This is the sixth (and final) in a series of research notes written by our summer intern, Ethan, exploring different facets of housing policy, both in Nebraska and in some of our sister states. Housing affordability consistently ranks among the top priorities and concerns for Nebraska consumers. Studies repeatedly show that land use regulation significantly...
This is the fifth in a series of research notes written by our summer intern, Ethan, exploring different facets of housing policy, both in Nebraska and in some of our sister states. Demand for housing in Montana’s communities has risen in recent years, and so too have housing prices. The Frontier Institute released its “Montana...
This is the fourth in a series of Research Notes compiled by our summer intern, Ethan Roth. He has been exploring a number of issues related to regulatory issues that can impact housing availability and costs. In 2023, Arizona’s Goldwater Institute successfully passed “The Permit Freedom Act,” which sought to reduce building permit times and...
This is the third in a series of Research Notes written by our summer intern, Ethan Roth. This summer, his work focused on housing issues. This post is a review of a study done by the American Enterprise Institute. Local governments face tradeoffs. Increased housing density (and the associated benefits of lower housing costs and...
This is the second in a series of Research Notes written by our summer intern, Ethan Roth. Ethan had the opportunity to attend a weekend economics conference earlier this summer and incorporated some of what he’s finding in his housing research into what he learned at the conference. I recently had the opportunity to attend...
This is the first in a series of “Research Notes” compiled by our summer intern, Ethan Roth. We have him looking at an assortment of things related to housing in Nebraska. We thought others might be interested in some of the things that he is seeing. These findings will add to our base of knowledge...
In our last blog post on the demographics of Nebraska, we looked at how Nebraska is faring in the regional competition for residents, revealing a concerning trend of domestic out-migration. But when we look strictly at the statewide averages, we miss the most important demographic story happening right in our own backyard. Nebraska is not a...
NOTE: Before he left, our previous intern provided a blog post based on a paper he’d written for school, discussing the challenges of big cities (especially Omaha) in our state. For his inaugural post, our current intern, Ethan Roth, has provided a colorful discussion of some of the challenges in rural Nebraska below, based on...
Note: This is the final blog post by Jakob Myers, the Platte Institute’s intern for the last year. Jakob has made great contributions to important policy areas for us since coming on board. This blog post is adapted from a research paper he wrote for one of his courses this spring and kicks off a...
A couple of weeks before Christmas, following the President’s recent executive order on artificial intelligence (AI), the Nebraska Examiner published an article examining the potential implications for Nebraska. While the precise impact of the order remains uncertain, the state’s recent legislative activity related to AI suggests the possibility of conflict between state and federal approaches....
On Thursday, December 11, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at limiting state-level regulations on artificial intelligence (AI). The order is the latest in a series of efforts by the administration to centralize AI governance at the federal level. While it takes a distinctive approach, the order also introduces several practical and legal challenges. ...
[Note: This is the final in a series of Research Notes by Platte’s intern, focusing on county zoning and agriculture issues. A full paper dealing with these issues will be published later this fall.] Over the past decade, Nebraska’s legislature has repeatedly sought to address issues related to the Conditional Use Permits (CUPs) and Special...
[Note: This is the fifth in a series of Research Notes by Platte’s intern, focusing on county zoning and agriculture issues. The final (sixth) note will include discussion of a bill currently before the Legislature.] In addition to Iowa, Nebraska’s other neighboring states have faced zoning challenges related to permitting new livestock operations. While Iowa...
[Note: This is the fourth in a series of Research Notes by Platte’s summer intern, focusing on county zoning and agriculture issues] Thirteen years before Nebraska developed its Livestock Siting Assessment Matrix, its neighbor, Iowa, implemented a similar tool. In 2002, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) introduced a scoring system, known as the...