Business & Economics
Blog
Beware of Tax Reform’s “Unintended Consequences”
There is little doubt that the U.S. needs comprehensive tax reform. The corporate income tax system is globally uncompetitive; the personal income tax system is so complicated that even the IRS can’t answer taxpayers’ questions. The right reform implements a simple flat tax system with globally competitive rates. What should ...
Blog
An (Artificially) Intelligent Future for California?
Californians harboring dystopian fears would have us believe that the state is sowing the seeds of its own destruction by leading in the development of artificial intelligence. Consider state legislation introduced this year that would fine companies like Uber $25,000 a day per vehicle if they operate self-driving cars without ...
Business & Economics
Market Reforms To Improve Pharmaceutical Outcomes
The drama of “repeal and replace” resembled an unfunny version of a Monty Python skit, continuously claiming that it was “not dead yet”, and even that it was “getting better” only to be put out of its misery in the end. The end of repeal and replace will not end ...
Business & Economics
Federal Tax Proposal Could Raise Insurance Costs In Earthquake Country
California is called earthquake country for good reason. There are nearly 2,000 known fault lines crisscrossing the state, and scientists continue to discover new fault lines all the time. Nearly every Californian lives within 30 miles of an active fault line. The U.S. Geological Survey recently released a study identifying ...
Business & Economics
Obstacles To Cutting Edge Cancer Treatments
Disincentives plague the U.S. health care system, driving costs higher and the quality of care lower. Improving health outcomes requires reforms that remove these disincentives. With respect to health insurers, this means returning payers to their proper role of providing effective risk management services to patients. In contrast to other ...
Business & Economics
Can We Live In Freedom In A Floating Paradise?
Joe Quirk of the Seasteading Institute joins us in San Francisco to talk about the audacious vision of building floating cities, where everyone is creative, prosperous and free. Ben Smithwick also joins us to talk about PRI’s Young Leaders Circle.
Business & Economics
Separating Budgetary Wheat From The Chaff: The CDC Example
For Samsung, it was the Galaxy Note 7; for Microsoft, it was the Zune; and for Coke, it was New Coke. These famous flops exemplify that failures are a part of life – even for multi-billion-dollar companies. In the private sector, successful companies own up to their failures and, if ...
Business & Economics
NEW STUDY: Californians Would Pay $1.9 Billion More For Insurance If Congress Passes Border Adjustment Tax
Californians would face $1.9 billion in higher insurance costs if Congress passes a border adjustment tax as part of federal tax reform, according to a new study released today by the R Street Institute and the Pacific Research Institute. This tax would make it virtually impossible for U.S. insurers to ...
Business & Economics
Despite Budget Action, Much Work Remains to Solve State’s Pension Crisis
Anyone worried about an earthquake plunging California into the sea should be more concerned about what is really sinking the state: the cost of public-employee pensions. In the just-enacted 2017-18 state budget, about $8 billion of the state government’s $183 billion spending package will go to the California Public Employees’ Retirement ...
Business & Economics
Is California Losing Its Edge On Innovation?
By some measures, the competition among the states to attract business and new residents has never been more robust. With easier and less expensive travel options, increasingly ubiquitous high-speed broadband and more flexible work conditions, companies can locate their operations anywhere. The future of good jobs and robust careers will ...
Beware of Tax Reform’s “Unintended Consequences”
There is little doubt that the U.S. needs comprehensive tax reform. The corporate income tax system is globally uncompetitive; the personal income tax system is so complicated that even the IRS can’t answer taxpayers’ questions. The right reform implements a simple flat tax system with globally competitive rates. What should ...
An (Artificially) Intelligent Future for California?
Californians harboring dystopian fears would have us believe that the state is sowing the seeds of its own destruction by leading in the development of artificial intelligence. Consider state legislation introduced this year that would fine companies like Uber $25,000 a day per vehicle if they operate self-driving cars without ...
Market Reforms To Improve Pharmaceutical Outcomes
The drama of “repeal and replace” resembled an unfunny version of a Monty Python skit, continuously claiming that it was “not dead yet”, and even that it was “getting better” only to be put out of its misery in the end. The end of repeal and replace will not end ...
Federal Tax Proposal Could Raise Insurance Costs In Earthquake Country
California is called earthquake country for good reason. There are nearly 2,000 known fault lines crisscrossing the state, and scientists continue to discover new fault lines all the time. Nearly every Californian lives within 30 miles of an active fault line. The U.S. Geological Survey recently released a study identifying ...
Obstacles To Cutting Edge Cancer Treatments
Disincentives plague the U.S. health care system, driving costs higher and the quality of care lower. Improving health outcomes requires reforms that remove these disincentives. With respect to health insurers, this means returning payers to their proper role of providing effective risk management services to patients. In contrast to other ...
Can We Live In Freedom In A Floating Paradise?
Joe Quirk of the Seasteading Institute joins us in San Francisco to talk about the audacious vision of building floating cities, where everyone is creative, prosperous and free. Ben Smithwick also joins us to talk about PRI’s Young Leaders Circle.
Separating Budgetary Wheat From The Chaff: The CDC Example
For Samsung, it was the Galaxy Note 7; for Microsoft, it was the Zune; and for Coke, it was New Coke. These famous flops exemplify that failures are a part of life – even for multi-billion-dollar companies. In the private sector, successful companies own up to their failures and, if ...
NEW STUDY: Californians Would Pay $1.9 Billion More For Insurance If Congress Passes Border Adjustment Tax
Californians would face $1.9 billion in higher insurance costs if Congress passes a border adjustment tax as part of federal tax reform, according to a new study released today by the R Street Institute and the Pacific Research Institute. This tax would make it virtually impossible for U.S. insurers to ...
Despite Budget Action, Much Work Remains to Solve State’s Pension Crisis
Anyone worried about an earthquake plunging California into the sea should be more concerned about what is really sinking the state: the cost of public-employee pensions. In the just-enacted 2017-18 state budget, about $8 billion of the state government’s $183 billion spending package will go to the California Public Employees’ Retirement ...
Is California Losing Its Edge On Innovation?
By some measures, the competition among the states to attract business and new residents has never been more robust. With easier and less expensive travel options, increasingly ubiquitous high-speed broadband and more flexible work conditions, companies can locate their operations anywhere. The future of good jobs and robust careers will ...
