THE PIONEER BLOG

Raif Boit

Cape Cod Restricts Fourth of July Parties: What’s the Economic Impact?

/in , , , /by Raif Boit

With Fourth of July parties getting out of hand in recent years, Dennis Police established measures to limit the number of beachgoers this year. This may have an impact on Dennis economically, but it is a choice Dennis feels is worth making.

Dana DiChiro

What makes these five so-called “W” towns so appealing?

/in , , , /by Dana DiChiro

Learn about what makes these five Massachusetts “W” towns so desirable to live in, but also the costs associated with them.

Dana DiChiro

Part II: Push and Pull Factors for Massachusetts Businesses

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High UI tax rates make it expensive for businesses to operate in Massachusetts. Learn what affects a company’s decision to operate in Massachusetts.

Andrew Mikula

Mayor Wu’s Office to Residential Conversion Pilot Program Prioritizes Downtown Revitalization over Housing Production, Fiscal Responsibility

/in , , , , /by Andrew Mikula

In July 2023, in response to a soft post-COVID office market and a daunting housing crisis, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu created a Downtown Office to Residential Conversion Pilot Program. The program uses property tax breaks of up to 75 percent of the assessed value for 29 years to incentivize property owners to convert Downtown Boston office space to apartments or condos. The program also requires the converted residential properties to conform to the city’s stretch energy code and inclusionary zoning policies for new development and institutes a 2 percent real estate transfer tax on future sales of those properties.  Applications for the program were originally due by June 2024, with construction due to start on the conversions by October 2025. […]

Raif Boit

Northwest Massachusetts’ Reliance on Industry Levies

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Some towns in NW Massachusetts spend significantly more per capita than their neighbors, without using methods such as large state funding, deficit spending, and high taxes. These towns gain significant portions of their revenue from industry tax levies.

Matt Mulvey

Examining the Academic Achievement Decline in New England Prior to COVID-19

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COVID-19 was not the beginning of student performance declines in the United States. Academic achievement for students across the country began to drop-off following the widespread implementation of the Common Core curriculum in 2013. While declines have occurred across the country, New England has experienced a particularly sharp decrease in student achievement.

Dana DiChiro

Part I: It May Be Better to Be Unemployed in Massachusetts than in Connecticut or New Hampshire

/in , , , /by Dana DiChiro

Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire all rank among the 10 wealthiest states in the country. Massachusetts is third – behind Maryland and New Jersey – with a median household income of $96,505. New Hampshire has a median household income of $90,845, making it the sixth wealthiest state, while  Connecticut is the eighth with a median household income of $90,213. It is clear that the populations of these states have high incomes compared to the rest of the country, but which is most desirable to live in if you find yourself unemployed? Historical and Current Unemployment Trends  First, it’s important to understand where the unemployment rates of these states fall in relation to the national rate. Using Pioneer Institute’s LaborAnalytics, the […]

Matt Mulvey

Puzzling “Relationship” Between Police Expenses and Crime Rates in Middlesex County

/in , /by Matt Mulvey

Some people may assume that there is a correlation between how much a town spends on their police and the crime rates in that town. But for certain towns in Middlesex County, there does not seem to be a clear connection between police expenses and crime rates. When stacked up against other towns in the county, there is a mismatch between how much money these towns spend on their police and their crime rates.

Raif Boit

Why The Best Public Schools Are The Best

/in , /by Raif Boit

  Massachusetts’ education system is famously excellent, routinely ranking at the top of the nation. Even in Massachusetts, however, some public school districts such as Brookline, Newton, Wellesley, and Weston consistently perform better than others and post higher standardized test scores.  In fact, according to Mass Report Cards, in the 2022-23 school year, 88 percent, 84 percent, and 75 percent of sophomores at Weston High achieved scores meeting or exceeding expectations respectively on the English Language Arts, Math, and Science MCAS tests, far exceeding the respective statewide public school averages of 60 percent, 53 percent, and 50 percent. Many attribute this success to funding; all these towns dedicate significant resources to their public schools. Brookline spent $128,842,776 on education in […]

