Blog | Show-Me Institute | Where Liberty Comes First

Missouri state capitol, Missouri education leaders, education leadership, Missouri State Board of Education

05 Nov

Let’s Expect Better

Posted by Susan Pendergrass Education, Performance

Following up on an earlier blog post, it should be noted that the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education […]

St. Louis City, downtown St. Louis, urban growth, city growth, subsidies, regulatory policy

04 Nov

What’s a City to Do?

Posted by Scott Tanner Municipal Policy, State and Local Government

My colleagues and I at the Show-Me Institute have for years counseled local and state leaders against a whole host […]

Exterior of school building, MOScholars program, ESAs, private school vouchers

04 Nov

MOScholars Scholarships Are in High Demand

Posted by Scott Tanner Education, School Choice

The Missouri Legislature approved $50 million in public funding for the MOScholars program during the 2025 legislative session, and the […]

School hallway, school choice, dangerous schools, Unsafe School Choice Option, DESE

04 Nov

Missouri Children Deserve Better

Posted by Scott Tanner Education, School Choice

Imagine you’re the parent of a twelve year old who just started sixth grade at Oakland Middle School in Columbia, […]

Chicago skyline, Illinois energy policy, free-market energy policy, consumer-regulated electricity

31 Oct

Illinois Explores Free-Market Energy Policy

Posted by Scott Tanner Economy, Energy

I recently wrote about how one of our neighbors, Kansas, is making moves to bring nuclear energy to the state. […]

30 Oct

Data Centers, Subsidies, and Electricity in Platte County and across Missouri

Posted by Mike Ederer Business Climate, Economy, Energy, Subsidies

Artificial intelligence and data centers have been the subject of extensive discussion in recent months. Do we need a massive […]

Missouri state capitol, Truth in Accounting, fiscal report, Missouri fiscal health, Missouri budget

30 Oct

Missouri Earns a “B” in New Fiscal Report—but Don’t Pop the Champagne Yet

Posted by Scott Tanner Budget and Spending, State and Local Government

For the first time in recent memory, Missouri earned a “B” on Truth in Accounting’s (TIA) annual fiscal report. That […]

30 Oct

From Milton Friedman to Modern School Choice with Robert Enlow

Posted by Susan Pendergrass Education

Susan Pendergrass speaks with Robert C. Enlow, president and CEO of EdChoice, about the expansion of school choice and the […]

School hallway, school choice, open enrollment, voluntary open enrollment, Missouri education policy

29 Oct

Voluntary Open Enrollment Means No Open Enrollment

Posted by Scott Tanner Education, School Choice

They say the best defense is offense. Perhaps the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has gotten that […]

Parking lot, parking minimums, parking mandates, regulations, zoning codes

28 Oct

Missouri Should Scrap Parking Minimums to Reduce Housing Costs

Posted by Scott Tanner Economy, Regulation

Across the country, cities are rethinking rules that force developers to overbuild parking—and Missouri should follow suit. A new study […]

Kansas City bus, free buses, KCUR, transportation policy

24 Oct

KCUR Finally Confronts the Reality of Fare-Free Transit

Posted by Scott Tanner State and Local Government, Transportation

On Monday, KCUR carried a piece by NPR’s Joel Rose exploring fare-free buses in New York City, using Kansas City’s […]

24 Oct

Election Day Preview, SNAP Shortfalls, and Missouri’s Data Center Debate | Roundtable

Posted by David Stokes Economy, Education, Municipal Policy, Taxes

David Stokes, Elias Tsapelas, and Avery Frank join Zach Lawhorn to discuss local ballot measures in Missouri, including new hotel […]

Gas station pump, gas tax, local gas taxes, user fees, special taxing districts, TDDs

23 Oct

Harrisonville Goes for a Local Gas Tax

Posted by Scott Tanner Economy, Taxes

Harrisonville, in Cass County, has three local tax and bond issues on the November 4 ballot. This being a November […]

20 Oct

The Future of Federal Education Policy with Christy Wolfe

Posted by Susan Pendergrass Accountability, Education, Education Finance, Performance, School Choice

Susan Pendergrass speaks with Christy Wolfe, director of K–12 policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, about major shifts in federal […]

Hospital entrance, One Big Beautiful Bill, OBBB, healthcare reform, scope of practice, telemedicine

16 Oct

Reform First, Dollars Second

Posted by Scott Tanner Free-Market Reform, Health Care

If policymakers were worried about the One Big Beautiful Bill’s impact on healthcare in Missouri, they may soon find it’s […]

Coal plant, nuclear power, coal to nuclear transition, nuclear advisory council, nuclear power in Missouri

15 Oct

Considering Coal-to-Nuclear Transitions in Missouri

Posted by Scott Tanner Economy, Energy

Kansas’s Department of Commerce and Evergy (the state’s largest utility) are partnering with TerraPower, a leading nuclear developer, to explore […]

15 Oct

Jefferson City Residents Should Be Skeptical of Conference Center Project

Posted by Mike Ederer Corporate Welfare, Economy, Subsidies

A version of this commentary appeared in the News-Tribune. On November 4, Jefferson City voters will decide on a proposal to […]

15 Oct

Springfield Voters Should Be Skeptical About Convention Center Claims

Posted by Mike Ederer Economy, Subsidies

A version of this commentary appeared in the Springfield Business Journal. On November 4, Springfield voters will decide on a proposal […]

School test, education growth, test score increases, celebrating education quality

13 Oct

PRiME Summit Celebrates Schools with Impressive Test Score Growth

Posted by Scott Tanner Education, Performance

I was fortunate to attend an event in late September celebrating Missouri schools that demonstrate high test score growth. The […]