January 9, 2025

The Free Enterprise Report is a marquis report that provides an objective, non-partisan, fact-based analysis of the Arizona economic landscape and the state’s most pressing issues. The study is a year long undertaking and includes the CSI Economic Performance Index as well as a Free Enterprise Competitiveness Index across eight different policy areas.

Both indices provide an opportunity to look backwards and better understand where Arizona has been and what direction we are moving. We can better understand how we are performing relative to other states and we can equip policy makers, civic and business leaders with the best understanding of how our state is performing, where we are winning, where we are losing and how free enterprise principles can get us back on track.

 

RECENT/RELATED RESEARCH

Education
Saving Futures: Expanding College Access Through Financial Literacy, Behavioral Policy, and Investment Infrastructure
ABSTRACT This paper argues that the central failure of American college savings policy is not simply that many families save…

October 9, 2026


Madalyn Paltzik
Ballot Issues
Analyzing Student Proficiency and Instructional Spending: A Voter’s Guide to Proposition 320 and Public-School Spending in Arizona
Introduction On November 3, Arizona voters will decide whether to adopt Proposition 320, a measure designed to improve the state’s…
Jobs & Our Economy
Arizona Jobs and Labor Force Update
Introduction Arizona lost 4,100 non-farm jobs on a seasonally adjusted basis month-over-month (MOM) in August (-0.13%), ranking 43rd among all…
Jobs & Our Economy
Inflation in Arizona- August 2026 Update
Introduction  The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the Phoenix MSA rose 2.5% year-over-year (YOY) in August – down from the recent 3.0% peak in April and 2.8% reading in June. The energy category of the CPI rose 19.1% YOY in August – an increase…

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