A Tax Plan for Our Brighter Future paper-digital In Louisiana’s Comeback: A Tax Reform for Our Brighter Future, the Pelican Institute identifies the state’s significant tax problems and proposes a path to set the state in a brighter direction, including flattening the personal and corporate income taxes to 3.5% rates, reducing the number of tax preferences, eliminating...
In their report “Antitrust & Enforcement: Letting Markets Work without Empowering Government,” Ted Bolema, Ph.D., J.D., Antitrust and Competition Fellow at the Innovators Network Foundation, and Vance Ginn, Ph.D., Chief Economist at the Pelican Institute, write that while the current frustrations with the size of large tech companies and censorship practices may be warranted, giving...
Published April 2023. The recipe for economic freedom has fewer key ingredients than you might think. It takes sensible regulations, low taxes, but most importantly, the bread and butter: responsible state budgeting. And that’s a recipe that Louisiana’s leaders should follow this fiscal year and beyond to set the state on a course toward greater...
The Pelican Institute’s Citizen’s Guide to the Louisiana Budget offers an overview and brief history of Louisiana’s operating and capital budgets and outlines how the state can begin to create a more responsible, sustainable budget over time that remains adaptable to the needs of Louisiana. The Citizen’s Guide shows how Louisiana’s budget has grown unsustainably...
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...
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...
The proposed settlement is heralded by some as a major victory, supposedly securing $100 million for the state to use for coastal restoration. In reality, the proposed settlement, if adopted, would yield nowhere near $100 million and divert much of the money it did raise to unrelated government spending. Two key flaws undermine the settlement’s...
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)...
Constitutional reform in Louisiana can provide a pathway to a state government that fosters liberty, economic growth and positive policy reform. Further, it could be a model for other states interested in becoming freer, fairer, and more effective. This report delves into a brief history of constitutional reform movements in Louisiana, explores how they mirrored...
Over the last decade, coastal Louisiana parishes have filed a total of 42 lawsuits against more than 200 energy companies. The parishes allege that the defendants’ federally authorized oil and gas exploration and production activities caused coastal land loss. In March 2021, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry announced that he had agreed to a $100...
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...
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...
As courts, Congress, the Department of Justice, and the Federal Trade Commission consider foundational issues of antitrust law and enforcement, states should take this opportunity to reassess their role in the antitrust ecosystem. Over the years, states have filed significant antitrust lawsuits, on their own and in conjunction with federal agencies. Today, states are bringing...
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...