THE PIONEER BLOG

Editorial Staff

Jeff Wetzler, Co-founder of Transcend, on Innovation in School Design

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This week on “The Learning Curve,” Cara Candal and Gerard Robinson talk with Jeff Wetzler, co-founder of Transcend, a nonprofit focused on innovation in school design that works with hundreds of school communities in over two dozen states in America.

Editorial Staff

How would a tax increase impact the MA economy?

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Pioneer’s Charlie Chieppo explains how an income tax hike in Massachusetts will impact retirees and small business owners – not just “the super rich.”

Charles Chieppo

Globe columnist Shirley Leung makes our argument on the tax hike amendment

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In today’s Boston Globe, business columnist Shirley Leung raises important questions about who exactly will be impacted by the tax hike amendment that will appear on the Massachusetts ballot in November. The answer is retirees and small business owners – and we have the data to prove it.

Gauri Binoy

Is this PBM tactic blocking healthcare access?

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Utilization Management (UM) was originally a strategy designed to improve the safety, quality, and cost-effectiveness of physician prescribing. However, UM has grown exponentially over the last decade, becoming more a tactic for Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) to manage costs to benefit their bottom line.

Editorial Staff

Gargantuan Graduation Gift: Biden Writes Check From Taxpayers To College Grads

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This week on Hubwonk, host Joe Selvaggi talks with Dr. Beth Akers, AEI Senior Fellow, about the recent presidential executive order to cancel an estimated $500 billion in outstanding student debt. They explore who benefits, who pays, and the likely effects on tuition and the borrowing habits of future students.

Mary Connaughton

Public Comment on Allston Multimodal Project

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We remain pleased with the decision of MassDOT to concentrate its efforts on the all at-grade option for the throat area of the Allston Multimodal Project as recommend by Pioneer Institute and others. However, we are deeply concerned that the construction will negatively impact commuters coming into Boston from points west.

Editorial Staff

MBTA’s Runaway Crisis: Legacy of Neglect Demands Comprehensive Reform

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This week on Hubwonk, host Joe Selvaggi talks with Andrew Bagley, Vice President for Policy and Research at Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, about their recent report entitled, The MBTA Crisis is Complicated – Fixing It Will Be Too, diving into the details on why the T is in crisis and what the public must demand of policy makers to get it back on track.

Joseph Staruski

Massachusetts Needs a Comprehensive Performance Management Framework

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Many states have made promoted government efficiency and effectiveness by setting goals and tracking their progress. Massachusetts tried making a performance structure, but in 2014 it was discontinued. Today, the state lacks a comprehensive structure to track progress.

Gauri Binoy

The Realities Behind US Healthcare Spending

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Healthcare policy is an all-encompassing term. It plays a role in every individual’s life; how it is curated, developed, and maintained has a significant long-term impact on the quality of life of any given community. It is critical that policymakers consistently adapt and amend healthcare policies in the ever-changing global pricing and affordability environment while providing funding support for optimal quality of care.

William Smith

Cures for Patients, Not Health Plan Profits, Make Drugs Valuable

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To the astonishment of many observers, the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) recently concluded that a $2.1 million gene therapy for a life-threatening blood disorder called beta thalassemia, is priced cost-effectively. The surprise was especially pleasant, given that ICER’s methodology had, in the past, displayed bias against rare disease treatments and undervalued the lives of people living with disabilities.

Joseph Staruski

School-Age Population Remains Steady, but Boston Struggles With Declining Enrollment

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Hopefully, new leadership will ensure that the system makes the changes necessary to improve public education in Boston. Otherwise, enrollment declines will continue. 

Etelson Alcius

Is a Universal Basic Income the Future? You Decide.

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With a rising cost of living, higher inflation, and an economy that generates fierce debates about inequality and poverty, many have called for systemic reforms and even more radical changes, including a universal basic income. What is UBI? How does it work? What do researchers think?

Etelson Alcius

Massachusetts Remains One of the Least Financially Transparent States

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In 48 states, elected officials are required to submit annual public financial disclosures. After seven years of tracking these disclosures state by state, Pioneer Institute ranks Massachusetts lowest in terms of the transparency of those financial disclosures. 

Mitch Bove

Where Are Massachusetts Residents Moving To?

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A blog published earlier this month by Pioneer shined a light on Massachusetts’ growing dilemma: More people are leaving the state than coming here. According to Pioneer’s Massachusetts IRA Data Discovery website, Middlesex and Suffolk counties are losing the most residents.

Etelson Alcius

What’s going on with the economy in Cambridge?

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Dubbed the city of squares, Cambridge, a leading innovation center, is home to some of the world’s most recognized technology companies and educational institutions. With an educated population and a knowledge-based economy, a lot has changed and a lot has remained the same for the city in the last decade.   Government revenue According to 2010 estimates, Cambridge reported per capita revenue at $4,030 in 2010. In 2020, that figure was $5,839; a 44.8 percent increase in a decade.  Additionally, the city brought in total revenue of $691,306,502 in 2020; far higher than any city in Middlesex County and third highest in the state.    According to the graphs above, total revenue in Cambridge has seen consistent and significant growth […]