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Markets, Mobility, and the Public Good
For generations, champions of free markets spoke with one voice: competition drives innovation, liberty creates prosperity, and open markets expand opportunity.
Lovett C. Peters Lecture & Annual DinnerWhen Education Philanthropy Loses Focus
What is it about education that causes otherwise disciplined people from business and philanthropy to forget the very lessons that made them successful? Focus on the core business, measure results, and change course when something isn’t working.
Read the ArticleFix the process, don’t raise the barriers.
Reforming Massachusetts' Ballot Initiative Process Massachusetts has one of the most restrictive ballot initiative systems in the country. So why are lawmakers considering new barriers instead of fixing what’s broken?
Mass Ballot InitiativeSolving the Permit Puzzle
A Roadmap for Faster Massachusetts Housing Approvals Despite recent statewide reform efforts, residential permitting in Massachusetts remains slow and unpredictable. As housing costs push families and employers toward lower-cost states like New Hampshire and Rhode Island, cities and towns don’t have to wait for Beacon Hill to act.
Solving the Puzzle
September 14, 2026
Through July 2026, Massachusetts Home Construction Pace was Roughly in Line With 10-Year State Goal
This edition of The House Call compares Massachusetts home construction data to the state’s 10-year housing production goal and the construction pace in other states. It also tracks the accelerating pace of accessory dwelling unit permitting in Massachusetts since the beginning of 2025.
September 10, 2026
Solving the Permit Puzzle
Despite recent statewide reform efforts, residential permitting in Massachusetts remains slow and unpredictable. As housing costs push families and employers toward lower-cost states like New Hampshire and Rhode Island, cities and towns don’t have to wait for Beacon Hill to act. Much of the delay and added cost happens out of public view, in the back-office interactions between applicants, staff, and volunteer board members that occur long before any public hearing.
September 9, 2026
Statement of Pioneer Institute on MassBio Industry Snapshot
The MassBio Industry Snapshot records something Massachusetts has never seen before: the first contraction of our life sciences workforce since the Life Sciences Initiative passed in 2008—roughly 3,600 jobs lost, and the losses concentrated in research and development, the intellectual core of the industry.
September 2, 2026
Reforming Massachusetts’ Ballot Initiative Process
Massachusetts has one of the most restrictive ballot initiative systems in the country. So why are lawmakers considering new barriers instead of fixing what’s broken?
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PioneerEducation supports excellent school options for all children, world-class liberal arts-based academic standards, and accountability for results in public education.
A History of Impact
Four decades of ideas, action, and policy change.
Agenda for Leadership 2026 is available!
A policy blueprint for a more competitive Massachusetts. Available now on Amazon!
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Pioneer DataLabs
50 States. 50 Laboratories.
Pioneer DataLabs makes public data easy to explore so you can compare the 50 states and D.C. on the outcomes that matter. With additional tools focused on Massachusetts communities and Boston.
About US DataLabs
U.S. DataLabs brings together 62 federal databases across nine policy areas to compare all 50 states and D.C., track trends, explore rankings, and find peer states.
About MA DataLabs
MA DataLabs tracks Massachusetts education, state and municipal finances, public pensions, the MBTA, taxes, and the economy—letting users compare communities, spending, and performance over time.
About Boston DataLabs
Boston DataLabs opens the books on city government, with payroll data since 2011 and budget and revenue data since 2017. Track pay, staffing, spending, revenues, and changes across mayoral administrations.
