Policy Reports

Louisiana’s Comeback Agenda

Louisiana’s Comeback Agenda

It’s time to write Louisiana’s comeback story. For too long, poor public policy decisions have caused Louisiana families to suffer while our neighbors thrive. While other families think about leaving a legacy, our legacy – our kids, grandkids, friends, and family members – are leaving to find work and opportunity in other states. It doesn’t...

Crime In Louisiana: Analyzing the Data

Crime In Louisiana: Analyzing the Data

This year, disturbing reports of increased crime have dominated the news, both in Louisiana and nationally. Crime is a serious issue that demands thoughtful solutions to deter criminal behavior and promote public safety. They should be guided by data and evidence, not anecdotes. That’s why Pelican set out to review and better understand the underlying...

Regulatory Sandboxes: Where Innovation Happens

Regulatory Sandboxes: Where Innovation Happens

Regulatory sandboxes are a novel way to govern innovative companies, allowing them to test their product under an alternative regulatory structure. States like Louisiana can benefit from sandboxes by attracting entrepreneurs from other states who are stifled by inflexible regulations while empowering innovators here at home. This report details how states have successfully (and unsuccessfully)...

Louisiana Education Dashboard

Louisiana Education Dashboard

Understanding the data is extremely important in evaluating trends associated with, and the performance of, Louisiana’s elementary and secondary education system. Despite spending the most per student in the southeast U.S., Louisiana consistently ranks at the bottom of the country in public school educational outcomes. While there has been incremental progress, it’s been very slow, and generations...

By Erin Bendily, Ph.D.

When The Entrepreneurs Go Marching Out

When The Entrepreneurs Go Marching Out

How Licensing Holds Back the Pelican State Occupational licenses function as a government permission slip to work in a profession. Laws requiring them are generally passed by states and require a professional to meet entry requirements that often include minimum levels of education and training, job experience, passing exams, and paying fees. Proponents of licensing...

By Raheem Williams

An Outlier in Civil Forfeiture

An Outlier in Civil Forfeiture

Civil Asset Forfeiture Imagine a world in which you are driving home from work only to be stopped and robbed of your vehicle and all the valuables in your possession. Now imagine the person doing this isn’t a criminal vagrant but an officer of the law. For most Louisianans, such a scenario sounds dystopian and...

Tech Policy Toolkit

Tech Policy Toolkit

 The technology sector is playing an increasing role in our day-to-day lives as consumers, and it’s also having a major impact on state policymakers.   State policymakers are facing mounting questions over technology and innovation policy. For example, what steps should they take when considering new technologies, such as drones, autonomous vehicles, and 5G?  While there...

School Board Spending Transparency

School Board Spending Transparency

HB38 by Representative Rick Edmonds brings sunlight to local school district spending by adding many school districts to the Louisiana Fiscal Transparency Website, LouisianaCheckbook.com, and requiring other smaller entities to post enhanced transparency on their websites. It is modeled after both Louisiana Checkbook and an existing project by the Lafayette Parish School Board to post...

By Daniel J. Erspamer

REPORT: The State of Broadband in Louisiana and Mississippi

REPORT: The State of Broadband in Louisiana and Mississippi

As COVID-19 continues to affect much of the world, people’s daily activities have shifted online. But while urban areas generally have access to fast and affordable internet, many rural areas are left with fewer, often expensive and unreliable options. This gap is known as the digital divide. This paper examines the digital divide in both...