MBTAAnalysis: A look inside the MBTA

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The MBTA shuttles over a million passengers a day around Greater…

The Clock is Ticking…….

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The clock is ticking towards December 30, 2017.  As part of…

Dropping Public Records Law Exemption is a Clear Win for Governor Baker

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Currently, there are only two states that exempt the office of…

Benchmarking Tools For Municipal Officials – Budget Season Edition

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Understanding how your community performs relative to its peers…

The Real Source of UMass R&D Spending

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UMass issued a report and a press release Tuesday citing a record…

What the Brian Joyce Saga Says about Government Transparency in Massachusetts

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One state senator’s dirty laundry may be catching up with him.…

How Responsive Are Massachusetts State Agencies?

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According to Massachusetts public records law, an agency has…

MBTA commuter rail should release on-time data from every station every day

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As Pioneer has pointed out numerous times in the past, the MBTA…

MBTA Management Discussions: Where Did They Go?

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The government works for the people. As with any employee, the…

Thoughts on Transparency: Full Disclosure of Gasoline Taxes

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One of Pioneer Institute’s ongoing goals is to promote government…

MBTA Performance Transparency: A Whole New Meaning to Deferred Maintenance

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Governments need to adapt to the evolving needs of constituents,…

Comparing Retirement Benefits for MBTA and other State Employees

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Pioneer’s latest report, A $49 Million Sweetheart Deal: How…

Our Government Transparency Resolutions for 2016

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While it's possible that 2016 will see an historic surge…

Two States, Two Bills, Two Different Takes on Transparency

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This week, Florida State Representative Greg Steube and Senator…

Report Ranks Boston No. 1 in Income Inequality: What Does It Mean?

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A report published last week by the Brookings Institution ranked…

Rather than Cut The Ride’s Services, Change the Service Delivery Model

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On December 14th, the MBTA’s Fiscal and Management Control…

Helping Those with Mental Illness Find Treatment, Not Incarceration

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Mental illness, the theme of our 2016 Better Government Competition,…

Horsing Around at the Gaming Commission

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It’s time to quit horsing around at the Gaming Commission. Even…

Helping Children Impacted by Mental Illness

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Mental illness, the theme of our 2016 Better Government Competition,…

Document Request Reveals Which Commuter Rail Trains Are Frequently Delayed

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There is a unique relationship between the MBTA and its riders…

Massachusetts Needs Its Own CBO

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State Senator Jamie Eldridge is on to something.  The State…

State Contractor Confirms: GLX Cost Overruns Due to Bid Process

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As Pioneer first pointed out in a September blog post and again…

Why Mental Health, Why Now?

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When the topic of “Improving Mental Health” was chosen, the importance resonated immediately. It may be more relevant than at any other point in our nation’s history. Every area of core government function is affected by the status of mental health. Our failure to find answers and reduce inefficiencies costs the Commonwealth innocent lives and millions of dollars each year.

A Step Forward on Meaningful Public Records Reform?

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Yesterday’s Boston Globe editorial has it right - the time…

MBTA Scorecards: A Work in (Backwards) Progress?

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Three weeks ago the MBTA announced the long-awaited return of…

September’s Come and Gone – and Where’s Public Records Reform?

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How fitting is it that a bill meant to strengthen our anemic…

How To Tell If The Price Is Right: Fostering Transparency in Healthcare Prices for Massachusetts Consumers

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Notwithstanding a Massachusetts law requiring the clear, prompt…

New MBTA Performance Reports: Work In Progress

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This week, the MBTA began publishing new weekly performance reports…