Recent content from Evan Ramstad
Ramstad: Get ready seniors, Medicare enrollment may be wild this fall
Choosing a Medicare plan is a big moment every year for seniors. This year holds special challenges.
Ramstad: 'X-factor' in unraveling Minnesota Paradox is building friendships across racial lines
Economists call it 'social capital' and it plays a big role in overall well-being.
Ramstad: Financial aid crisis ends, but shrinking market looms for Minnesota colleges
Carleton economist says colleges can insulate themselves from demographic cliff by retaining more students.
Ramstad: 9 questions about Minnesota's economy for Harris, Trump
They may be running to lead the nation, but imagine if they only talked about Minnesota.
Ramstad: Trump, Harris miss the main point on the economy
Trump's promise to deport workers would spark a recession and likely reignite inflation.
Ramstad: At Hazelden Betty Ford, the expectation is to be the best
The language of recovery is everywhere, but the funding for mental health care is not.
Ramstad: Speed is key as MSP Airport seeks new restaurant and shop owners
Some will need a connection to a national brand. All will need to know how to keep lines moving.
Ramstad: At Minnesota's largest refinery, workers prevented a shutdown at vulnerable moment
A breakdown during a big maintenance event tested the skills of thousands of engineers and trades professionals last fall.
Ramstad: In Tower, a vision to quickly build sustainable homes turns real
Last week, carpenters from Norway showed Minnesota carpenters how to quickly assemble cottages on a channel to Lake Vermilion.
Ramstad: Minnesota needs affordable housing to be available in more places
A fight over where to place affordable housing continues to rage in the Twin Cities. It boils down to segregation vs. integration.
Ramstad: Walz, Suni can reach millions, so why is it so hard for businesses?
Digital platforms have soaked up so much data on consumers they have made it too hard for marketers to precisely reach their targets.
Ramstad: We are choosing to separate by race in Twin Cities schools
Many schools in the metro area are dominated by students of a single race, just as parents chose.
Ramstad: Walz, Vance align on some economic ideas, tapping into mood of failed American dreams
Harris is certain to agree with Walz, while Trump is unpredictable as Vance pushes GOP in new direction.
Ramstad: Fixing the 'Minnesota Paradox' is not just moral, it's an economic imperative
Minnesota became one of the most prosperous states in the country, but in an uneven way. That's a challenge because the state's future growth depends on people who were left behind historically.
Ramstad: Getting Minnesota's numbers straight as spotlight hits Walz, Fed nears rate cut
The economy is always a mixed bag, but Minnesota's is in a slightly unusual place at the moment.
Ramstad: Who's got the real power? Trump or the unions?
Working people are already part of Donald Trump's base. The unions are flexing their muscle.
Ramstad: Biden, Trump show how hard it is to let go of power, identity
The decision to retire is the closest most people will get to how Biden feels.
Ramstad: In a chaotic moment, Americans still have power over what's next
Sharon McMahon, nicknamed "America's Government Teacher," describes the power of choosing hope.
Ramstad: In a big change to nation's corn, you might soon see shorter stalks
Shorter corn planted closer together changes the math for farmers and provides a hedge against storms.
Ramstad: Human progress is not the enemy of the planet
The notion of a tradeoff between the environment and prosperity is becoming outdated.
Ramstad: What Trump's re-election would mean for Minnesota's economy
He doesn't see that Minnesota and the Midwest are slumping.
Ramstad: Readers say Minnesota needs 'reasonable' growth, more babies and the Twin Cities connected
Our columnist is always surprised there's even a debate about growth.
Ramstad: Devean George's new factory isn't just a feel-good project
George Modular will be at the leading edge of construction methods.
Ramstad: It's easier to assess a for-profit business than Minnesota's government
Accountability can be a bit dodgy, as the state has shown in recent weeks.
Ramstad: Alarm over foreign buyers of Minnesota businesses has become excessive
Election-year politics add drama to deals.
Ramstad: Minnesota needs to work on its slow growth future now. Just ask South Korea
On a trip to Asia, our columnist meets people who wish they'd acted sooner on the demographic slowdown.
