THE PIONEER BLOG

Editorial Staff

So you want to know something about pensions?

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Now anyone can become a local pension system expert…  A stitch in time saves nine. But how much will the hole unravel before the seamstress gets the call? We all know procrastination is a bad habit, but it’s far worse if the procrastinators are stewards of the public trust. For far too long, policy makers at all levels of government have avoided hard choices in favor of compromising the public’s future. One of the most blatant examples of this decaying stewardship is the failure of governments to adequately fund pension plans at the time employees earn benefits and the expense is incurred. Leaders and legislatures all know that a day of reckoning must come for such irresponsible behavior, but it […]

Michael Weiner

Green Line Extension gets approval from Feds, but is this really the end of the headache?

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The proposal to extend the MBTA’s Green Line from Lechmere into Somerville and Medford, which has been beset by obstacles at seemingly every turn, has finally taken an important step forward.  Part of an environmental mitigation commitment connected to the Big Dig, the Green Line Extension (GLX) initiative appeared to have been in serious jeopardy after construction delays continued to occur and cost estimates continued to balloon out of control.  Lawsuits and criticism regarding over-paid and possibly incompetent consultants threatened to torpedo the project before it could ever get going. New President Donald Trump has made cost-cutting a priority, so it seemed safe to assume that federal funding would be hard to come by for a project that would seem […]

Editorial Staff

Commemorating The 100th Anniversary Of U.S. Entry Into World War I

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On Tuesday, April 4th, at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate in Boston, Pioneer Institute held a forum (see press release) with award-winning historians and history teachers marking the 100th anniversary of U.S. entry into the First World War. The event was co-sponsored by the United States World War I Centennial Commission, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, the Massachusetts Historical Society, the International Museum of World War II, The Concord Review, the National Association of Scholars, and the Program on Education Policy & Governance at the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government. Pioneer Institute was proud to hold this forum in conjunction with the Northeast Regional Conference on the Social Studies. Pioneer believes […]

Editorial Staff

Finance Committee & Town Meeting Members: Benchmarking Tools for the FY2018 Budget Season

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Understanding how your community performs relative to its peers is critical in effectively scrutinizing municipal budgets. Pioneer Institute has reintroduced its FREE online tool, MassAnalysis, with the most up-to-date information available from the Department of Revenue and FBI to help you do just that. With a couple of clicks, you can develop a dashboard for your community based on its revenues, expenditures, demographics, employment, crime, debt, education, financial strength, taxes, and transportation. For example, the image below is a graph of the Town of Natick’s expenditures. On MassAnalysis, you can generate a peer group based on the metrics you choose to enter. The program will then display the most closely matched peer communities based on your selection. In this example, we picked peers […]

Editorial Staff

“The War to End All Wars”: Teaching the First World War in Schools

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Please join Pioneer Institute, the United States World War One Centennial Commission, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, the Northeast Regional Conference on the Social Studies, and other co-sponsors, at a forum with award-winning historians and history teachers marking the 100th anniversary of U.S. entry into the First World War. America’s first engagement as a major global actor, the rise of German militarism and the Soviet Union, and the geographic boundaries of the Middle East, are only some of the reasons why World War I is often considered the most influential event of the 20th century. Learn why we have a duty to ensure students know about our shared past. Featured Speakers: Cost: Free When: Tuesday April 4, 2017 from 10:00 AM to […]

Editorial Staff

2017 Hewitt Healthcare Lecture: “Evolving Healthcare Delivery Models”

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Paul F. Levy, former President & CEO, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, will moderate a panel discussion on the changing face of the healthcare market and innovations to meet consumer demand. Additional speakers: Fay Donohue, Advanced Leadership Initiative Fellow at Harvard University Dr. Rushika Fernandopulle, CEO of Iora Health Rob Graybill, Vice President of Product and Sales Strategy for Vitals Dr. Andrew Sussman, President of MinuteClinic and Executive Vice President and Associate Chief Medical Officer of CVS Health Tickets: $50. To register click the Register Now! button below. For faster check-in please print and bring your ticket to the event. Ticket price for students: $25. Admission is free for Pioneer’s annual contributors of $1,000 or more. Become a member today! Sponsorship […]

Matt Blackbourn

The Changing Face of Retirement: The mature workforce and keeping older adults engaged

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For many older Americans, the concept of retirement has a different meaning in 2017 relative to thirty, twenty, or even just ten years ago. The traditional notion of retirement at age 65 is becoming a thing of the past—and a growing number of older adults are opting to stay in the workforce into their late 60s and beyond. While the implications of a greying America are cause for concern in some areas, there are many reasons to see this population as an asset to the knowledge economy and a unique opportunity to generate significant value for communities nationwide. Population data show seismic shifts in the demographic character of the workforce over the last three decades, and reflect a changing reality […]

