Mississippi Improves 5 Spots in New Rich States, Poor States: Jonathan Williams in Magnolia Tribune
Mississippi’s 22nd overall ranking for economic outlook moves it up five spots from last year’s 27th ranking.
ALEC Chief Economist and Executive Vice President of Policy Jonathan Williams was featured alongside economists Arthur Laffer and Stephen Moore in a Magnolia Tribune article highlighting Mississippi’s jump to 22nd place in the latest edition of Rich States, Poor States: ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index.
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) released its annual Rich States, Poor States: ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index on Thursday. Mississippi fared well, ranking 22nd among states in economic outlook.
The report is prepared by noted economists Art Laffer (a key architect of President Ronald Reagan’s economic policy), Stephen Moore (founder of Club for Growth and an economic adviser in the Trump Administration), and Jonathan Williams (ALEC’s executive vice president). It provides an Economic Outlook Ranking based on a state’s current standing in 15 policy categories as well as a Performance Ranking based on a state’s gross domestic product, absolute domestic migration, and non-farm payroll employment.
“Generally speaking, states that spend less, especially on income transfer programs, and states that tax less, particularly on productive activities such as working or investing, experience higher growth rates than states that tax and spend more,” the report notes. “This ranking details states’ individual performances over the past 10 years based on this economic data.”