Ramstad: Minnesota should be impolite, call a special session and pass a bonding bill
Minnesota legislators seem to have forgotten their first job is to make the state run.
Ramstad: After 11 years as Minnesota's state economist, Kalambokidis leaves the post
She learned a lot by working with people who make big decisions about money.
Ramstad: Amid high interest rates, dividend investing back en vogue
Interest rates aren't going back to ultralow levels, which means companies paying dividends have an edge attracting investors.
Ramstad: Cutting out I-94 seems fantastical, especially in slow-to-grow St. Paul
It could happen, though, and that would change the metro economy massively.
Ramstad: Gustavus president Bergman calls aid glitch a 'massive disruption'
While attention focused on Gaza protests, colleges don't know who will be enrolled this fall.
Ramstad: Minnetonka council meeting shows compromise on affordable housing is possible
Making change in an old neighborhood takes tough negotiating and thick skin.
Ramstad: In a tight labor market, job fairs have changed to find people on the margins
Organizers are trying to help people who have been on the margins of the labor market, as demand for workers remains high.
Ramstad: Minnesota demographer takes deeper look at migration, workforce pressure
Every business owner and executive should read it to understand the consumption, labor trends.
Ramstad: Health care is a tough arena for AI to make a difference
AI models are meeting their match with the complexity of how people take care of themselves.
Ramstad: Misinterpreting data led me to the wrong conclusion about Minnesota retirees
My misreading undermined and distracted from my main point about fewer working-age Minnesotans.
Ramstad: How Rochester is keeping its housing growth on track
Most places in Minnesota are in dire need of more housing. The state's fastest-growing city updated its zoning code to help meet demand.
Ramstad: Think retired people are leaving Minnesota? Think again.
It's a myth that Minnesota is losing retirees because of weather and high taxes. They're responsible for our population growth these days.
Ramstad: Some Minnesota doctors bristle at state employee insurer's view of them
The state budget office runs employee insurance, giving it surprising power over doctors and clinics.
Ramstad: The debate over ethanol's future stalls push for less-harmful gasoline in Minnesota
Environmentalists who favored a low-carbon fuel standard in the past now think its time has gone.
Ramstad: Twin Cities' charter Global Academy is still run by teachers
For years, the school has stood out on the Star Tribune's "beating the odds" report card.
Ramstad: Stop hitting yourself, Minnesota
With the state's population leveling off, there's less room to do things that feel good politically but create economic pain.
Ramstad: Famed tech journalist Kara Swisher burns it all down
In a Minneapolis, Swisher describes her tough-love relationship with Silicon Valley and her admiration for Sen. Amy Klobuchar's attempts to rein in the tech industry.
Ramstad: Readers defend local control of housing, question weather data
It's the first reader feedback column of the year.
Ramstad: Cyberattack shows UnitedHealth is too big to fail
The finances of hospitals and clinics across the country were disrupted by a cyberattack on UnitedHealth Group.
Ramstad: Roman's hard choices as CEO put 3M on cleaner, leaner path
Bill Brown takes the reins at 3M, after Mike Roman checked off a daunting to-do list in his final year.
Ramstad: U.S. immigration needs a remedy, and Minnesota's economy could benefit if done well
It's hard to say whether we're getting our fair share of costs or benefits from the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Ramstad: After a remarkable decade atop Target, CEO Cornell is still fixing big mistake of 2022
Brian Cornell forecasts more store growth for Target than anytime in his tenure.
Ramstad: The house next door may become a duplex, and you'll be just fine
Here's why it's a good thing that the Legislature will likely to erode local control over zoning and other property rules.
Ramstad: Most of Minnesota's logging happens in winter, when there is a winter
The state's timber crews got a late start and an early finish to their busiest time of the year.
Ramstad: High winds, high claims brew an insurance storm in Minnesota
Recoveries take time these days as contractors charge more and insurers try to restrict payouts.
Ramstad: Minnesota fell behind on child care, now needs it to get more parents working
Beyond economics, help for child care means deciding to invest in kids before age 5.
Ramstad: Minnesota's top lawmakers show they sensibly grasp immigration and economic needs
The national immigration debate is a mess, but Minnesota's legislative leaders understand its complexity and economic importance.
