Travesty of Justice: Massachusetts Drug War Collapses on Lab Scandal
Joe Selvaggi talks with Pioneer Institute senior legal fellow Jim McKenna about Massachusetts’ drug prosecution cases resting on evidence produced by badly mismanaged drug testing labs, and the implications for potentially hundreds of thousands convicted on erroneous, tainted, or fabricated evidence.
Struggling For Sunshine: Transparency’s Power To Keep Leaders Accountable
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Host Joe Selvaggi talks with Pioneer Institute's Mary Z. Connaughton about the value of transparency and Pioneer’s extensive work to provide greater access to legislative and policy information to hold elected officials accountable and build trust in our state government. Read Pioneer Institute's Sunshine Week Transparency Resolutions.
Pioneer Institute’s 2021 Government Transparency Resolutions: Sunshine Week Edition
As it does each year, Pioneer shares the resolutions it hopes state leaders will adopt to bring government actions into better focus and invigorate our democracy with heightened public engagement. As the late Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis noted, “sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants; electric light the most efficient policeman.”
Traffic Strikes Back: New Transportation Strategies for Post-Pandemic Prosperity
Host Joe Selvaggi talks with Chris Dempsey, Director of Transportation for Massachusetts, about road and mass transit innovations that could address traffic challenges in a high-growth, post-pandemic economy.
Public Comment on I-90 Allston Multimodal Project
Last year, Pioneer Institute proposed that the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) revise its Scoping Report on the I-90 Allston Multimodal Project and recommend an additional option - a modified at-grade option for the throat area - to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The Institute believed then and continues to believe that an all at-grade design will shorten construction time, lower costs, create fewer negative economic and congestion impacts, and improve neighborhood access to parkland along the Charles River.
Clearing Boston’s Throat: What the I-90 Allston Project Portends for Metro West Commuters
Join hosts Joe Selvaggi and Pioneer Institute’s Mary Connaughton, and guest, former Mass. Secretary of Transportation Jim Aloisi, as they discuss the I90 Allston Multimodal Project, its long-term benefits, and their concerns for the metro west commuters and communities during the project’s decade-long construction.
COVID-19 Transparency – A Step Backwards
Massachusetts has unfortunately taken the backwards step of ending its longstanding daily reporting of something basic and important: the virus’s cumulative impact on various age groups.
HHS COVID Funding Tracker
As of July, the Feds have distributed $86.7 billion to medical providers, of which $2.3 billion came to Massachusetts. Pioneer’s new HHS COVID-19 Funding app shows who and how much, from the $1 sent to American Current Care of Massachusetts, to the $418,034,675 sent to the MA Department of Public Health. We also break down the distribution by city or town.
One UMass System, Different Reopening Plans
One UMass System, Different Reopening Plans
On March 11, UMass…
Open Letter to MassDOT Board Regarding I-90 Allston Multimodal Project
Read Pioneer's Open Letter to MassDOT on the I-90 Allston Multimodal Project, Boston, MA National Environmental Policy Act Review Scoping Report: All At-Grade Option and 8-lane Turnpike – Throat Area
It’s Time for the MBTA to Actively Engage Riders to Understand Their Commuting Plans
The MBTA should conduct a survey of mTicket app users regarding their future plans. Some may never work in offices again. Some will certainly do some workdays in the office and some at home. Others will be in offices and back to business as usual at some point.
Using their responses, the T can calculate ridership and determine projected revenue.
WILL YOU COMMUTE TO WORK WHEN THE COVID-19 CRISIS IS OVER?
How will you look at commuting in the future? This survey will ask over 30,000 people how their attitudes and habits will change. Please be part of our work to understand the changing world around us.
Mapping COVID-19 in Massachusetts Cities & Towns
Kudos to he Massachusetts Department of Public Health for posting the count and rate (per 100,000) of confirmed COVID-19 Cases in Massachusetts by City/Town.
Transparency Needed at Long-term Care Facilities
The anxiety of having a parent in a nursing home under the constant…
Sunshine Week 2020 – When Government Transparency Is More Important Than Ever
COVID-19 has overshadowed what was supposed to be Sunshine Week, but vigilance on behalf of open government is even more crucial during times like these, when the public has limited access. But government transparency is important at all times. Each year during Sunshine Week, Pioneer reviews some of its recent work to increase public accountability in Massachusetts government.
MassDOT’s West Station design plans fall one track short
In 2014, MassDOT proposed the construction of West Station, a…
Open Letter to MA Governor Charlie Baker Regarding Boston Commuters from Points West
In an Open Letter to the Massachusetts Governor, Pioneer Institutes presents its concerns about the I-90 Allston Multimodal Project, and its impact on those who will be most affected during the project’s construction
In the past few years, the tobacco industry has thrived in Massachusetts. Here’s why.
Despite recent good news about declines in alcohol, traditional…
Pioneer Institute’s Government Transparency Resolutions 2020
As we do each January, Pioneer shares the resolutions it hopes state leaders will adopt to bring government actions into better focus and invigorate our democracy with heightened public engagement.
VIDEO: Reduce Carbon Emissions with Perq!
In the final video of a new three-part animated series, Pioneer Institute explores how the MBTA's commuter benefit program called Perq saves you money, lowers your tax burden, and shortens your commute - all while helping the planet.
VIDEO: Attract & Retain Top Employees Through Perq!
In part two of a new three-part animated video series, Pioneer…
MassAnalysis: Highest income towns per capita within average debt range or higher
Understanding debt limits
Municipalities issue debt to fund…
Signs of Growth in Several Gateway Cities
It’s safe to say that Boston is the economic hub of Massachusetts…
How Do Massachusetts’s State Pensions Compare with Their Peers?
For those who have kept up with Pioneer’s work on pensions,…
No Clear Correlation Between Fare Revenue and Ridership
In recent weeks, many MBTA riders have expressed frustration…
The Chancellor at this University Makes about 18.5 Times what an Average Employee at this Same University Makes…
According to MassOpenBooks, the average annual pay for UMass…
Did Justice Prevail? Questions Surrounding Correctional Officers and Budgetary Allocation within the Suffolk County Sheriff Department and Others
According to MassOpenBooks 2018 statistics, the Suffolk County…
MassOpenBooks: A Look at the Highest Paid Private Vendors in 2018
In 2018, quasi-public Massachusetts agencies made a total of…
MassOpenBooks: A Look at Annual Pension Trends
In 2018, the Commonwealth provided $5.2 Billion in pension benefits…