We Still Need Zoning Reform in Missouri
Two recent stories out of St. Louis County have demonstrated why we need zoning reform in Missouri. In my most...
Webster Groves Should Not Institute an Economic Development Sales Tax
There is a long list of really dumb taxes in Missouri. The St. Louis and Kansas City earnings taxes are...
New Observations Confirm Skepticism of Creative Class Urbanism
In a recent Vox column, Rachel Cohen Booth argues that many American cities pursued a “creative‑class” strategy in the 2000s...
Kansas City Homicide Rate May Be National Leader for 2025
A story in the November 20 issue of The Washington Post examines homicide rates in large cities across the United...
Shocker! Kansas City’s Affordable Housing Set-Asides Nets Zero Housing Units
In 2021, Kansas City passed an ordinance requiring large market-rate apartment developments to either set aside 20% of units at...
Want Cheaper Housing? Create More Units, Not More Rules
Recent data from The Wall Street Journal suggest that renters across the country—including in Kansas City—are gaining leverage. Rents are...
The Long Fight for Educational Freedom with Neal McCluskey and James Shuls
Learn more about the book here: www.cato.org/books/fighting-freedom-learn Susan Pendergrass speaks with James Shuls, fellow at the Show-Me Institute and head of...
Missouri Should Scrap Parking Minimums to Reduce Housing Costs
Across the country, cities are rethinking rules that force developers to overbuild parking—and Missouri should follow suit. A new study...
KCUR Finally Confronts the Reality of Fare-Free Transit
On Monday, KCUR carried a piece by NPR’s Joel Rose exploring fare-free buses in New York City, using Kansas City’s...
Four-Day School Week Votes and School Choice in Missouri
The four-day school week (4dsw) has become quite popular in the Show-Me State. More than 180 of our state’s 518...
The Free-City Project for Missouri
A version of the following commentary appeared in the Columbia Missourian. In 2001, a group of very libertarian-minded activists launched...
What Are My Schooling Options as a Missouri Parent?
Last week, I had the pleasure of speaking with a parent who wanted to know what schooling options were available...
Green Means Stop
Earlier this week, the City of St. Louis and the Bi-State Development Agency, better known as Metro, officially cancelled the...
Springfield Needs Charter Schools
A version of the following commentary appeared in the Springfield News-Leader. Of Missouri’s four largest cities—Kansas City, St. Louis, Springfield, and...
Correction: PortKC Ignoring Its Own Audits for Five Years, Not Four
In a recent column for The Kansas City Star, I pointed out that the port authority of Kansas City, PortKC,...
Massachusetts Joins NYC and KC in Shifting Fees to Landlords
Massachusetts lawmakers recently approved a measure requiring landlords—not tenants—to cover apartment broker fees, which often equal one month’s rent. The...
A Free-Market Guide to Zoning with David Stokes
Susan Pendergrass speaks with Show-Me Institute Director of Municipal Policy David Stokes about his new paper in the Free-Market Guide...
Missouri Should Rethink Fire Code Rules that Block Small Apartments
New research suggests Missouri cities could allow more apartment buildings—without compromising safety—by rethinking outdated fire code requirements. The study by...
Missouri Should Rethink Fire Code Rules that Block Small Apartments
New research suggests Missouri cities could allow more apartment buildings—without compromising safety—by rethinking outdated fire code requirements. The study by...
We Shouldn’t Pay Teachers for Master’s Degrees
One of the most consistent findings in education research is that teachers with master’s degrees are no more effective than...
