Economic ABCs – TheMinotVoice.com

Arts and culture boost North Dakota, Minnesota economies, studies show

by: Josh Wolsky | July 12, 2017

When it comes to economic activity, the arts and culture communities are not little players. The North Dakota Council of the Arts was a participant in a recent economic impact study conducted in 341 regions in the U.S. The findings are significant; the arts culture and communities in North Dakota annually generate $110 million in economic

Read & Share sourced from: Grand Forks Herald

Local angel fund from Dakotas gets farm-tech app

by: Josh Wolsky | June 24, 2017

A North Dakota farm technology company that’s developed an app that streamlines contracts between farmers and local elevators has gotten a financial boost from a South Dakota-based angel fund. Myrian\d Mobile the app developer out of Fargo; The Falls Angel Fund out of Sioux Falls liked Myriad’s prospects and chose to invest $1.35 million to

Read & Share sourced from: Bismarck Tribune

The Struggle within the Economics of Environmental Protection

by: Josh Wolsky | February 24, 2017

If you take a minute to read the mission and guiding principles behind The Minot Voice, you’ll notice the protecting the environment gets a special call-out. This guest blog on Scientific American provides some valuable commentary on a couple ideas intended to quantify the future economic impacts through a current market mechanism.

Read & Share sourced from: Scientific American

News & Commentary: Will Minot Open for New Business? Liquor License Quotas Up For Discussion

by: Josh Wolsky | November 8, 2016

It’s taken a few months to gather up the supporting information, but the discussion on Minot’s liquor license laws and the quota system which restricts the number of businesses that can sell alcohol is a set to start tomorrow. The ad hoc committee appointed by Mayor Barney is tasked with looking at our laws to

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The Man Who Shed Light On Why College Keeps Getting More Expensive

by: Josh Wolsky | October 28, 2016

The cost of higher education has been rising sharply over the past two decades, and there are many ideas as to why and probably more than a few factors contributing. In terms of economics, education is an interesting study, and this article from NPR highlights some of the challenges.

Read & Share sourced from: NPR

Minot Liquor License Regulations Claim Latest Business Casualty

by: Josh Wolsky | June 28, 2016

The doors are locked, the lights are turned off, and all signs point to Sidekicks bar and grill being closed for good. Though the owner of the establishment has not yet been reached for comment, Rob Teets, the Charitable Gaming Manager for the Minot Hockey Boosters which previously operated the gaming inside of Sidekicks confirmed

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Group to study overhaul of Fargo’s ‘convoluted’ liquor laws

by: Josh Wolsky | August 20, 2015

Leaders in Fargo have decided on their own accord to tackle the City’s convoluted liquor laws. Here’s the quote from the article that matters, “I just think it’s a great opportunity. We want to ensure that we’re encouraging new businesses.” — Dave Piepkorn, City Commissioner. Read the full story on The Fargo Forum here. When

Read & Share sourced from: InForum

Liquor License Economics: Quotas, Barriers to Entry, & Information

by: Josh Wolsky | June 25, 2015

If you’re new to Minot’s liquor license discussion, what’s happening in this post is an introduction to a few economic principles that illustrate why Minot’s laws governing liquor licenses are broken. Earlier this month, City Council attempted to redefine what it means to be a ‘supper club’ (a type liquor license). In the process, they

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Economic A, B, C’s: Regulatory Arbitrage – Getting Around, Over, Under or Through

by: Josh Wolsky | June 18, 2015

In today’s economics lesson, I’ll talk a bit about regulatory arbitrage, and why Minot’s new liquor license law is such a terrible one. And it’s the perfect place to start because it’s the exact practice we as a City were trying to eliminate by writing a new law. In a nutshell, regulatory arbitrage is the

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