As I noted last time, there is finally a real possibility that the $200+ million job piracy border war between Kansas and Missouri could have a real, legally binding truce. As we wait to find out if this materializes, American Public Square in Kansas City is sponsoring a public forum Wednesday, May 11, at the Plaza Branch of the Kansas City Public Library at 6:00pm.
"Cents and Sensibility" will examine the pluses and minuses of economic development subsidies, turning to research on the effects and effectiveness of these incentives, whether it can be justified to give subsidies to private enterprises, and who benefits from subsidy programs.
I will be taking part in this event, which has an interesting format: no presentations, just questions from the get-go, and a roving reporter who acts as a real-time fact checker. The other panel participants are:
Bill Hall, President, Hall Family Foundation
Michael Farren, Research Fellow, Mercatus Center, George Mason University
Moderator: Dr. Scott Helm, Director of the MPA program at UM-Kansas City's Henry W. Bloch School of Management
Roving Reporter: Steven Steigman, Chief of Broadcast Operations, KCUR 89.3
Be there or be square!