Ramstad: There's never been a better time to buy a diamond ring
Technology is changing the jewelry we wear as fast as it is the cars we drive.
Ramstad: Walz says he's willing to say 'no' to legislative allies
With budget constraints showing, Minnesota governor anticipates 'one of the more challenging' legislative sessions he's faced.
Ramstad: Ice-melt entrepreneur says it's time to change the way we combat slick sidewalks
For about five years, Mitch Vestal has been trying to sell people on a proactive approach to icy sidewalks and driveways.
Ramstad: This Minnesota town can defy rural trends of decline, but first must overcome prejudice
A food processing town, which found the spotlight because of a local fight on workforce housing, is taking a deeper look at its economic future.
Ramstad: Why Minnesota's biggest development initiative starts with Black home ownership
A $5 billion effort led by the McKnight Foundation to help Black entrepreneurs and families represents a change in thinking.
Ramstad: Minnesota's affordable-housing providers should be trying to go out of business
Fresh off a funding windfall is the wrong time to ask taxpayers for more money.
Ramstad: Interest rates crimp Minnesota's new home construction, which we need for affordability
Residential real estate is a mixed picture in a market that needs construction to maintain its affordability.
Ramstad: We've got to stop telling ourselves we can't be as good as other countries on child care
Americans always tell themselves they can't be like Scandinavians. With child care, the time may come to try in Minnesota.
Ramstad: Minnesota has worked one side of the child-care problem. The next step is to copy Iowa.
The idea of incentives for employers to create child-care centers in workplaces is taking off in Iowa and New York.
Ramstad: As a new year begins, it's OK — even valuable — to be uncertain
Politicians will say things are certain. Businesses will seek teamwork and certainty. Innovation and change happen when things are not certain.
Ramstad: It's time for Minnesota to allow taller buildings with a single staircase
The state needs to keep housing affordable, and that can only happen if more types of housing are allowed to be built.
Ramstad: Those connected jetbridges at MSP looked funny, but they did the job
With construction outside Concourse G, where Delta's international flights arrive, the airport needed a secure way to funnel passengers to U.S. Customs.
Ramstad: As year ends, 3M's resort is still for sale and many Minnesota employers still seek workers
Our columnist catches up with some of the people who helped him out this year.
Ramstad: New dean of U's Carlson business school arrives amid university transitions
Jamie Prenkert came from Indiana and right away picked up on a particularly Minnesota trait.
Ramstad: Oops, Minneapolis economists explain to me how inflation can cool without recession
In this reader response column, our business columnist admits he fell for conventional wisdom about inflation, which economists here in Minnesota challenged 50 years ago.
Ramstad: Hamline University class tests AI, discovers it's no replacement for critical thought
Political scientist David Schultz, after letting students use AI as they wished in classes this fall, finds it wasn't a game-changer.
Ramstad: State spent everything everywhere all at once, then reality bit
Revenue poured into state coffers over the last two years, leading to a huge jump in spending. That's all over now.
Ramstad: Minnesota is losing independent pharmacies, victims of scale, efficiency
Legislation to relieve financial pressures on pharmacist-owned drugstores was stymied in Minnesota. Industry consolidation and PBMs have made it challenging for independent pharmacies.
Ramstad: In the St. Paul school district, a play for student market share is paying off
After closing some schools in 2021 and 2022, St. Paul Public Schools opened East African Magnet Elementary this fall and regained some market share lost to charters and nearby districts.
Ramstad: Minnesota will never see an economic force like the one created by women in last 40 years
NAWBO-Minnesota is hitting stride again by bringing young entrepreneurs together with the women who changed Minnesota's business scene over the last few decades.
Ramstad: Switching bus fleets to electric will be more of an evolution than revolution
The expectation that EVs would quickly take control of the car market took a big hit in 2023. Transit operators are also learning some hard lessons about battery-powered buses.
Ramstad: How one of Minnesota's best-performing colleges confronts declining enrollment
Gustavus Adolphus scores highest of any Minnesota school on New York Times and Wall Street Journal college rankings.
