New at Reason: Savings for Fresno—The Role of Privatization
Like their peers in many municipalities across the country, policymakers in Fresno, California are currently considering what role privatization should play in addressing their current and future...
View ArticleHigh-Speed Rail in Europe and Asia: Lessons for the United States
This report studies the prospects for high-speed rail in the U.S., examining how well high-speed rail works in countries like France, Germany and Japan, and how this country differs from Europe and...
View ArticleGeorgia Should Seek Solutions to Drunk Driving that Work
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Everyone wants travelers heading to Lake Lanier, family barbecues or other events to be safe this Memorial Day weekend. Too many Americans continue to die from drunk...
View ArticlePublic-Private Partnerships Could Save State Parks
Orange County Register Last year it was discovered that the California parks officials were hiding $54 million, in part because they were worried that if budget officials across this debt- and...
View ArticleFrom Oakland to Chicago to Jacksonville, Mayors Are Using Privatization
The Business Journal (Fresno, CA) Next month’s special election on contracting out Fresno’s residential trash collection to help balance the city’s budget will hopefully end the long-running battle...
View ArticleWeighted Student Funding for California
The current California education funding system lacks transparency and is extremely difficult for parents, policymakers and taxpayers to understand. In addition, under the current system, districts...
View ArticleLeasing the Indiana Toll Road
In recent years, some state and local governments have taken steps to turn over the operation of public sector toll roads to private sector investor-operator teams, in order to improve their financial...
View ArticleOne Year of Privatized Liquor in Washington
Today Washington state celebrates one year of liquor privatization, having in 2012 become the first state since the end of prohibition to dissolve its state-run monopoly on the distribution and sale of...
View ArticleSaving California State Parks through Public-Private Partnerships
Last weekend, the Orange County Register ran an op-ed of mine making the case for more privatization in California State Parks. I say "more" because last year the state turned over the operation of...
View ArticleCitizens Property Insurance Privatization: Crony Capitalism or Good Policy?
On Wednesday Citizens Property Insurance, Florida’s state-run windstorm and general insurance provider, will decide on whether or not to transfer a small portion of its existing policies into the hands...
View Article77 percent of Californians Support Jerry Brown's School Funding Plan: Here...
A new poll by the Public Policy Institute of California found that Californians continue to support Gov. Brown's Local Control Funding Formula. The poll found 77 percent of all respondents, 83 percent...
View ArticleImplications of the Louisiana Supreme Court Voucher Ruling
This May 7, the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled 6–1, in Louisiana Federation of Teachers v. Louisiana, that a statewide school voucher plan was unconstitutional. The opinion offers a fascinating glimpse...
View ArticleHow Much Will Americans Drive In the Future?
Public Works Financing “Young Americans Lead Trend to Less Driving.” That was the headline of a May 13th article in the New York Times, reporting on the publication of a report called “A New Direction:...
View ArticleSasha Volokh on the Implications of the Louisiana Supreme Court Voucher Ruling
Sasha Volokh has a new article on Reason.org discussing the implications of the recent Louisiana Supreme Court ruling on school vouchers. Here's the intro:This May 7, the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled...
View ArticleWriters Invited to Enter $10,000 Bastiat Prize
Los Angeles, CA (June 6, 2013) - Journalists, bloggers and other writers are invited to enter their work in the 2013 Bastiat Prize for Journalism, which celebrates writers who explain the importance of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Labor Market Mired in Historical Lows is an Unhealthy Labor Market
Today the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the headline unemployment rate was "essentially unchanged" at 7.6 percent. Since January, the unemployment rate has remained between 7.9 percent and...
View ArticleHigh-Speed Rail is a Luxury the U.S. Cannot Afford
In an Op-Ed in today’s Atlanta Journal-Constitution, I detail why high-speed rail is a luxury the U.S. particularly the southeast cannot afford. The entire Op-Ed is available here.Discussions are...
View ArticleCrony Capitalism and Community Development Subsidies
Every year, the federal government’s budget is loaded with hundreds of billions of dollars in taxpayer-funded subsidies. A little known piece of that pile of taxpayer cash giveaways is the nearly $20...
View ArticleHigh-Speed Rail is Too Costly
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Discussions are resuming in the Southeast about a high-speed rail corridor. Unfortunately, the evidence suggests that high-speed rail’s limited success in Europe and Asia...
View ArticleThrowing Money at Bridges Will Not Fix the Problem
A near-disaster at the Skagit River Bridge in Washington State sent three people plunging into the river in Washington last month. Poor signage and a functionally obsolete bridge appear to be the major...
View Article