Mary Connaughton

Sunshine Week 2017: Highlights from Pioneer’s Government Transparency Team

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It’s Sunshine Week once again! While it may fall close to spring break, it means something even better than Coppertone and Daytona Beach. Each year during Sunshine Week, Pioneer reviews the government transparency work it has completed through the year to highlight efforts to bring greater public accountability to Massachusetts. Our objective is to have the Commonwealth rank among the nation’s most transparent states; while there has been progress when it comes to bringing sunshine to Beacon Hill, we still have an uphill climb. So put your sandals away, get a cup of hot coffee, and take a look at some of Pioneer’s highlights: So you leave the doctor’s office, prescription in hand, and you want to take it to […]

Alex Carlin

Cursive and Historical Literacy: A Real World Example

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In the age of computers and modern convenience, the relevancy of cursive is continually called into question. Compared to the countless fonts designed with modern aesthetics, cursive seems unwieldy – and when placed side-by-side with written print, less readable. Yet across the nation students still learn how to write and read in cursive, and it is important that this practice continues in education. Historical Documents Written in Cursive While everyday use of cursive is a relic of the past, it is still critical in ensuring historical literacy. Students should be exposed regularly to primary source documents, and these documents should be presented in their original form, adding a quaint romanticism while connecting students to the past the document represents. This […]

Editorial Staff

Improving Access To Health Systems Available To Older Patients

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Guest post by Alex Carlin As more Americans age in place, policymakers face a number of challenges in ensuring adequate healthcare access for older adults. A central concern is the growing divide between the services available to elders living in urban settings and those in rural communities. In less densely populated areas, which often have a higher concentration of seniors, limited access to medical resources and care professionals is increasing the risks of untreated disease, leading to higher costs and earlier death. For this growing segment of the population, there are significant barriers to care, including lack of transportation, difficulty leaving home, and cost concerns. A study by Pew concluded that roughly 20 percent of elderly Americans, due to a […]

Editorial Staff

A Safe Bet For Massachusetts

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As talk heats up around town about a possible deal to sell and redevelop the 161 acres at Suffolk Downs, it is worth sharing the view of Pioneer’s founder Lovett C. Peters, expressed way back in 2005, when slots were being proposed for the racetrack. Over a decade ago, Pete wrote in an op-ed for The Boston Globe that: “THE OWNERS of racetracks have a failing business. They report losing money and want the Legislature to enhance their profits by authorizing slot machines. Proponents argue that slots are a win-win for Massachusetts, because they will increase state revenues and boost our already thriving tourism industry. The evidence tells quite a different story.” Instead, underscoring the difficulty that high housing prices create […]

Barbara Anthony

Governor’s Plan to Cap Healthcare Provider Prices Misses the Mark

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The Governor filed a number of healthcare market reform proposals along with his fiscal 2018 budget. One of his proposals aimed at reining in healthcare costs would impose limits, or capitate, the prices that insurance companies are allowed to pay providers (physicians and hospitals); it appears that the capitated prices serve as an indirect way of putting price caps on provider prices.  Hmm, sounds complicated. Let us try to explain. Background The best place to start is with a description of the problem the Governor is trying to fix. Massachusetts has an insatiable appetite for healthcare services. According to the Health Policy Commission (HPC), the Bay State’s total spending on healthcare increased by 4.1 percent in 2015 to $57.4 billion; […]

Editorial Staff

The Power of Competition at the T

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In 2015, right after record-setting snowfall shut down the region’s transit system, Pioneer developed governance and reform proposals to put the MBTA on a stronger fiscal footing. One of our reports concerned The Ride, the regional paratransit system for customers with disabilities, showing that: The Ride’s budget was out of control and procured through contracts that needed to be revisited, as the T was locked into an outdated, expensive, and unsatisfactory system. For the majority of The Ride’s customers, the services could be provided by taxicab and ridesharing companies at a fraction of the cost and at a higher quality of service. Since then, the MBTA has launched an on-demand pilot program that uses these new vendors to provide paratransit […]

Editorial Staff

Meeting the Housing Needs of an Aging Population

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Guest post by Mariella Rutigliano Many Americans struggle to pay for housing — and the reality today is that a significant number of those who will retire over the next decade will struggle financially to stay in their own homes. According to a 2014 report released by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University called “Housing America’s Older Adults,” the single largest budget item for most people is housing costs. The limited supply of housing in many communities nationwide exacerbates the problem of meeting the growing demand of our aging population and their families. As America’s population ages, the majority of retirees increasingly prefer to age in place. A study conducted by AARP revealed that 85 percent of […]

Editorial Staff

Getting the T Back on Track

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The reforms that the Massachusetts Legislature advanced at the MBTA just two short years ago are having a tangible impact on the T’s financial viability and operations. In the near term, more remains to be done to close the T’s annual budget gap, including three big items: competitively bidding the T’s bus maintenance and in-person customer services, further expanding the use of ridesharing and taxicabs in providing The Ride paratransit services, and reforming the T’s troubled pension system. Just as importantly, the T continues to leave millions of capital dollars – including dollars targeted at critical maintenance projects – unspent.  Below are some recent news items and research from Pioneer that is all aimed at transforming the quality of service […]