Blog: Transparency

Massachusetts has distinguished itself as a national leader in education, health care, and biotechnology. While many other states rely on manufacturing, energy, or tourism as their economic drivers, Massachusetts has built an economy centered around research and innovation at some of the nation’s best academic and medical institutions.

Elected officials in Massachusetts sure have a lot to say about “democracy” these days.   For those paying attention to goings on around here in recent years, hearing politicians trumpeting their state as a citadel defending democracy and the rule of law, you might be...

Once seen as a city upon a hill, Massachusetts, the first state with a public viewing gallery for its Legislature faces persistent concerns about lack of government transparency. Data on Statements of Financial Interest (SFIs) from US DataLabs highlights those concerns and emphasizes the need for accountability. 

As Pioneer Institute observes Sunshine Week,?we are disappointed by the legislature’s attempts to deny what the vast majority of voters want: an audit of the legislature by our State Auditor. Trying to avoid an audit further exacerbates the loss of public trust. After all, what are we left to think? Do they have something to hide? That is not the government our founders intended; nor is it what 72 percent of Massachusetts voters wanted. This year, during Sunshine Week, we are entirely focused on the top three actions to bring sunlight to the state legislature. They are: 

In the last decade, Massachusetts has accrued billions of dollars in debt. However, despite a large amount of debt, both overall and per capita, the state's debt as a percentage of GDP is normal amongst its neighbors.

With Massachusetts losing billions in taxable income every year due to out-of-state migration, it is important to understand the demographics causing the biggest losses.

Every year, Massachusetts spends billions on payroll. With some departments spending significantly more and some employees receiving salaries multiple times their peers', it is important to understand where this money is going.

Sin Taxes, which are taxes on goods and services that are considered harmful or immoral, have brought in a significant amount of revenue for Massachusetts.

Pension expenditures in the two largest public pension systems are on the rise in Massachusetts, so it's important to understand the factors behind the growth in annual payouts, including an increasing average pension and an increasing number of retirees.

Billions of dollars went to retirees in 2023 from the state's two largest pension funds. Not unexpectedly, the data show that the amount of money given to a specific retiree may depend on many factors outside of where the retiree used to work.