Pelican Institute-R Street Report Calls for Careful Oversight of RESTORE Act

By Margaret Viator

11/19/2013

Louisiana faces real vulnerabilities and cannot afford to see funds misused on projects that do not advance the act's goals. This opportunity to accomplish something good out of the BP disaster should not be squandered.

TAGS: BP oil spill, coastal restoration, Daniel Rothschild, Deepwater Horizon, environment, Louisiana, R Street Institute, RESTORE Act, Scalise

Panel Warns the States on Forthcoming Crisis

By Fergus Hodgson

09/30/2010

Situation is dire, but options are available By Daniel M. Rothschild A panel of leading academic experts and policy makers issued a warning to states last week: your unfunded pension liabilities are larger than you think, and they must be addressed now.

TAGS: Daniel Rothschild, Fiscal Policy, Mercatus Center, pensions, spending

State Budget Crises: Where to Go from Here

By Fergus Hodgson

09/27/2010

Spending beyond inflation and population growth accounts for budget gaps By Daniel M. Rothschild It didn’t have to be this way, with states slashing budgets, cutting services, hiking taxes and fees, all while peering into the crevasse of fiscal meltdown. That’s the conclusion of a new paper by Matthew Mitchell, an economist at the Mercatus...

TAGS: Daniel Rothschild, Mercatus Center, State Spending

Government Boost to Small Business Could do More Harm than Good

By Fergus Hodgson

09/17/2010

Mercatus scholar warns that discrimination over business size lacks economic justification By Daniel M. Rothschild With the Senate set to create a $30 billion fund for small business lending and House Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) praising small businesses as “the engine of job creation,” elected officials and their challengers of both parties are scrambling...

TAGS: Daniel Rothschild, employment, Mercatus Center, small business

Study Finds Federal Grants Lead to Increased State Taxes

By Fergus Hodgson

09/10/2010

Dependence on federal aid places state revenue in precarious position By Daniel M. Rothschild With federal grants to states increasing by 73 percent over the last decade and totaling $654 billion in 2010, governors and legislatures are grateful for federal assistance in plugging budget gaps. They may rethink their decisions in the coming years; however,...

TAGS: Daniel Rothschild, federal aid, Mercatus Center, Taxes

Promises and Policies Post-Katrina

By Fergus Hodgson

08/30/2010

Lessons learned: a conversation with Mercatus Center scholar Daniel Rothschild The Mercatus Center at George Mason University is winding down its intensive, five-year Gulf Coast Recovery Project, an investigation into the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Daniel Rothschild, director of the project, recently shared his insights with the Pelican Institute.* (Click below to listen to the...

TAGS: Daniel Rothschild, Gulf Coast Recovery Project, interview, Katrina, Mercatus Center

A Tax Plan for Our Brighter Future

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...

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