Staff

Prosperity

Tearing Down the Barriers to Prosperity: What Pennsylvanians Say About Poverty and Prosperity

• Elizabeth Stelle, Tirzah Duren
• February 21, 2023

Unlike most reports on poverty, this report combines statistics, a survey of Pennsylvanians with income below 200 percent of the poverty line, and in-depth interviews to identify common barriers to…

Executive Summary

State Budget

TEL-Tale Heart: Crafting Effective Policies to Reduce Spending

• Tirzah Duren
• July 12, 2021

Executive Summary Increases in state spending do not result in greater prosperity for state residents, across an array of measures. In fact, increased state spending can reduce economic growth. Reducing…

Report

Op-Ed: Uniform COVID-19 mandates caused major unforeseen consequences

• Tirzah Duren
• May 13, 2021

The policy response to the pandemic is focused on one crisis at the expense of two others: a nationwide mental health toll and a significant economic recession. And for some,…

Commentary

State Budget

Clear the Red Tape to Rebuild a Stronger Pennsylvania

• Tirzah Duren
• April 27, 2021

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Wolf repealed regulations to allow our healthcare sector to respond to the evolving crisis. Nonmedical regulatory restrictions—such as permitting cocktails to-go—were also…

Fact Sheet

State Budget

Supplemental Appropriations

• Tirzah Duren
• March 24, 2021

Supplemental appropriation is another term for overspending. In theory, this practice covers unforeseeable expenses, but it has become a normal part of the state budget process.

Fact Sheet

Corporate Welfare in 3 Charts

• Tirzah Duren
• March 4, 2021

The Governor’s Executive budget includes updated estimates for spending on corporate welfare, which is government favoritism of one sector or business over others. This favoritism is disquised under less innocuous…

Fact Sheet

Op-Ed: Wolf’s budget hits Philly while it’s still down

• Tirzah Duren
• February 9, 2021

Among the myriad issues currently affecting small businesses in Philadelphia, Gov. Wolf’s proposed tax increases shouldn’t be one of them.

Commentary

State Budget

The Taxpayer Protection Act

• Tirzah Duren
• January 21, 2021

KEY POINTS Pennsylvania’s frequent budget deficits are the consequence of chronic overspending. Pennsylvanians pay $4,589 per person in state and local taxes, which equals 10.2 percent of residents’ total…

Backgrounder

Op-Ed: Pa. Lawmakers must challenge endless Covid lockdowns in 2021

• Tirzah Duren
• December 29, 2020

How Pennsylvania lawmakers can help job creators — and those they support — recover in 2021.

Commentary

Energy

Energy Shows Why Regulatory Reform is Key

• Tirzah Duren
• December 21, 2020

Right now in Pennsylvania —the second-largest energy-producing state behind Texas— Governor Wolf is using executive action to attempt to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). This interstate…

Commentary

Liquor Monopoly Can’t Make the PLCB Successful

• Tirzah Duren
• December 8, 2020

After closing state stores, the PLCB attempted online sales, but the website was unable to handle the increased traffic. As a “solution,” the PLCB implemented lottery-like randomization to limit online purchases and…

Commentary

Nurse Practitioners Are the Heroes Our Healthcare Needs

• Tirzah Duren
• October 16, 2020

Through HB 100, a pilot program would duplicate this year’s rule suspension within the limits of location- and population-based Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA), a federal designation of provider shortages.

Commentary

Regulatory Reform: Three Ways to Jumpstart the Post-COVID Economy

• Tirzah Duren
• October 2, 2020

At the beginning of April, over 80% of small businesses were at risk of closing if the shutdown continued for five more months. As of July, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce…

Backgrounder

Health Care

Free-market Face Lift: How to Make Health Care More Affordable

• Tirzah Duren
• September 16, 2020

Excessive restrictions on health care providers limits access to care. …

Commentary

Regulation

Competition, Not Corporate Welfare: 3 Ways to Help All Businesses Flourish

• Tirzah Duren
• August 4, 2020

To effectively promote economic growth and job creation, policymakers need to stop investing tax dollars in failed programs and start enacting policies that benefit a wide range of job creators.

Memo

Pennsylvania’s “Great” Economy

• Tirzah Duren
• July 27, 2020

The variety of businesses in Pennsylvania manage to function despite the state’s business environment, not because of it.

Commentary

Op-Ed: Financial recovery is as important as ending the lockdown

• Tirzah Duren
• July 20, 2020

The Commonwealth should learn from states like Colorado to ensure financial stability for the state in the future.

Commentary

Energy

Pa. Can Energize Its Energy Sector by Cutting Red Tape—Not with Industry Subsidies

• Gordon Tomb, Tirzah Duren
• July 17, 2020

This week the state legislature passed House Bill 732. The bill—designed to exempt volunteer service providers from a 1 percent realty transfer tax— now offers tax credits to the…

Memo

Health Care

2020: The year of challenges, can be the year of solutions

• Tirzah Duren
• June 26, 2020

This year started rough and it isn’t slowing down. While some of these tragedies don’t have a policy solution, many do. One such example is COVID-19, telehealth, and ensuring that our…

Commentary

Health Care

Liquor Licensing: Too Hot for PLCB to Handle

• Tirzah Duren
• May 12, 2020

For restaurant owners in Pennsylvania, the new release Too Hot To Handle is more than pure entertainment, the winnings are almost enough for them to purchase an elusive liquor license. …

Commentary

Health Care

Pennsylvania’s Healthcare Should Always be Crisis Ready

• Tirzah Duren
• May 6, 2020

COVID-19 has done its part to highlight the weaknesses of Pennsylvania’s healthcare sector. Primarily, what has been revealed is a lack of flexibility, and regulations that make it difficult to…

Report