The tail wags the dog

I read a great post on Masson's blog (link to the right) a few weeks ago about how Indiana has this great business-friendly climate, and Masson asked the entirely relevant question: so what?

So what if Indiana is a great place for businesses to locate if they continue to pay poverty-level wages? So what if taxes are low if our infrastructure crumbles? So what if businesses love it here but our quality of life is in the bottom 1/3 of America? Who cares?

I care.

It is in light of that post that I read today's toilet paper rag Indianapolis Star touting Indiana's Government receiving a #1 national rating.

Uhhhhhh.

Now that we've all recovered from our shock, let's try to figure out why the RFRA-loving, culture-war inciting, wacky gun-lobby appeasing IN state legislature gets such high marks.

Indiana's excellent credit rating, low pension fund liability, budget transparency, use of digital technology and overall fiscal stability were key to its success in the government category. 

Great. The state gets credit cheaply. Wonderful. It also has low pension fund liability. OK. I suppose that bodes well for those of us who aren't baby boomers (i.e. we won't get stuck with a huge tab for a party we never got to go to . . . thanks mom and dad).

However, what about the stuff that actually affects people's daily lives?

Indiana didn't do as well in health care (41) and education (27)

Huh. Well, I suppose if we're going to be sick and stupid, at least we have low taxes? Talk about the Star polishing a turd.

I also like how they say that IN is No. 4 nationally in "Opportunity." I suppose that's why so many grads from Indiana's public colleges leave Indiana. It must be because they have worse opportunity elsewhere. (Imagine what happens to that number when you eliminate lawyers, who have to choose which state to take the bar.)

As a closing quote, instead of the fluff garbage fed to us by the Indy Booze Scene Reporter Indianapolis Star, here is a conclusion that is actually based on facts:

One year after graduation, 66 percent of graduates from public institutions remained and were working in the state. Over time, however, the remain-rate falls to 59 percent after three years and, after five years, 55 percent of graduates were working in the state. Does this imply that Indiana suffers from a brain drain?

Or does it imply that Indiana suffers from an opportunity deficit? These are huge questions that can’t really be addressed in a short, descriptive article informed by secondary data. Secondary data can’t answer the why questions, but one may speculate that the reason Indiana engineering graduates have a relatively low remain-rate is a lack of employment opportunities at competitive compensation in the state.

The low remain-rates for engineering may impinge on Indiana’s ability to compete, innovate and sustain leadership in high-tech manufacturing. Policy makers may also begin asking the why questions as to whether and why other STEM-related disciplines move away at above-average rates over time.

Majors with generally higher remain-rates tend to be graduates that find employment that is driven by population, for example, health care, education, and security and protective services. (It would be interesting to see how many of the business majors stay in the state and work in retail.) Other majors—English or history, for example—may move away over time at greater than average rates as they transition from just-out-of-college-stop-gap employment in the state to more permanent career opportunities out of state.

This analysis presented the nuances associated with the question of brain drain in Indiana. Remain-rates depend on a graduate’s major and the length of time since graduation. Over time, the IWIS database will also be able to answer the question about whether those graduates that left the state soon after graduation returned. Let us hope that answer is yes. The state could use the human capital.

Hate to be the Debbie Downer today. I just can't stand it when I feel that I'm being propagandized.