New PRI Study Finds California Job Growth Lags Nation, High Costs Turn State’s Income Advantage into 35% Deficit
Wayne Winegarden and Kerry Jackson
April 9, 2026
A new study released today by the Pacific Research Institute finds that California’s economic performance has fallen sharply behind the rest of the nation, with job growth since the COVID-19 pandemic at less than half the national rate, while the ...
Finding the missing middle: How to build more starter homes
Kerry Jackson
May 15, 2026
“Affordable housing” has become a commonly used phrase in California because there is so little of it. Activists demand it and policymakers promise they can produce lots if it through their clever legislating. But their plans usually include housing where ...
Higher pay, fewer trips: What Seattle’s gig law got wrong
Anthony Velasquez
May 14, 2026
According to researchers at Carnegie Mellon University analyzing Seattle’s law in a National Bureau of Economic Research study, the average base pay per delivery jumped from about $5.37 to $12.52, but tips fell so much that more than one-third of that ...
No one saw ‘Spencer Pratt for mayor’ coming
Tim Anaya
May 13, 2026
A former reality television star with a penchant for inflammatory social media antics is drawing headlines and building momentum in the homestretch of a political campaign. No, not that guy. Rather, it’s Spencer Pratt, the villain from MTV’s mid-aughts show ...
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BOOK EXCERPT Urban Policy Beyond the Nation’s Big Metros: Smaller-City Case Studies from California, Washington and Michigan
It’s easy to think that urban policy is solely about big cities and their surrounding suburbs, much in the way that one would naturally believe ...
A lawsuit that may kill tomorrow’s cures
On Wednesday, May 6, the California Supreme Court will hear a case that could upend the economics of medical innovation. Roughly 24,000 plaintiffs are suing ...
Can You Sue A Drug Company For Not Inventing Faster?
This week, the California Supreme Court is set to hear a case that could have far-reaching consequences for medical science. At issue is Gilead Sciences’ ...
About PRI
The Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy promotes the principles of individual freedom and personal responsibility. The Institute believes these principles are best encouraged through policies that emphasize a free economy, private initiative, and limited government.
Worthy policy goals with such broad impact are not easily attained, and they require sustained effort and struggle. Together with its alliance of dedicated supporters, PRI is committed to leading the way toward a more free and prosperous future for all.
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