Pioneer Institute is the leading voice for open and accountable government in Massachusetts. One of our major initiatives is to give citizens direct access to government spending data and documents. We believe that Massachusetts taxpayers deserve a thorough account of how tax dollars are spent, and how controversial decisions are made. We invite you to try out our portfolio of online transparency applications.
Government Transparency
Transparency Toolkit
MassOpenBooks
Our 2.0 version of MassOpenBooks.org gives users access to who is receiving government contracts, state employees’ salaries and pensions. Data analysis tools help readers probe deeper, to understand how pensions have changed over time, the size of the average pension, and which employment groups earn higher or lower pensions, etc.MassReportCards
Through MassReportCards, you can access invaluable information on MCAS scores, dropout rates, and other important indicators of the quality of your children’s schools. Compare one school to another, districts to districts, and choose your own metrics to do so.MuniShare
A new addition to our transparency toolkit, Munishare assembles in one clearinghouse the very best reports generated by local committees to reform local government.MassCityStats
How does one city compare to another in terms of crime prevention and public safety, fiscal management, economic growth, and education? MassCityStats lets you compare cities, or even compare a city against itself years ago—and, again, you get to choose the metrics important to you.RateYourCommunity
RateYourCommunity is a resource for citizens, especially those serving on municipal finance committees, to analyze the effectiveness and efficiency of their community’s spending.State Spending Map
In 2012, Pioneer Institute proudly reprised this exciting online tool — a spending map of Massachusetts’ state government — designed to help bring about more openness and accountability.
Submit Your Public Records Request
In addition to these web applications, Pioneer is partnering with MuckRock, a public records request submission service, to uncover important internal documents that tell the back story behind state spending, economic development policy, health care reform, and education. Read our findings on Pioneer’s Blog. We are always trying to identify cost savings in state and local government. Send us your idea today using the contact form below.Recent Blogs
When is a tax not a tax? When no one pays it. That’s basically the case with Massachusetts’ voluntary 5.85 percent income tax rate. In 2011, the latest year for which information i[...]
16 May 2013
Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), geared at students whose educational needs fall outside the norm, are crucial to the academic success of tens of thousands of Massachusetts c[...]
13 May 2013
The Boston Globe‘s Spotlight team has done a great job uncovering the Kafka-esque maze of half-million-dollar medallions, bribes, and indentured servitude that we call the Bo[...]
11 Apr 2013
Recent Op-eds
Op-Ed by Mary Connaughton & Josh Archambault Wednesday, May 15, 2013 Think because you live in Massachusetts you’re protected from the Obamacare insurance premium spikes that y[...]
16 May 2013
Legislature must open up on spending Monday, April 1, 2013 By: Mary Z. Connaughton, Adam Campbell Why would the Legislature spend $525 on a tailor, $1,050 on limousine service and[...]
01 Apr 2013
Watch Pioneer's Administration and Finance Director, Mary Z. Connaughton, on Fox 25 with Maria Stephanos. "Expert Discusses Surprising New EBT Numbers."[...]
02 Feb 2013
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