Whether you love or hate Michigan’s long history of courting companies with the use of tax incentives and subsidies, most people in the state agree that we have reached a new era in economic development. In both scope and tenor, our discussions about when, how and to whom we should and should not give taxpayer dollars in exchange for the promise of jobs is shifting.

So, we’re also asking what ethical responsibilities policymakers have when giving citizens’ money to companies for the purpose of economic development. That’s a good thing, and the potential for tax dollars to end up funding and perpetuating forced labor ought to be part of the discussion.