Wayne Winegarden
Business & Economics
The seven lean years
California’s Proposition 30, officially titled “Temporary Taxes to Fund Education,” is celebrating its second anniversary this November. The greatest anniversary gift would be to repeal it. California needs sustainable and robust economic growth. Strong economic growth creates jobs, raises families’ incomes and improves our standard of living. And, while economic ...
Business & Economics
Competitive standards strengthens Oregon’s forests
A new study commissioned by Governor John Kitzhaber underscores the need for competitive, rather than restrictive, markets for wood and timber products harvested in Oregon. Existing building policies for sustainable wood products stifle, rather than foster competition. Specifically, the market for certified timber has been disrupted by unnecessary policies that ...
Business & Economics
The Empire State’s ugly war on energy
New Yorkers are paying far too much for the essentials of modern life. For evidence, look no further than the gas pump: State taxes add about 50 cents to each gallon of gas and diesel, the second-highest gas tax in the country. And New Yorks electricity prices are the fourth-highest ...
Business & Economics
50 State Index Of Energy Regulation
The 50 State Index of Energy Regulation measures the regulatory climate for energy consumption, production, and distribution and which states are more economically efficient. Alabama, Alaska, South Dakota, and Texas tied for the best (#1), while California (#49) and New York (#50) are at the bottom. The Energy Index was ...
Health Care
Why Pharmaceutical Prices Drop Once Drugs Are Off-Patent
Today PRI released the new report The Economics of Pharmaceutical Pricing by PRI senior fellow Wayne Winegarden, Ph.D. The study examines the market forces influencing the often dramatic price differences in pharmaceutical drugs before and after their patents expire. Some critics erroneously see the sharp declines in the prices of ...
Business & Economics
Address Patent Flaws or Face the Economic Consequences
The U.S. became the worlds largest economy, in part, because its policies supported innovation and entrepreneurship. From Thomas Edison to Steve Jobs, U.S. entrepreneurs invented many of the innovations that drove the 20th century global economy, with patents playing an indispensable role in this innovation process which may explain ...
Business & Economics
The Fallacies of Government-Run Broadband
There is no doubt that an effective broadband infrastructure is essential for the 21st century U.S. economy. This is why the misinterpretations of a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report are so problematic. The policy recommendations that are being derived from these incorrect interpretations, if followed, would significantly inhibit the ...
Business & Economics
Regulatory decisions should be inclusive and based on facts
Creating the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) was never a good idea. Now that the Bureau is up and running, its actions are removing all doubt. New auto-lending rules stand out as the latest example of the CFPB’s shortcomings. Due to these new rules, buying a car may soon ...
Business & Economics
U.S. economy needs free trade
American officials are currently negotiating a free-trade deal known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership with their counterparts in Japan and 11 other Pacific Rim countries. If successful, the benefits to American consumers and producers would be significant. By some estimates, an agreement could grow the U.S. economy by $77 billion a ...
Commentary
The News Is The Declining Incentives For Medical Innovation
The federal health exchange Healthcare.gov, one of the centerpieces of the Affordable Care Act (ACA or ObamaCare), is gasping for life. This is not the important story, however. The U.S. health care system has flaws. And, these flaws should have been the focus of the health care reforms back in ...
The seven lean years
California’s Proposition 30, officially titled “Temporary Taxes to Fund Education,” is celebrating its second anniversary this November. The greatest anniversary gift would be to repeal it. California needs sustainable and robust economic growth. Strong economic growth creates jobs, raises families’ incomes and improves our standard of living. And, while economic ...
Competitive standards strengthens Oregon’s forests
A new study commissioned by Governor John Kitzhaber underscores the need for competitive, rather than restrictive, markets for wood and timber products harvested in Oregon. Existing building policies for sustainable wood products stifle, rather than foster competition. Specifically, the market for certified timber has been disrupted by unnecessary policies that ...
The Empire State’s ugly war on energy
New Yorkers are paying far too much for the essentials of modern life. For evidence, look no further than the gas pump: State taxes add about 50 cents to each gallon of gas and diesel, the second-highest gas tax in the country. And New Yorks electricity prices are the fourth-highest ...
50 State Index Of Energy Regulation
The 50 State Index of Energy Regulation measures the regulatory climate for energy consumption, production, and distribution and which states are more economically efficient. Alabama, Alaska, South Dakota, and Texas tied for the best (#1), while California (#49) and New York (#50) are at the bottom. The Energy Index was ...
Why Pharmaceutical Prices Drop Once Drugs Are Off-Patent
Today PRI released the new report The Economics of Pharmaceutical Pricing by PRI senior fellow Wayne Winegarden, Ph.D. The study examines the market forces influencing the often dramatic price differences in pharmaceutical drugs before and after their patents expire. Some critics erroneously see the sharp declines in the prices of ...
Address Patent Flaws or Face the Economic Consequences
The U.S. became the worlds largest economy, in part, because its policies supported innovation and entrepreneurship. From Thomas Edison to Steve Jobs, U.S. entrepreneurs invented many of the innovations that drove the 20th century global economy, with patents playing an indispensable role in this innovation process which may explain ...
The Fallacies of Government-Run Broadband
There is no doubt that an effective broadband infrastructure is essential for the 21st century U.S. economy. This is why the misinterpretations of a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report are so problematic. The policy recommendations that are being derived from these incorrect interpretations, if followed, would significantly inhibit the ...
Regulatory decisions should be inclusive and based on facts
Creating the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) was never a good idea. Now that the Bureau is up and running, its actions are removing all doubt. New auto-lending rules stand out as the latest example of the CFPB’s shortcomings. Due to these new rules, buying a car may soon ...
U.S. economy needs free trade
American officials are currently negotiating a free-trade deal known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership with their counterparts in Japan and 11 other Pacific Rim countries. If successful, the benefits to American consumers and producers would be significant. By some estimates, an agreement could grow the U.S. economy by $77 billion a ...
The News Is The Declining Incentives For Medical Innovation
The federal health exchange Healthcare.gov, one of the centerpieces of the Affordable Care Act (ACA or ObamaCare), is gasping for life. This is not the important story, however. The U.S. health care system has flaws. And, these flaws should have been the focus of the health care reforms back in ...
