iowa Caucuses have […]

December 22, 2011

“It’s All Relative”: Economy Remains Atop NH Voters’ Minds

Gliko / Flickc As NHPR’s Dan Gorenstein reports, despite the fact that New Hampshire’s economy is stronger than most of the country’s and has an unemployment rate well below the national average, Republican voters are still worried about their future. As New Hampshire economist Ross Gittell puts it: “It’s all relative.” Gittell told Gorenstein:

Best Of StateImpact: NH Green Jobs Growth Picture Unclear

Late last July, StateImpact New Hampshire quietly launched our new website. Our mission –handed down from NHPR and NPR, its partner in the new StateImpact project–is to examine business and the economy in the Granite State, and how government policy affects both. And while soft launches give websites the chance to find their feet and […]

December 19, 2011

Q&A: Why The Patron Saint Of “Reagonomics” Supports A Carbon Tax

If there is a patron saint of modern Republican tax policy, it is economist Arthur Laffer. Laffer is best known for the Laffer Curve – a graph of the theory that under the right circumstances, a cut in tax rates produces higher tax revenues. The Laffer Curve was the keystone of so-called “Reaganomics.” He was […]