Making Missouri Resilient: Assessing State and Local Government Recession Preparedness

A massive infusion of funding from the federal government has obscured the fact that Missouri’s state and local governments were dangerously unprepared for the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. Our heavy reliance on income and sales taxes, along with dysfunctional rules surrounding the use of the state’s rainy-day fund are among several factors that easily could have exacerbated the pandemic recession. This report outlines ways in which Missouri’s policies make it especially vulnerable to recessions and proposes reforms that could make the state’s economy more resilient in future crises. Click here to read the full report.