6.22.21. Junjie Guo and Noah Williams. As an amendment to our initial report on June 17 titled “Middle Income Tax Reform Options for Wisconsin”, we evaluate the potential impacts of cutting the third income tax rate from 6.27% to 5.3%, a proposal approved by the Joint Committee on Finance on the same day.
Noah Williams
The (Poor) Performance of the Unemployment Insurance System during COVID-19 in the United States and (Especially) Wisconsin
5.10.21. Noah Williams. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, unemployment increased at a rate never before seen in the United States. In response, the federal government expanded unemployment insurance benefits to aid those thrown out of work.
The Impact of Increased Unemployment Benefits During the COVID-19 Pandemic
4.1.21. Junjie Guo, Noah Williams, Arwa Alalwani, Zhi Jiang, Jiashun Pang, Stefan Smutny, Linhua Zeng. We analyze the effects of the 2020 CARES Act implementation on the local labor market. We use observations from the Homebase Database which provides granular labor market data from a sample of small businesses across the United States.
The Distribution of Income and Income Taxes in Wisconsin
3.19.21. Noah Williams. The Wisconsin Department of Revenue has recently released some summary statistics from Wisconsin state income tax returns, covering the years 2014-2019. These data provide insight on the distribution of income and income taxes in the state.
State and Local Government Revenue During the COVID-19 Pandemic
2.12.21. Noah Williams. While the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic put stress on the budgets of state and local governments around the country, their tax revenues have since rebounded. In addition, the federal government has already allocated substantial aid to these governments, which has more than offset the losses they have suffered.
Forecasting the U.S. and Wisconsin Economies in 2021
1.19.21. Junjie Guo and Noah Williams. This paper provides forecasts for the United States and Wisconsin economies in 2021. The economic disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have made forecasting difficult. To deal with the volatility caused by the shutdowns and reopening requires modifying standard procedures.
The Wisconsin Economy During COVID-19: Lockdown and Reopening
10.23.20. Noah Williams. This brief summarizes data on the Wisconsin economy since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, I analyze economic activity using foot traffic at commercial locations around the state.
The COVID-19 Recovery Has Stalled
7.24.20. Noah Williams. After a rapid and deep crash with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns, economic activity rebounded sharply from mid-April through the end of June across the country.
Protest Dynamics: Evidence from Foot Traffic Data
6.26.20. Noah Williams. Following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25, there have been substantial protests in many cities around the country, and indeed around the world. These protests have brought significant numbers of people into the streets to protest police brutality, racism, and structural inequality. In this brief I use foot traffic data to analyze the dynamics of the protests at different locations around the United States
Reopening the Economy: Early Evidence from Georgia and Wisconsin
5.29.20. Noah Williams. After implementing stay-at-home orders to slow the spread of the COVID-19, over the past couple of weeks, a number of states have moved toward “reopening” their economies.