Indiana has long had a “brain drain.” College educated young people–even those who graduate from Hoosier colleges and universities–consistently leave the state. The reasons aren’t mysterious, and most aren’t economic, although we do have lower starting salaries and fewer large headquarters than other (mostly Bluer) states.
Indiana’s legislators recognize the existence of the problem, but overlook–or choose to ignore–the reasons for it. Our elected officials fail to recognize the importance of the quality of life issues that educated young folks (and plenty of us older ones) value: walkable neighborhoods, good public transit, a lively arts scene, and the cultural diversity that supports a wide variety of restaurants, cafes and nightlife– attributes of a vibrant urbanism that Indiana’s legislature not only doesn’t appreciate, but routinely tries to diminish.
Then, of course, there is social policy. Indiana’s abortion ban isn’t just a deal-breaker for many young women and their partners (ask some of our larger employers, who will confirm the effect of that ban on their efforts to hire). It is also negatively affecting the state’s ability to retain physicians, researchers, and even some of the employers who are experiencing those problems with recruitment.
Our Red state’s war on LGBTQ+ rights is another negative. Educated young people are repulsed by the bigotry that has prompted Indiana’s laws attacking the rights of trans children and their parents. It isn’t only gay young people who find these and other anti-gay measures distasteful. These efforts to stigmatize gay folks join the legislature’s (and Governor’s) interference in higher education, the Trumpian attacks on DEI, and politicization of university curricula. All of this is (quite accurately) seen as an unwelcoming environment for intellectual life.
And then there’s the recent prominence of the Hoosier state’s Christian nationalists.
Lest you dismiss my assertion that the rise of our “Christian warriors” has accelerated the departure of educated young people from the Hoosier state, allow me to quote a real economist. Michael Hicks is the George and Frances Ball distinguished professor of economics and the director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at Ball State University. In a recent column for the Indiana Citizen, Hicks expressly linked the rise of Indiana’s Christian nationalism to the outflow of educated young people. As he wrote,
Indiana is in the midst of what is possibly the most economically damaging period of outmigration in state history. This is because net migration from Indiana is concentrated among the best educated young people. A 2017 study by U.S. Senate Republicans reported Indiana’s ‘brain drain’ was among the worst seven states nationwide – worse than West Virginia. Since then, the environment has worsened substantially. College enrollment in Indiana is in rapid, historically unequalled decline with more Hoosiers heading to out-of-state colleges than ever before.
The last thing a healthy and prosperous Indiana needs is anything that would repel young people wishing to make a life in our state. A Christian nationalist agenda that is hostile to Muslims, Hindus, Catholics, Episcopalians, Methodists and Lutherans is a recipe for a more sluggish and moribund economy.
And just to be clear, a more sluggish economy is a feature, not a bug of the Christian nationalist movement. They seek an ideologically pure, small-sect Christian state, where students are consigned religious schools from pre-Kindergarten through college. They want a poorer, less educated population, that is easier to control. They want a public workforce that sits quietly in the pews of one or two different denominations.
This is economically damaging to Indiana, deeply anti-Christian and un-American. It must be rejected by Hoosiers.
Our legislative overlords like to proclaim that low tax rates make Indiana “business friendly.” They don’t seem able to connect the dots between adequate investments in the state’s quality of life and a robust business environment. And they are obviously impervious to the negative economic consequences of support for social policies reminiscent of the 1800s.
And speaking of “connecting the dots”–the composition of Indiana’s legislature isn’t the result of a backward citizenry. It doesn’t reflect widespread public sentiment. A significant minority of our state’s citizens actually live in the twenty-first century, and understand and disapprove of the implications of our government’s backward approach. Those citizens just aren’t represented in the state legislature, thanks to Indiana’s extreme gerrymandering.
It’s frustrating to be a Hoosier…
Damn, are you sure that was Michael Hicks? The Hicks from Muncie who threatened me over the donation Ball State accepted from the overt racist, Papa John Schnatter? LOL
I’d almost share that post on my social media timeline. He and most of the economists were shills for the Koch brothers. Not a progressive soul in the bunch.
