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 ...
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 ...
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. That’s why many are willing to stretch their budgets for a home near a “good” school. But parents should not be convinced by tree-line ...
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 administration’s diagnosis of the situation was clear: health insurance companies have too much freedom. The solution, therefore, is for the government to ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 proposal’s 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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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. That’s why many are willing to stretch their budgets for a home near a “good” school. But parents should not be convinced by tree-line ...
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 administration’s diagnosis of the situation was clear: health insurance companies have too much freedom. The solution, therefore, is for the government to ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 proposal’s 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 ...
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 ...
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