Eileen McAnneny

Massachusetts Legislature Procrastinates Once Again

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There are less than seven weeks left to the Massachusetts Legislature’s formal sessions with much unfinished business to attend to.  Analogizing Massachusetts legislators to students, they are waiting until the night before a 10-page paper is due to begin the assignment that was given early in the semester. While some students can thrive under that type of pressure and hand in a top-rate assignment, for most students, procrastination does not lend itself to high-quality work.  That is likely to be the outcome for this legislative session given the sheer number of meaty bills that have passed both branches in different forms and still await resolution by conference committees before the July 31st deadline. It would be one thing if the […]

Dana DiChiro

Cape Cod: The Struggles of Year-Round Residents

/in , , , /by Dana DiChiro

Barnstable County contains all 15 Cape Cod municipalities. In 2023, the unemployment rate there was 4.7 percent, while the state average was 2.6 percent. All but one municipality on the Cape had an unemployment rate above the state average. Provincetown, the northern tip of the Cape, faces the highest unemployment rate in the state at 14.6 percent. What causes Cape Cod’s unemployment rate to be so far above that of the state as a whole? Warm weather might be the answer.  For both Massachusetts residents and out-of-state vacationers, Cape Cod serves as a convenient oasis during the summer months. What many vacationers fail to realize is that those booming businesses look quite different during Massachusetts winters. The estimated year-round population […]

Charles Chieppo

An Open Letter to the Governor’s Transportation Task Force

/in , , , , , , /by Charles Chieppo and Eileen McAnneny

An Open Letter to the Governor’s Transportation Task Force: As members of former commissions, we wish you much success as you embark on the important assignment of figuring out how to adequately finance the state’s transportation system.  With respect to MBTA, this will be the fifth major commission analyzing its operations since 2007, and while each commission had a slightly different charge and scope, common themes have emerged that you need not revisit.  To jumpstart your work, we have summarized past findings so you can bring a focused and forward-looking  approach to your task. In summary, revenue has been provided and reforms introduced in the past, but neither were sufficient to make a difference.  So here we are in 2024 […]

Eileen McAnneny

Thoughts on Outmigration and Competitiveness

/in , , , , /by Eileen McAnneny

?Thoughts on Out Migration and Competitiveness   A picture is worth a thousand words. This heatmap lays out the key areas Massachusetts’ needs to focus on to stem net outmigration and improve its competitiveness relative to other move-to states. This analysis shows the competitive advantage the 11 top outbound states enjoy over Massachusetts based on 10 key drivers. The blue (higher numbers) indicate that the competitor state is outperforming Massachusetts, while the red (negative numbers) indicate Massachusetts is outperforming the competitor state. The higher the number, the greater the move-to states competitive advantage. Massachusetts outperforms these top designation states in only three measures – healthcare quality, education, and overall economic conditions.  We perform weakest in three measures – housing cost, […]

Eileen McAnneny

Commentary On The Senate Ways And Means Committee FY2025 Budget 

/in , , , , , /by Eileen McAnneny

The Senate Ways and Means Committee (SWM) released its FY2025 budget on May 7th.  This spending plan totals $57.9 billion, an increase of $1.8 billion over the FY2024 General Appropriations Act (GAA).  Like the Governor’s and House’s versions of the budget, the SWM budget is based on the consensus revenue estimate of $41.5 billion in tax revenue – a decrease of $208 million from last year’s consensus figure.

Eileen McAnneny

Statement: Pioneer Institute in Support of Accessory Dwelling Units

/in , , , /by Eileen McAnneny

Pioneer Institute Statement in Support of Accessory Dwelling Units May 2, 2024 BOSTON – This Wednesday, the Boston Globe editorial board endorsed the accessory dwelling units (ADUs) provision in Governor Healey’s Affordable Homes Act, her $4.1 billion housing bond bill.  Pioneer Institute has long championed ADUs as a potentially important piece in the policy puzzle of how Massachusetts can provide sufficient supply to attract and retain a high-quality talent pipeline. In addition to opinion pieces and media appearances, the Institute’s work on the issue is grounded in data-driven research, including Getting Home: Overcoming barriers to Housing in Greater Boston (2003), Residential Land-Use Regulation in Eastern Massachusetts: A Study of 187 Communities (2005), Housing and Land use policy in Massachusetts (2007), […]