Better Government

Throughout the US, the number and scope of defined-benefit pension plans have been on the wane for over a quarter century. Many private-sector workers have had their benefits wiped out by bankruptcies and fire sales of distressed businesses despite the legislative push from pay-as-you-go to fully funded pension plans.

Pioneer's Transportation Dashboard is intended to communicate the performance of the state's transportation system and inform the public about the effectiveness of the state's transportation leadership. As a single-page of primarily visual communication, it necessarily simplifies the complex nature of the transportation system.

"Massachusetts’ New Economy" was presented by Jim Stergios in 2011.

As states and nations aggressively promote their business climates, the high cost of doing business in Massachusetts requires ongoing remediation for the Commonwealth to sustain its competitive advantage.

The pension system for Massachusetts state workers and retirees has recently received a great deal of attention. Governor Deval Patrick signed reform legislation in June 2009, and additional reforms may be forthcoming. Much of the media coverage of pension issues has focused on sensational accounts of pension abuse.

Southern New England School of Law (SNESL) is a regionally accredited law school located in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1981 and unsuccessfully sought American Bar Association (ABA) accreditation in 1997 and again in 1999.

It took one day for the House of Representatives to raise the sales tax 25 percent. It took just one day for the Senate to do the same. (The Governor has taken longer to put out his tax increase proposals, which range from a 19-cent gas tax increase, hundreds of millions of dollars in soda, candy and other targeted fees, as well as consideration of a graduated income tax.)

Transportation policy will play a prominent role in Massachusetts politics over the coming months. The Massachusett Bay Transportation Authority's (MBTA) structural deficit is projected to grow to $160 million in FY2010. The MassPike is facing an operating deficit and the potential implosion of its financing structure. MassHighway is scrambling to initiate a $3 billion accelerated bridge repair program that will leave us with hundreds of structurally deficient bridges even after it is done.

This policy brief recommends $311 million in savings between now and the end of the fiscal year, through emergency and targeted cuts, returning the state workforce to 2004 levels, ending corporate welfare, and consolidating several state functions. By combining these with a $300 million withdrawal from the rainy day fund and a reasonable 4 percent cut in local aid ($200 million), the Governor could avoid further cuts to the safety net and core services.

Public-private partnerships are a much misunderstood and still-evolving innovation in transportation infrastructure. Viewed with great suspicion by some as a ‘selling off’ of public goods, it is viewed with great enthusiasm by others as a source of additional revenues. In Massachusetts, we see public-private partnerships through the lens of recent projects that used private sector participation. This study seeks to examine several of those recent projects to learn about the private sector’s role and its impact on the project.