August 2026 – Prairie State Policy

U of I Flash Index Shows Cooling in July

The University of Illinois’ Flash Index, a measure of the overall performance of the Illinois economy, decreased in July following a two‑month upward trend. The Flash index is “the weighted average of Illinois growth rates in corporate earnings, consumer spending, and personal income as estimated from receipts for corporate income, individual income, and retail salesContinue reading “U of I Flash Index Shows Cooling in July”

The Role of Normal Cost in Stabilizing Illinois’ Pension System

One of the most important concepts in public pension finance is Normal Cost—the annual cost of benefits earned by employees in a given year. Understanding Normal Cost, both for employees and for the State of Illinois as the employer, is essential for evaluating the sustainability of the pension system. What is Normal Cost? For theContinue reading “The Role of Normal Cost in Stabilizing Illinois’ Pension System”