Research

The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis (TCI) is deeply committed to advancing policies that create opportunities for people with low and moderate incomes in Virginia, with a particular focus on dismantling the barriers that face communities of color. To that end, TCI provides credible, independent, and accessible information and analyses of fiscal and economic issues facing Virginia to contribute to sound decisions that improve the well-being of individuals, communities and Virginia as a whole. Our research is organized into five issue areas:

Budget, Tax & Fiscal Policy – Analysis of state legislative and gubernatorial budget, tax and fiscal proposals, legislation, and more. Our work also includes analysis of federal tax and budget proposals and outcomes, with an emphasis on how those proposals impact Virginia.

Labor & Wage – Analysis of issues related to employment, incomes, wages, poverty, and economic opportunity to build support for policies that create economic opportunity and allow families to thrive.

Health Care – Analysis of health care legislation and the impacts of state and federal reform on Virginia and its communities in order to advance policy that makes health care more affordable and accessible.

Education – Analysis of the equity and adequacy of state funding primarily for public K-12 education in order to provide a high-quality education for every student in every zip code.

Immigration – Analysis of the role of immigrants in Virginia’s communities and economy and how public policy choices can dismantle barriers in order to allow everyone living in Virginia to reach their full potential.

TCI is also engaging in more work to End the Criminalization of Poverty, specifically related to fines and fees and removing barriers to employment for people who have a prior criminal record. You can find related research throughout our Budget & Tax and Labor & Wage work.