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Compares the funding of public education in Arizona to the nation and other states. For per student state and local government funding for public education—elementary, secondary, and higher education combined—to reach the national average in Arizona, additional state and local government revenue of more than $5 billion is needed, even after considering Arizona’s below-average cost of living.
Dennis received a B.A. in economics and mathematics from Grand Valley State University, a M.S. in economics from Michigan State University, and a Ph.D. in economics from Michigan State University in 1978. He has served on the faculty of the Department of Economics at ASU since 1979, as director of ASU’s L. William Seidman Research Institute since 2004, and as the director of the Office of the University Economist since 2005.
After receiving his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Toledo, Tom earned his Master of Business Administration from Arizona State University in 1976. After working in the private sector, he joined ASU in 1980, working for the predecessor of the L. William Seidman Research Institute. Since 2005, he has served as manager of research initiatives in the Office of the University Economist.
The spending of Arizona State University and its employees, students, and visitors in fiscal year 2022 had the following direct, indirect, and induced impacts on the Arizona economy: gross product of $4.66 billion, labor income of $3.21 billion, and employment of 55,712.
Arizona State University (ASU) graduates are employed throughout the world. This paper examines only those graduates employed in Arizona — those contributing to the productivity and prosperity of the state.
Arizona would benefit from changing course in its economic development efforts, from an emphasis on aggregate growth rates and tax reductions to a focus on investing in itself.