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How to Create a Better Pennsylvania in 2023
America’s story began in Pennsylvania, but our state has fallen behind. Families are leaving for better jobs, educational opportunities, and quality of life in other states. But in 2023, policymakers…
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Fairness
The Battle for Worker Freedom in the States: Grading State Public Sector Labor Laws
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Pennsylvania Back-to-School Education Trends
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Economic Development
Across the United States, state and local governments are locked in a constant competition to attract and retain businesses. Public subsidies, in the form of grants, loans, tax incentives, and…
Fact Sheet
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The Economic Impacts of Introducing Slot Machines at Racetracks in Pennsylvania: A Review of the Penn State Harrisburg Study
Purpose …
Fact Sheet
Read More: The Economic Impacts of Introducing Slot Machines at Racetracks in Pennsylvania: A Review of the Penn State Harrisburg StudyState Budget
Rightsizing State Government: Solutions to Pennsylvanias Fiscal and Economic Challenges
Executive Summary “[W]e must find a way to make government live within its means. That is my first priority as governor. We must act now, and we cannot fail. We…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Rightsizing State Government: Solutions to Pennsylvanias Fiscal and Economic ChallengesPublic Union Democracy
The Impact of Compulsory Unionism on Economic Development
Executive Summary With increasing global competition taking a toll on U.S. manufacturing jobs, and state governments and municipalities struggling to achieve greater operating efficiencies in the face of declining revenues…
Report
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Property Tax & School Funding Reform: The Michigan Experience and Principles for Pennsylvania
Executive Summary After decades of relative inaction, Pennsylvania policymakers may finally tackle the issue of property-tax and school-funding reform. While states such as Michigan have already substantively addressed the problem…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Property Tax & School Funding Reform: The Michigan Experience and Principles for PennsylvaniaEducation
The Pennsylvania State Education Association: Compelling Teachers, Lobbying Politicians, and Increasing Taxes
Executive Summary Originally founded as the Pennsylvania State Teachers Association in 1852, the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) has transformed itself from a professional development organization for educators into one…
Fact Sheet
Read More: The Pennsylvania State Education Association: Compelling Teachers, Lobbying Politicians, and Increasing TaxesTaxes & Economy
R. A. D. is Bad for Pennsylvania
Executive Summary A quiet campaign is currently underway to increase taxes on consumers in four central Pennsylvania counties. By granting elected officials in those counties the power to create a…
Fact Sheet
Read More: R. A. D. is Bad for PennsylvaniaEducation
The Myth of the Special Education Burden
Executive Summary Over the past thirty years, school property taxes in Pennsylvania have increased at a rate more than twice the concurrent rate of inflation. Local school boards—those elected officials…
Fact Sheet
Read More: The Myth of the Special Education BurdenEducation
Dispelling the Myth of Pennsylvanias Under-Funded Public Schools
Executive Summary The perennial debate over education funding in Pennsylvania—when it is not about how much more schools should get—is about how the taxpayers should fund the schools. Current discussions…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Dispelling the Myth of Pennsylvanias Under-Funded Public SchoolsTaxes & Economy
Budget Basic: Pennsylvanias Economy Loses When Policymakers Try to Pick Winners
Executive Summary For too long, Pennsylvania has relied too heavily on generously funded but ultimately ineffectual taxpayer-funded government subsidy programs in an attempt to stimulate economic growth. The strategy of…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Budget Basic: Pennsylvanias Economy Loses When Policymakers Try to Pick WinnersState Budget
Barriers to Entrepreneurship: How Pennsylvanias Government Stifles Job Creation
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY There is no doubt that Pennsylvania benefited from the booming national economy of the 1990s. But when compared to the rest of the United States, the Commonwealth’s economic…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Barriers to Entrepreneurship: How Pennsylvanias Government Stifles Job CreationTaxes & Economy
Growth and Pennsylvanias Environment: The Facts
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY …
Fact Sheet
Read More: Growth and Pennsylvanias Environment: The FactsTaxes & Economy
Pennsylvanias Death Tax: The State As The Grim Reaper
Taxation is regarded as a necessary evil in today’s society. Nobody parts happily with the considerable portion of their paycheck withheld for income and other taxes. Yet as much as…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Pennsylvanias Death Tax: The State As The Grim ReaperTaxes & Economy
Growing Pennsylvania’s Economy: Tax Cuts vs. Economic Development Programs
INTRODUCTION As the competition between states for economic growth intensifies, an increasing amount of attention is being evoted to what state governments can—or should—do to help create and attract jobs…
Fact Sheet
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