The Institute for Policy Research
at Northwestern University

IPR Policy Briefing
Supported with funding from the Joyce Foundation

State Budgets or Busts? The Challenges of Funding Medicaid, Pensions, and K-12 Education

States continue their fiscal recovery from the economic downturn of the early 2000s thanks to increased revenues, yet expenditures continue to rise as well. Join our panel of experts in a discussion of three of the biggest spending pressures for states — K-12 education, Medicaid, and unfunded pension liabilities, which loom large on the budgetary horizons of all states, including Illinois.

Speakers and Presentations:

"K-12 Education and States' Shifting Responsibilities"
by Therese McGuire, ConAgra Foods Research Professor, Kellogg School of Management,
and IPR Faculty Fellow, Northwestern University
Click here to see PowerPoint presentation

"The Impact of Pension Funding Demands on State Budgets"
by J. Fred Giertz, Professor of Economics, Institute of Government and Public Affairs,
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Click here to see PowerPoint presentation

"Medicaid, State Budgets, and the Challenges of Fiscal Federalism"
by David Merriman, Professor of Economics, School of Business Administration,
Loyola University Chicago
Click here to see PowerPoint presentation

Closing Remarks
by R. Eden Martin, President, The Civic Committee of The Commercial Club of Chicago

Click here for more information on the presentations and panelists.

Click here to view the video.
(350Kbps/53:30)

Wednesday, June 6
12:00-1:30 p.m.

Wieboldt Hall, 4th Floor
Kellogg School of Management
340 E. Superior Street
Chicago Campus