In the United States, public education is largely a state and local responsibility. To govern the state’s education system, states typically charge a Chief State School Officer, often called the State Superintendent, and a State Board of Education with ov ...
Guide to the Issues: Abortion in Alabama (2019)
Since the Supreme Court’s ruling in Roe v. Wade in 1973, abortion has been legal in the United States. Even so, a majority of residents in Alabama do not agree with legalized abortion due to the consequences of the procedure physically, emotionally, and m ...
State-Run Lotteries: Seeking Solutions, Creating Disaster
The Alabama Policy Institute’s position on the lottery has been well-known and well-publicized throughout the organization’s nearly thirty-year history: a state-run lottery is bad public policy, both fiscally and socially, and it is the wrong solutio ...
A Conservative Approach to the Gas Tax
The Alabama Policy Institute is proud to offer a conservative approach to infrastructure funding that balances the needs of our state with the state's obligation to govern appropriately and wisely.
Guide to the Issues: 2018 Proposed Constitutional Amendments
On Election Day, the people of Alabama will have the chance to cast their votes for a number of federal and state officials. In addition, voters will decide whether several proposed amendments should be added to the Alabama Constitution. Proposed const ...
Private Certification as an Alternative to Occupational Licensing
Evidence from Teacher Quality in North Carolina From the Mercatus Center at George Mason University "Supporters of occupational licensing often argue that the practice has two notable benefits: first, licensing can convey information about the quality of ...
Cutting the Competition?: The Effects of Licensing Barbers in Alabama
This paper, published by the Mackinac Institute, estimates the effects of Alabama’s reintroduction of barbering licensing requirements on the receipts and growth of barber shops in the state. It contains state-level comparisons of barber and beauty shops ...
Guide to the Issues: Education Savings Accounts (ESAs)
An education savings account is an individual student bank account, established by state law, which holds some or all of the public funds that would normally be allocated for the education of the participating student. Generally, the student must meet cer ...
Guide to the Issues: Charter Schools in Alabama
While the state of Alabama has seen incremental reform in the realm of public education in recent years, one major component of the national education reform movement has remained elusive. Despite rapid and often successful growth nationwide over the last ...
Guide to the Issues: Tax Credits in Alabama
Tax credits, at both the federal and state levels, directly offset an individual or business’ tax bill for the year. Tax credits are often part of a package deal when it comes to policymaking: tax deductions, tax incentives, and tax “breaks” are all close ...