Studies
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 ...
Wayne Winegarden
August 7, 2014
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 ...
Wayne Winegarden
June 9, 2014
Education
Not as Good as You Think
Why Middle-Class Parents in Illinois Should Be Concerned about Their Local Public Schools Parents know how important good schools are when deciding where to live. Thats why many are willing to stretch their budgets for a home near a good school. But parents should not be convinced by tree-line ...
Lance Izumi
May 14, 2014
Health Care
The Broken State of American Health Insurance Prior to the Affordable Care Act
Summary (download the full report) The health insurance system in America is plagued with problems, such as continually rising premiums and the difficulty of finding coverage. The Obama administrations diagnosis of the situation was clear: health insurance companies have too much freedom. The solution, therefore, is for the government to ...
Rituparna Basu
January 21, 2014
Business & Economics
Going Broke One City at a Time: Municipal Bankruptcies in America
Municipalities have rarely defaulted on their debt. As a consequence, municipal debt is regarded as having an extremely low risk for investors. There are disconcerting trends developing that may change this historical view. The combination of the weak U.S. economy, high municipal debt levels, and large under-funded pension liabilities coupled ...
Wayne H Winegarden
January 10, 2014
California
California’s Efficient Energy: Doing More Harm than Good?
When it comes to saving the planet, some of the most popular weapons are policies to promote energy efficiency. As Tim Greeff, deputy legislative director of the League of Conservation Voters recently quipped, Efficiency is always the cheapest, cleanest, safest, quickest way to cut down on both global warming and ...
Kenneth Green
November 12, 2013
California
Co-Sponsored Study Says Common Core National Education Standards are Expensive and Undermine State and Local Control
Pacific Research Institute Co-Sponsored Study Says Common Core National Education Standards are Expensive and Undermine State and Local Control San Francisco A just-published study by the Boston-based Pioneer Institute and co-sponsored by the California-based Pacific Research Institute, the American Principles Project and the Civitas Institute concludes that the Common ...
Robert Scott
September 16, 2013
Commentary
India’s War On Intellectual Property Rights May Bring With It A Body Count
Last month, drug maker Roche withdrew its patents for the breast-cancer drug Herceptin in India and thus gave tacit approval to other companies to make low-cost generic versions of the drug. But the withdrawal of those patents was not completely voluntary. If the Swiss pharmaceutical firm had not relinquished ...
Sally C. Pipes
September 16, 2013
Business & Economics
New Pacific Research Institute Study Finds that “Plan Bay Area” Will Drive Housing Prices Higher, Intensify Traffic, and Increase Air Pollution
The Pacific Research Institute released a new study on the proposed Plan Bay Area. The study describes the proposals regulatory overreach and its detrimental consequences for Bay Area residents and the metropolitan economy. In addition, the study shows that improved fuel efficiency by 2035 will more than meet the requirements ...
Wendell Cox
June 25, 2013
Health Care
The Cure for Obamacare
The battle to bring about meaningful health care reform in the U.S. is a long-term fight, and Obamacare is not the option. Under President Obama’s health care law, Americans will ultimately face long waiting lists, rationed care, and a lack of access to the latest technology and treatments. The changes ...
Sally C. Pipes
June 24, 2013
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 ...
Not as Good as You Think
Why Middle-Class Parents in Illinois Should Be Concerned about Their Local Public Schools Parents know how important good schools are when deciding where to live. Thats why many are willing to stretch their budgets for a home near a good school. But parents should not be convinced by tree-line ...
The Broken State of American Health Insurance Prior to the Affordable Care Act
Summary (download the full report) The health insurance system in America is plagued with problems, such as continually rising premiums and the difficulty of finding coverage. The Obama administrations diagnosis of the situation was clear: health insurance companies have too much freedom. The solution, therefore, is for the government to ...
Going Broke One City at a Time: Municipal Bankruptcies in America
Municipalities have rarely defaulted on their debt. As a consequence, municipal debt is regarded as having an extremely low risk for investors. There are disconcerting trends developing that may change this historical view. The combination of the weak U.S. economy, high municipal debt levels, and large under-funded pension liabilities coupled ...
California’s Efficient Energy: Doing More Harm than Good?
When it comes to saving the planet, some of the most popular weapons are policies to promote energy efficiency. As Tim Greeff, deputy legislative director of the League of Conservation Voters recently quipped, Efficiency is always the cheapest, cleanest, safest, quickest way to cut down on both global warming and ...
Co-Sponsored Study Says Common Core National Education Standards are Expensive and Undermine State and Local Control
Pacific Research Institute Co-Sponsored Study Says Common Core National Education Standards are Expensive and Undermine State and Local Control San Francisco A just-published study by the Boston-based Pioneer Institute and co-sponsored by the California-based Pacific Research Institute, the American Principles Project and the Civitas Institute concludes that the Common ...
India’s War On Intellectual Property Rights May Bring With It A Body Count
Last month, drug maker Roche withdrew its patents for the breast-cancer drug Herceptin in India and thus gave tacit approval to other companies to make low-cost generic versions of the drug. But the withdrawal of those patents was not completely voluntary. If the Swiss pharmaceutical firm had not relinquished ...
New Pacific Research Institute Study Finds that “Plan Bay Area” Will Drive Housing Prices Higher, Intensify Traffic, and Increase Air Pollution
The Pacific Research Institute released a new study on the proposed Plan Bay Area. The study describes the proposals regulatory overreach and its detrimental consequences for Bay Area residents and the metropolitan economy. In addition, the study shows that improved fuel efficiency by 2035 will more than meet the requirements ...
The Cure for Obamacare
The battle to bring about meaningful health care reform in the U.S. is a long-term fight, and Obamacare is not the option. Under President Obama’s health care law, Americans will ultimately face long waiting lists, rationed care, and a lack of access to the latest technology and treatments. The changes ...