His comment, “…migration FROM Indiana is concentrated among the best educated young people.”
That kind of says it all, we need to know about Indiana – the mobile leave! Those who are coming back to Indiana are those who retired elsewhere, like Florida, and can’t afford to live there anymore. They are literally getting priced out of the state.
I remember this was an issue Mitch Daniels promised to tackle, but made it worse. His right-to-work policies crushed this state as he was walking out the door. Employers who come here are looking for low-educated drones. Clinton’s move to the right and signing NAFTA crushed Indiana. Reagan and Clinton were the 1-2 punch against US workers.
And then there is the obvious: Indiana has zero outdoor amenities. You can tell the state parks have been ignored, and they don’t have much to offer. We’ve allowed CAFOs to pollute ALL our waterways, but hey, we are a cheap place to set up a business, that’s why we rank in the Top 5 places to do business. #pathetic
It’s frustrating for thinking, progressively-minded to be from Ohio, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Alabama, Mississippi, Utah and Tennessee. Gee. What do they all have in common?
Here in Indiana I opened my AOL E-mail list this morning to find the first one “[email protected] (National Urban League), Why this MLK Day is an…” on the Subj. line but was denied repeated attempts to read the post. Why is this showing only a blank page, is it because I am in Indiana, who has blocked the message and have others found the same problem and WHY?
How far has the blockage of MLK, Day spread, I.U. has cancelled their annual MLK Day dinner after 57 years but families and fans are headed to Miami to cheer their football team to victory…they hope. How many of I.U.’s players are Black and what is their feeling about the cancelled annual dinner and being expected to put in their toughest performance on the field to win a football game?
Just askin’ as a victim of “Indiana’s Brain Drain…” for many years and not as a football fan…or an I.U. fan of its political status. I’m still confused about the separation of IUPUI to IUI and PUI located on the same campus when both are right leaning.
Margaret Atwood fans will recognize the beginnings of “Gilead.” I’m sorry. How many Sooners talk about this?
Todd, thank you for invoking the name, Mitch Daniels. Worst governor of my lifetime. I’ll not forget his drive to remove Howard Zinn history from our schools. Small-minded, tiny man. And for citing all the things the GOP has ignored in favor of lining their own pockets. People gotta start paying attention.
I have a relative, a graduate of an indiana college, who turned down a chance to attend law school in Indiana (with funding offered) to attend law school out of state. He had many choices available to him, but chose not to stay here. He won’t be back.
Indiana may have fewer large corporate headquarters than many other states. I recently posted a list of the thirteen Fortune 500 corporations headquartered in Minneapolis. I also posted a list of the dozen or so largest law firms. The silence of these corporations and firms about what is happening in the city is deafening and complicit.
Those lawyers could be out on the streets, in the community spaces, educating people about their rights and advocating for those wrongfully attacked and detained.
Those corporations’ CEOs could be standing with the mayor and governor demanding that the goons and thugs dressed up as “police” get out of the city.
HCR’s letter this morning shows just how depraved and delusional dump is at his core. We are edging closer to WWIII as he plays Monopoly and collects tokens for his collection of golden objects.
All the while, the Epstein files are relegated to an afterthought. The files are evidence to back up the hundred of victim’s witness to his depravity and perfidy.
RESIST.
Thanks Todd for the info.
It’s unfortunate that the lack of meaning for the term, “Christian nationalism,” isn’t a turn off to scholars.
I wonder if Scopes’ fact finding would agree that “Christian nationalism is hostile” to say, Catholics?
If only scholars could get statistical info about sect voting and find anti-democracy funding sources, if only they had access to ProPublica’s, “On a mission from God: inside the movement to…,” if only they could know about
Nick Fuentes, Steve Bannon’s …pronouncements advocating for a model of governance (and, the link to their shared religious sect).
I’m guessing the objective of “Christian nationalist” labeling is to avoid afflicting the comfortable. The professional standard for a scholar, sometimes, it is not front and center?
A parallel- If apples are the most eaten fruit and scientists find that the majority are toxic, why would there be framing for the public that is exclusively focused on fruit salads and a studious avoidance of the mention of apples?