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have the opportunity to flourish.

Join us to promote individual liberty and free enterprise, turning great ideas into change in Louisiana.

How Long is Too Long, and Is There a Better Way?

Louisiana has one of the highest incarceration rates in the nation, largely due to the state’s history of using long prison sentences. According to data from the Louisiana Department of Corrections, as of January 2022, there were approximately 32,000 people in Louisiana prisons and jails. Of those, about 18,000 were serving sentences of 10 years...

By Jamie Tairov

Bills, policy proposals, and campaign platforms, oh my! But what makes for good education policy?

It’s that season again, where education policy proposals abound. Another class of high school seniors will be graduating soon. While it would be great to have a 100% graduation rate, we know that some students will not meet the requirements to receive a diploma. As we’ve seen over the past few years, this is the...

By Erin Bendily, Ph.D.

Louisiana Economic Situation—March 2023

Key Point: Louisiana’s labor market looks okay on the surface, but weaknesses remain because of poor policies which hinder economic opportunity across the state. There’s need for a comeback agenda. Louisiana’s Labor Market: The table below shows Louisiana’s labor market over time until the latest data for February 2023 from the U.S. Bureau of Labor...

By Vance Ginn, Ph.D.

What Happened to the Concept of Work?

Earlier this month, the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), the state agency in charge of administering food stamps (SNAP) and cash assistance (TANF), issued a press release announcing the end of the temporary pandemic-era increases in those benefits. Three years after the federal government increased benefits to help families out of work...

By Jamie Tairov

Louisiana’s Comeback Agenda

Louisiana’s Comeback Agenda is a bold vision for policy change in Louisiana. Given our economic and cultural assets, Louisiana should be an economic powerhouse. This agenda is the roadmap for how we get there. It’s intended to serve as a guide for lawmakers, candidates, and community leaders to spark discussion and debate toward proven policies that will...

Bringing Home the Bacon: The Relationship Between State and Local Government

In the 1930’s, populist Governor Huey P. Long established power at the state level to exert control over the local parish and municipal government. Thus began the long-held tradition of sending local representatives to the legislature to “bring back the bacon” to run local government. Even through the changes enacted during the Constitutional Convention of...

By Jamie Tairov

Routine Performance Audits Can Help Louisianans Find Career Paths Out of Poverty

Louisiana’s official poverty rate of 19.6% in 2021 was the highest in the country, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The map below by American Progress shows that higher poverty rates tend to be in the south. There has been $25 trillion (inflation-adjusted) spent on the “War on Poverty” since it was declared in 1964...

By Vance Ginn, Ph.D.

School Choice Bill Introduced for Upcoming 2023 Louisiana Legislative Session

Over the past two years, lawmakers and governors in five states – Arizona, Arkansas, Iowa, Utah, and West Virginia – have launched school choice programs that give all or nearly all families of school-age children the ability to select and pay for the school or educational program that best fits their child’s needs. Modeled after...

By Erin Bendily, Ph.D.

Tax and Budget Reform Must Be Tackled in Tandem

With the state economy struggling and tens of thousands of Louisianans moving out of state, families and businesses are hungry for tax relief. They also want an assurance that state government will use tax dollars responsibly. Tax reform that encourages growth and treats individuals and businesses fairly can spark an economic revolution in Louisiana. It can also serve...

By Jamie Tairov

A Social Safety Net that Works

Louisiana’s collection of safety-net programs needs a paradigm shift so its low-income, work-capable citizens can move out of dependency on the government and find hope and lasting self-sufficiency. This starts with connecting people with a job, which is the best path to prosperity. Work brings dignity, hope, and purpose through the life-long benefits of earning...

By Jamie Tairov

Release: Pelican Institute Unveils Ambitious Campaign for Transformational Policy Change

Today, the Pelican Institute for Public Policy released “Louisiana’s Comeback Agenda,” a bold vision for policy change in Louisiana and a statewide campaign to support the effort. The agenda is intended to serve as a guide for lawmakers, candidates, and community leaders to spark discussion and debate toward proven policies to bring jobs and opportunity...

By Chris Lowery

It’s Public School Choice Month in Louisiana!

In a move that hasn’t gotten a lot of public attention, the legislature, governor, and state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education enacted laws and regulations over the past few years regarding students being able to transfer from low-performing public schools to higher-performing ones as determined by the state’s K-12 education testing and accountability system....

By Erin Bendily, Ph.D.

SCOTUS Rightly Concerned Over Executive Overreach In Student Loan Cases

Sarah Harbison, General Counsel at the Pelican Institute Center for Justice, released the following statement after the Supreme Court held oral arguments in Biden v. Nebraska and Department of Education v. Brown regarding the Biden Administration’s student loan debt cancellation program: “The Justices were rightly concerned that forgiving half a trillion dollars in student loan...

By Chris Lowery

Agenda for Solutions Summit 2023!

There’s still time to reserve your spot at Solutions Summit 2023!. This year’s summit will be held on March 9th at the Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center. You can sign up here to reserve tickets. Throughout the Summit, attendees will hear about Louisiana’s most pressing issues and discuss the roadmap for solving them. Our morning keynote...

By Aly Rau

How Long is Too Long, and Is There a Better Way?

How Long is Too Long, and Is There a Better Way?

Bills, policy proposals, and campaign platforms, oh my! But what makes for good education policy?

Bills, policy proposals, and campaign platforms, oh my! But what makes for good education policy?

Louisiana Economic Situation—March 2023

Louisiana Economic Situation—March 2023

What Happened to the Concept of Work?

What Happened to the Concept of Work?

Louisiana’s Comeback Agenda

Louisiana’s Comeback Agenda

Bringing Home the Bacon: The Relationship Between State and Local Government

Bringing Home the Bacon: The Relationship Between State and Local Government

Routine Performance Audits Can Help Louisianans Find Career Paths Out of Poverty

Routine Performance Audits Can Help Louisianans Find Career Paths Out of Poverty

School Choice Bill Introduced for Upcoming 2023 Louisiana Legislative Session

School Choice Bill Introduced for Upcoming 2023 Louisiana Legislative Session

Tax and Budget Reform Must Be Tackled in Tandem

Tax and Budget Reform Must Be Tackled in Tandem

A Social Safety Net that Works

A Social Safety Net that Works

Release: Pelican Institute Unveils Ambitious Campaign for Transformational Policy Change

Release: Pelican Institute Unveils Ambitious Campaign for Transformational Policy Change

It’s Public School Choice Month in Louisiana!

It’s Public School Choice Month in Louisiana!

SCOTUS Rightly Concerned Over Executive Overreach In Student Loan Cases

SCOTUS Rightly Concerned Over Executive Overreach In Student Loan Cases

Agenda for Solutions Summit 2023!

Agenda for Solutions Summit 2023!

Learn How We Can Write Louisiana's Comeback Story!