MORE ARTICLES
Outmigration and the Labor ForceApril 25, 2024 - 11:44 am
Study Finds Obstacles to Search for Opioid SubstituteApril 25, 2024 - 9:11 am
Annual Massachusetts Outmigration Hits 39,000, Up 1,100% Over The Last Decade: BU StudyApril 24, 2024 - 1:00 pm
Hoover at Stanford’s Stephen Kotkin on Stalin’s Tyranny, WWII, & the Cold WarApril 24, 2024 - 12:33 pm
Superior Court Judge Invalidates “Equity Theft” Law as UnconstitutionalApril 23, 2024 - 1:04 pm
Tax Man Confounded: Why High Rates Haven’t Yielded Higher RevenueApril 23, 2024 - 12:58 pm
Massachusetts’ Workforce Growing Older and More Diverse, Remains Highly EducatedApril 18, 2024 - 9:26 am
Johns Hopkins’ Ashley Berner on Educational Pluralism & DemocracyApril 17, 2024 - 2:53 pm
Why the secrecy? Pioneer Calls for Open Meetings Dealing with Steward’s Impact on Patient Care.April 16, 2024 - 1:59 pm
Industrial Policy Reimaged: Can Government Improve Free MarketsApril 16, 2024 - 12:34 pm
Municipal Benchmarks for Massachusetts’ Middle Cities: A Look at Economic Growth
/0 Comments/in Economic Opportunity, Middle Cities/ Urban, Press Releases, Press Releases: Economic Opportunity, Press Releases: Government /byMunicipal Benchmarks for Massachusetts’ Middle Cities: A Look at Economic Growth Municipal Benchmarks for Massachusetts Middle Cities: A Look at Economic Growth BOSTON- A new policy paper from Pioneer Institute?s Middle Cities Initiative calls for citizens and city officials to shift their approach to municipal benchmarking to one that recognizes meaningful differences within cities that may be lost in a broader comparison or statewide context. Municipal Benchmarks for Massachusetts? Middle Cities: A Look at Economic Growth looks specifically at the performance of fourteen Massachusetts cities in regards to their economic growth. “Pioneer?s Middle Cities Initiative is really an effort to try and engage citizens, local businesses leaders and political officials in a meaningful way, and the best way to do […]
The Return of the Nanny State
/0 Comments/in Blog, Blog: Better Government, News /byOr maybe its no sign-maker left behind. The latest ‘nanny-state’ move by state government comes in the form of new, graphic public service advertisements that stores selling cigarettes will apparently be forced to display. State government can apparently enact this purely through administrative means, all that is needed is a DPH proposal plus approval by the “Public Health Council”. Look, I get that smoking is a bad thing and I think we tax it, label it, and counterpromote about it a great deal. This is a good thing, but some people can’t stop themselves. To get real personal about this, some of us live in places where the convenience stores sell cigarettes (and even lottery tickets, gasp) as a matter […]
Crying won't help you
/0 Comments/in Blog, Healthcare, News /byCrying won’t help you, praying won’t do you no good When the levee breaks, mama, you got to go That’s how I feel about the piece Amy Lischko and I had in the Globe today on the health care reform of 2006 and how it’s failed to do much of anything to respond to small business needs. Key paras: First, the Connector focused all its energy on providing nearly free products to the indigent. In contrast, the Connector’s board seemed almost uninterested in market-rate products for small business employees… The Connector took three years to make information about provider networks and participating primary care providers for small businesses available on its website. It took over two years to launch a […]
MA vs. US: Round 2: Employer Penalties
/0 Comments/in Blog, Healthcare /bySorry, It’s been awhile. Although the MA reform was considered bi-partisan. There were a few elements that Governor Romney vetoed when the bill was signed. The employer “fee” was one important one. Employer requirements or fees don’t make sense for a number of reasons. There is an on-going myth that the employer’s money and the employee’s money are two separate things. And, by requiring an employer to offer insurance or pay a fee will result in added benefits to the employee. In reality, there’s really no evidence that this occurs. Instead, employers respond by reducing their full-time workforce, or increasing the price of their goods (if that’s possible) both having a potentially negative impact on the economy. How do MA […]
Big kudos and 2 questions about the Aquapocalypse
/0 Comments/in Blog, News /byFred Laskey and his immediate staff did an incredible job in addressing the water main break in Weston. Full stop. Hosannahs all around. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, my questions: (1) Why did so many towns with deep budget woes feel that they had to give out water? (2) Is boiling water really so hard? (My kids enjoyed it…) (3) Was the water we had available for a few days really so undrinkable? Was it considered drinkable in the 1990s? Have regulations changed and therefore perceptions about safety? Or was the water even by 1990s standards undrinkable? (4) And will Fred’s freshly minted halo get him over the hump with my friends in the watershed associations […]