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Job picture in Illinois not as bright as elsewhere, report indicates
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois lags behind the nation and neighboring states in job creation, a report by the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois finds. Between 1996 and 2005, non-farm employment in Illinois grew by only 3 percent, below the 4 percent average of six other Midwest states and considerably […]
Seriously ill people cheated by ban on unapproved treatments
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – It’s time for Congress to re-examine the ban on experimental or alternative medicine that is not approved by federal regulators, especially drugs and devices aimed at seniors who suffer from life-threatening diseases, a legal scholar says. A recent article in the Elder Law Journal finds fault with the Food, Drug and Cosmetic […]
Electricity markets and transmission course to be offered in Chicago
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The 2007 Transmission Business School will take place June 4-7 at the Illini Center, 200 S. Wacker Drive, Chicago. This marks the 14th offering of the annual course on electricity markets and the transmission business. “Transmission is at the forefront of the challenges faced by rapidly evolving electricity markets,” said George Gross, […]
Students become micro-lenders, assisting entrepreneurs around world
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – University of Illinois students who enrolled in Bruce Wicks’ recreation, sport and tourism course on entrepreneurism this semester did so thinking they would be learning how to create a business plan and finance, begin and market a small business. They are. But they’re also learning first-hand what it’s like to be on […]
Expert calls proposed gross receipts tax textbook case of ‘inefficient tax’
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The gross receipts tax proposed by Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, while a welcome step in tackling the state’s budget shortfall, is a flawed approach to taxation, according to a University of Illinois expert. The proposed tax, which would be levied on transactions between businesses and between businesses and consumers, is a textbook […]
Scholar’s plan addresses ‘spousal refusal,’ nursing-home cost burden
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Spousal refusal, an increasingly popular way for elderly couples to qualify for Medicaid coverage to avoid nursing-home costs, has been painted by critics as an abuse of public funds. But the opposite problem – a healthy spouse facing financial ruin because of the high costs of nursing care for an ailing mate […]
How are subprime mortgages hurting the economy?
Lynne Dearborn is a professor of architecture and urban planning at Illinois. Her research focus is on social and cultural aspects of community design, including the effects of questionable real estate transactions and mortgage-lending practices in neighborhoods and communities with large minority populations. She was interviewed by News Bureau Arts Editor Melissa Mitchell. Mortgage foreclosures […]
Internet opens new avenues for con artists seeking to bilk the elderly
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – As more elderly Americans use the Internet, the potential for Internet fraud that targets the elderly grows, according to an article in the latest issue of the Elder Law Journal. Eric L. Carlson, an editor at the journal, writes that the Internet allows con artists to think – and act – globally. […]
Program helping poor in India become better informed buyers, sellers
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – A University of Illinois professor has started a grassroots program to help poor people in India improve their consumer and business skills. Madhu Viswanathan, a professor in the College of Business, directs the Marketplace Literary Project and has developed educational programs for adults who cannot read or write. “Our approach uses teaching […]
How would a gross receipts tax affect Illinois consumers?
J. Fred Giertz is a professor of economics and a faculty member at the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at Illinois. An expert on the Illinois economy, he compiles the monthly Flash Index and frequently analyzes taxation proposals. Giertz specializes in state and local taxation and expenditure analysis and in regional economic development issues. […]
U. of I. scholars collecting, analyzing constitutions from around world
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Thomas Jefferson believed that a country’s constitution should be rewritten every 19 years. Instead, the U.S. Constitution, which Jefferson did not help to write (he was in Paris serving as U.S. minister to France when the Constitutional Convention was held in Philadelphia), has prevailed since 1789. “Jefferson thought the dead should not […]
Law scholar travels to Thailand as nation ponders 18th constitution
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Thailand has drafted 17 constitutions since becoming a constitutional monarchy in 1932. Will an 18th constitution help restore democracy, which ended last September after a military coup ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra? “There is some chance that Thailand will revert to a stable pattern of democracy, but there are a number of […]