“Eenie, Meenie, Miney, MO! This Is Where You Ought to Go!”

State and Local Government | March 28, 2011

By Christine Harbin | Read Time 1 minute

As I flew back from vacation, I stumbled upon a full-page advertisement for Missouri in my in-flight magazine. Although I regularly see other states featured in articles in in-flight magazines (I discussed one about Utah recently), I haven’t seen any other states take out this kind of ad.

I don’t know whether this particular ad was bought with taxpayer money, but I do know that the state government uses taxpayer money to advertise. According to our “Show-Me: The Spending” web tool, state government agencies in Missouri have spent $223,362,918 on advertising services since 2000 (in terms of constant 2009 dollars).

Are there no better uses for taxpayer monies than paid advertising? Does seeing a full-page ad in an in-flight magazine cause any travelers to relocate their business to Missouri? Is this a successful economic development strategy?

MO In-Flight Ad

About the Author

Christine Harbin

Christine Harbin Christine Harbin, a native of Wisconsin, joined the Show-Me Institute as a research analyst in July 2009. She worked as a policy analyst at the Show-Me Institute until her departure in early 2011. She holds undergraduate degrees in economics, mathematics, and French from the University of WisconsinMadison, and an MBA with an emphasis in operations management from the University of WisconsinEau Claire. She interned with the National Economic Council at the White House in Washington, D.C., during spring 2007. Prior to joining the Show-Me Institute, she worked as an advance planning analyst for hospitals and health care systems.

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