MBTAAnalysis: A look inside the MBTA

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The MBTA shuttles over a million passengers a day around Greater…

The Clock is Ticking…….

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The clock is ticking towards December 30, 2017.  As part of…

Whither METCO?

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If METCO closes the achievement gap, and if closing the achievement gap is a top priority, why are we cutting METCO funding?

Transparency, To a Point

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Just 99 days after filing the first in a series of requests,…

No Free Lunch

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What do the recent kerfuffle involving Boloco and Boston’s…

Labor leader admits it – unions have bought the Legislature

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Robert Haynes supposedly represents organized labor, as head…

Do You Believe in Medicaid Miracles?

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The 1980 Miracle on Ice actually happened. For all our sake,…

R.I.P. to a stellar public servant

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There have been, and will be, hundreds of good things said about…

A Solid Step to Muni Healthcare Reform

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Pioneer has long been part of a broader chorus calling for reform…

Stealing from our ed reform blueprint

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It used to be that Massachusetts was the state that everybody…

Tax-exempt only in name

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“Fairness” is one of the most abused words in politics. And…

National standards dissent and pep rallies

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About a week ago, the state of Texas responded to national…

Education news from other states

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Last July, while most of the Massachusetts educators were…

Connector Saving Taxpayer Money

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On this blog-- and in the press-- I have often been critical…

Permitted to Succeed? Part Three

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My last two blog posts (here and here) have provided some ideas…

Permitted to Succeed? Part Two

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In response to Mayor Menino’s pledge to create a "one-stop…

Harvard’s Effort to Make Cities Matter

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Harvard’s Advanced Leadership Initiative has recently launched…

Pioneer Goes Local! “MuniShare” Municipal Report Contest

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As part of Pioneer Institute's annual Better Government Competition,…

Lessons from Massachusetts Health Care Reform (Romneycare)

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Last month marked the first anniversary of the federal healthcare…

Permitted to Succeed? Part One

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Mayor Menino’s new budget proposal included the intriguing…

Municipal Healthcare Endgame?

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I would never underestimate the negotiating guile of the major…

It’s not what you say, it’s how you cloak it

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It has been said before, but it bears repeating: Control the…

Governor Deval Patrick’s Missing Chapter on Transparency

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Governor Deval Patrick's new autobiography, "A Reason to Believe:…

Testimony to Texas House of Representatives Select Committee on State Sovereignty

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"Testimony to Texas House of Representatives Select Committee on State Sovereignty" was provided in April 2011.

Gov Patrick Confused on Economics on “Daily Show”

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Governor Patrick was on Comedy Central's "Daily Show" Tuesday…

Siblings and the Boston School Lottery

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If you’ve got young kids in the city, the Boston Public Schools…

Enter Pioneer’s “MuniShare” Municipal Report Contest

As part of Pioneer Institute's annual Better Government Competition, Pioneer is offering two $3,000 awards for the best municipal reports.

Fix Social Security? Just do what FDR did

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It is time for baby boomers (like me) to stop whining about reform…

Romney Gets ALL the Credit for RomneyCare?

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Today is the 5th anniversary of the signing of Chapter 58 (health…

Heres Comes the House Ways & Means Budget

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The Legislature gets its first cut at a response to the Governor's…

A Defense of the Evergreen Solar Deal?

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Our friends at Commonwealth Magazine have put out an intriguing…

Vocational-technical schools that work

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A week ago, parents in Boston got their school assignments…