Could Ohio, New York or Pennsylvania be the next North Dakota and "frack" its way to budget surpluses?

Texas offers more incentives to attract business than any other state, but questions remain about who benefits more, the companies or the people of Texas.

The purpose of the report is to understand the extent of the fiscal problems faced by the states of this nation in the aftermath of the global financial crisis.

The smart money says the U.S. economy will splinter, with some states thriving, some states not, and all eyes are on California as the nightmare scenario. After a hair-raising visit with former governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who explains why the Golden State has cratered, Michael Lewis goes where the buck literally stops--the local level, where the likes of San Jose mayor Chuck Reed and Vallejo fire chief Paige Meyer are trying to avert even worse catastrophes and rethink what it means to be a society.

Shale gas drilling could help Ohio's economy, but Steven Mufson of the Washington Post asks if fracking is worth the human and environmental cost.

Ron Paul released this "Economic Plan to Restore Nevada" on February 2, 2012. The press release states,

"The plan helps Nevada residents, workers, retirees, debtors, home buyers, homeowners including those facing foreclosure, job-creators like the tourism industry, federal land ownership victims, and other stakeholders renew the Silver State's economy and sovereignty after decades of disastrous Washington interference.

The five key elements of the 'Plan to Restore Nevada' include:

1. Restoring Nevada's Job Market
2. Restoring the Housing Market
3. Restoring Tipped-Worker Wages
4. Restoring a Common Sense Visa System
5. Giving Nevada Back To Nevadans."

Peter Orszag explains how an important cause of increased polarization in Congress is increased polarization among the American people.

Sebastian Mallaby says that merits exist to the argument for "charter cities."

Economist Paul Romer describes the concept for charter cities as "special reform zones that allow governments to quickly adopt innovative new systems of rules," in order to "create opportunities for millions of people to...lead safer, healthier, and more prosperous lives." Join Romer as he describes both the historical origins of this approach and promising new applications.

Economist Paul Romer describes the concept of charter cities as "special reform zones that allow governments to quickly adopt innovative new systems of rules," in order to "create opportunities for millions of people to…lead safer, healthier, and more prosperous lives."

Economist Paul Romer describes the concept of charter cities as "special reform zones that allow governments to quickly adopt innovative new systems of rules," in order to "create opportunities for millions of people to...lead safer, healthier, and more prosperous lives."

In Rolling Stone, Matt Taibbi laments that a new Florida foreclosure court has emerged merely as "a super-high-speed housing court with a specific mandate to rubber-stamp legally dicey foreclosures."

This unprecendented public opinion survey, conducted by the New America Foundation and Terror Free Tomorrow, sheds light on the sentiment of citizens living in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan.

Amity Shlaes comments on current "tax brawls" among U.S. states.

Amity Shlaes says that the pro-government side of Maine, represented by Senator Olympia Snowe, seems to be prevailing.

Amity Shlaes argues that Washington's rejection of Las Vegas is misguided.

Michael Gerson writes about Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, who delivered the Republicans' Fat Tuesday response to President Obama.

A tribal reconciliation strategy could help counter Taliban influence in Afghanistan in the short term, a U.S. expert says. But if the process is not handled carefully, he says, it could seed deeper unrest down the road.

Listen to Laurie Garrett, CFR senior fellow for global health, examine the current dialogue on containing and curtailing pandemics as part of CFR's State and Local Officials Conference Call Series.

Learn more about CFR's State and Local Officials Initiative.

Listen to Michael T. Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, and author of the recent Foreign Affairs article, "Unprepared for a Pandemic", discuss the current threat of the pandemic flu as part of CFR's State and Local Officials Conference Call Series.

Learn more about CFR's State and Local Officials Initiative.