Learn more about our policy briefs, research reports, and special publications here.
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9/1/2010
Congress should pass, and President Barack Obama should sign, a permanent extension of the Bush tax cuts. Illinois lawmakers should reject calls to increase the state income tax.
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8/5/2010
The stifling impact of Illinois’s Certificate of Need program.
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8/5/2010
When Illinois schools are failing, it’s time to copy Florida’s winning strategies.
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7/29/2010
It’s time to consider making changes to the State Fair.
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7/22/2010
Although facing a serious budget deficit, Illinois legislators remain among the best compensated in the nation. Today, Illinois state representatives and senators earn a base salary of $67,836—the fifth-highest legislator salary in the country.
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7/21/2010
Legislators should know what bills cost.
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7/14/2010
One out of every four dollars from general funds is spent on public employee compensation.
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7/9/2010
Illinois state spending has increased significantly over the past decade, increasing 26 percent after inflation from 2000 to 2009.
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7/7/2010
When an “Economic Boost” is more of a drain.
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7/1/2010
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn’s new budget “fix” indicates he’s living in a fiscal fairy tale.
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6/30/2010
Rather than giving a competitive edge to a select few companies through initiatives like the Employer Training Investment Program, Illinois needs to improve the overall business climate for all companies to help spur economic growth.
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6/30/2010
Illinois should not increase its minimum wage rate to $8.25 on July 1, 2010. A preferable option would include at least keeping it at the current rate. Even better, the state should reduce it to the minimum rate set by the federal government.
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6/29/2010
List of books from speakers that we've hosted for Institute events.
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6/23/2010
Illinois’s energy resources should be utilized to provide Illinois’s families and businesses with reliable sources of power. However, Illinois is unnecessarily picking winners and losers, distorting energy prices, and driving up prices up.
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6/17/2010
Compass is the Institute's quarterly magazine, featuring profiles on Liberty Leaders, policy updates, event recaps and more!
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6/16/2010
Illinois taxpayers often struggle to fund higher education costs for their own families; they should not be funding higher education for state employees as well. The Upward Mobility Program should be eliminated.
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6/9/2010
By embracing the Pension Funding & