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The Arkansas Project was launched in 2008 as a source for incisive commentary and reporting on Arkansas government, politics, media and more. In 2011, The Arkansas Project became an affiliate of the Advance Arkansas Institute. The Arkansas Project supplied daily commentary until 2019, but is now largely inactive.

David Kinkade was the chief writer and the editor of The Arkansas Project until 2011. After the site became affiliated with the Advance Arkansas Institute, Dan Greenberg was editor of The Arkansas Project until it became inactive in 2019. During that eight-year period, the writers for the site included Nic Horton, Marc Kilmer, and Caleb Taylor.

The Cost of Corporate Welfare

Dec 6, 20182 min read

The Cost of Corporate Welfare

While they disagree on a lot, both Democratic and Republican elected officials seem to believe that economic development incentives are...

Only 24 States are Ahead of Arkansas

Oct 26, 20182 min read

Arkansas Budget

Only 24 States are Ahead of Arkansas

When it comes to fiscal health, Arkansas ranks in the middle of the pack – literally. The Mercatus Center at George Mason University...

Evidence Piles up against Film Subsidies

Sep 20, 20182 min read

Arkansas Budget

Evidence Piles up against Film Subsidies

Of all the absurd things that politicians spend tax money on, film subsidies are one of the most absurd. And yet these subsidies are...

Tax Reform Plan Taking Shape

Sep 18, 20182 min read

Tax Reform Plan Taking Shape

Arkansans may be getting a tax break soon. The tax reform task force has nearly finished its work. Soon it will be up to legislators and...

What is the Tax Reform Task Force Considering?

Aug 22, 20182 min read

What is the Tax Reform Task Force Considering?

Arkansas taxes may be in for a pretty big overhaul. At least, that is what will happen if legislators adopt proposals being considered by...

Looking at Arkansas’s High Debt Burden

Jul 31, 20182 min read

Arkansas Budget

Looking at Arkansas’s High Debt Burden

Are legislators and the governor making wise choices for the financial future of Arkansans? A new report says that the answer to this...

Paper Mill a Shining Example of Crony Capitalism

Jul 25, 20183 min read

Arkansas Budget

Paper Mill a Shining Example of Crony Capitalism

As someone who owns forestland, I am a big fan of any industry that uses timber. Sawmills and paper mills were what kept food on the...

Rep. Womack’s Sound Budget Plan

Jul 5, 20184 min read

Rep. Womack’s Sound Budget Plan

Republicans want to shred the social safety net and throw old folks and people with disabilities onto the street – that’s a common...

The Rescission, Explained

Jun 20, 20183 min read

The Rescission, Explained

Do Reps. Rick Crawford, French Hill, Bruce Westerman, and Steve Womack hate kids? If you read what R. Bruce Smith of Hot Springs recently...

Catching up with How Arkansas’s Congressional Delegation Voted

Jun 19, 20182 min read

Catching up with How Arkansas’s Congressional Delegation Voted

For many votes in Congress, it’s easy to predict how Arkansas’s congressional delegation will vote. The six men who represent the state...

Jan Morgan is Wrong on the Tax Task Force

Jun 6, 20184 min read

Jan Morgan is Wrong on the Tax Task Force

Even though she lost the recent gubernatorial primary to Asa Hutchinson in a landslide, it appears that Jan Morgan will continue to grace...

The Downsides of Corporate Welfare

May 29, 20183 min read

Economic Policy

The Downsides of Corporate Welfare

I am a regular reader of Max Brantley’s musings on Arkansas Blog at the Arkansas Times. As you may assume, I don’t often agree with the...

Some Good Ideas for Income Tax Reform

May 7, 20182 min read

Some Good Ideas for Income Tax Reform

The state’s tax reform task force has been discussed a lot on TAP recently, but its work deserves close attention. This task force...

This is Why You Can’t Have Lower Taxes

May 3, 20183 min read

This is Why You Can’t Have Lower Taxes

If there is one thing that conservatives can agree upon, it’s that Arkansas needs tax reform. The state has a high tax burden and...

Don’t Squander the Opportunity for Tax Reform

May 1, 20183 min read

Don’t Squander the Opportunity for Tax Reform

The Arkansas tax reform task force is continuing to deliberate about ways to change the state’s tax code. One of the issues they are...

Balanced Budget Amendment Fails in the House

Apr 19, 20183 min read

Balanced Budget Amendment Fails in the House

Should the U.S. Constitution mandate that the federal budget be balanced? The Arkansas members of the House of Representatives think so....

Legislators Name Possible Sales Tax Exemptions for Elimination

Apr 12, 20182 min read

Legislators Name Possible Sales Tax Exemptions for Elimination

I was sitting at lunch today with someone who asked me what I did for a living. I said that I work for think tanks and write about things...

Film Subsidies under Scrutiny Nationwide

Apr 5, 20182 min read

Arkansas Budget

Film Subsidies under Scrutiny Nationwide

A couple years ago, I wrote a paper for AAI that examined the folly of film subsidies in Arkansas. In it, I wrote: In states around the...

How Does Arkansas Compare to Other States on Taxes?

Apr 4, 20182 min read

How Does Arkansas Compare to Other States on Taxes?

Every state does tax policy differently. This is good for policymakers at the state level, because they can look around the country for...

Cotton, Westerman Oppose Omnibus Spending Bill

Mar 28, 20183 min read

Cotton, Westerman Oppose Omnibus Spending Bill

Late last week, Congress approved a $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill. The votes for and against this bill did not fall along partisan...

Mar 21, 20182 min read

Time to Reform Arkansas’s Sales Tax?

Tax reform is in the air, at least in Little Rock. The state’s Tax Reform and Relief task force is looking at ways to overhaul the...

Rep. Westerman Pushing Positive Federal Land Bill

Mar 20, 20182 min read

Rep. Westerman Pushing Positive Federal Land Bill

The federal government owns a lot of land – roughly 640 million acres. That is 28% of the total area of the United States. With that huge...

On Hypocrisy and Budget Deficit

Feb 28, 20183 min read

On Hypocrisy and Budget Deficit

Is Rep. Bruce Westerman a hypocrite for supporting tax cuts and opposing spending increases? I think this is absurd, but that is the...

Targeted Subsidies Don’t Help the Economy

Dec 19, 20173 min read

Economic Policy

Targeted Subsidies Don’t Help the Economy

Politicians love to hand out money to businesses, don’t they? These business subsidies allow elected officials to put out nice press...

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