by Eric Peterson, director of the Pelican Center for Technology and Innovation Policy This week is a somber anniversary, as it marks one year since Americans were forced to lockdown across the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So, after a year of health and economic devastation caused by the virus and subsequent government lockdowns,…
As Louisianans celebrate a vastly different kind of Mardi Gras this year, the latest economic data shows that COVID-19 has resulted in far more than cancelled parades. State and local government officials’ response to the pandemic has also led to significant job losses. Louisiana’s new economic data shows that while the number of Louisianans on…
by Eric Peterson, director of the Pelican Center for Technology and Innovation Policy The New Year’s celebrations brought with it a hope that the turning of the calendar would leave the bad news of 2020 behind us. Unfortunately, some of the first economic reports of the year signal we still have a long way to…
by Eric Peterson, Director of Policy As 2020 winds down, I can’t help but reflect on the difficulties we’ve all experienced, both on the health and economic fronts, throughout this year. Fortunately, as a vaccine appears within reach, so too is a return to a strong economy. The latest jobs release from the Bureau of…
Two weeks ago, it appeared as though the Louisiana economy was once again headed for darker times. As other states were reinstituting stricter lockdown penalties and Mayor LaToya Cantrell was canceling Mardi Gras, the number of new Louisiana unemployment claims skyrocketed to over 40,000. It seemed the lack of travel to Louisiana might have resulted in…
Today, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Louisiana is returning to Phase 2 of the state’s COVID-19 economic restrictions. In addition to ordering many bars across the state to close and sending most businesses back to 50 percent occupancy through the end of the year, Gov. Edwards also limited gatherings to 75 indoors and 150 outdoors. Additionally,…
We recently traveled to Leesville and met with Jaymie and Sam Wright, a husband and wife team who spent years building two successful bars from the ground up. Jaymie and Sam are lifelong Leesville residents, and they are happily married with three children and are expecting their first grandchild soon. After founding Club Zydeco more than a decade…
As the Louisiana legislature debates adding checks and balances to the state’s emergency powers, reports from both the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) are painting a picture of just how economically damaging the state’s shutdown has been. Let’s start with the worst news. The BEA reported Louisiana’s economy shrank…
Current methods for collecting economic data causes a disconnect between what people are actually feeling in their lives and the numbers being released to the public. That’s why prior to this week, we knew that COVID-19 and subsequent shutdowns have made large impacts on the American economy, but we didn’t know the full scope of…
Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its latest state-by-state jobs numbers, which featured some overall good news for Louisiana. The state’s June unemployment rate dropped by 4.5 percent, dipping under 10 percent for the first time in months. While this headline shows some improvement in Louisiana’s economic situation, there are reasons to take…