KU’s Center for Applied Economics is headed by a former Koch lobbyist who has written for KPI and ALEC.  We are concerned about lobbyists masquerading as academics.

“From 1997 to 2004, [Art] Hall was chief economist of Koch Industries’ lobbying subsidiary, Koch Companies Public Sector. Now heading an institution operating directly out of KU [the Center for Applied Economics], Hall is able to continue lobbying for the Kochs under the guise of an academician, streamlining their political agenda straight to Topeka.

“Hall has worked in cadence with other Koch affiliates to advance policies in Kansas that reflect the brothers’ agenda. In fact, several reports Hall has published under the CAE are co-authored by Koch-funded economists. He has written others for Koch organizations, such as American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and Kansas Policy Institute. From public education funding to repealing the renewable energy portfolio standards, Hall’s influence is consistently present in Topeka. It’s especially astonishing that he has remained under the radar amid the overwhelming attention on last fiscal year’s $334 million shortfall in state revenue caused by Brownback’s unprecedented tax breaks. Hall deserves more credit than he has been afforded; in a 2013 presentation at KU, Hall claimed he worked on much of that tax policy ‘from the ground up.'”

http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2014/sep/21/your-turn-koch-ties-ku-concern-students/?opinion