Political consultant Carter Wrenn told columnist Gary Pearce there are "two worlds in politics - the inside world and the outside world." The inside world is about 2,000 people who are deeply invested and pay attention to North Carolina politics. Then there are the 7 million registered voters who usually pay little attention. Read More
Legislators couldn't use political data to determine legislative districts but Professor Michael Bitzer can and his analysis produces interesting conclusions. Read More
Ours may be a divided state with respect to many ideological issues, but when it comes to how we choose the people who represent us and the rules those people employ to pass the laws that govern our society we pose great risk to our democracy with continued "ends-justifies-the-means" politics . Read More
If you are lamenting the loss of many favorite barbecue joints you aren't alone. Is there hope for the future? Read More
Economists are better at predicting the past than the future, but if a recession is to occur in the next three years Walden speculates on its severity. Read More
Civility and trust among politicians were already sorely tested before Wednesday's override vote on Governor Cooper's budget veto. Read More
There wasn't much special about Tuesday's special elections. Read More
Jenna Robinson of the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal reports that state appropriations are the largest single source of funding, providing nearly $3 billion. Read More
The results of two recent reports on public education are disappointing. But what is more disappointing is the lack of media attention to them. Read More
The Healthy Indiana Plan was to be the nation’s first consumer-directed health plan for low-income residents. The intent was to encourage personal responsibility and accountability. But it has not worked as planned. Read More
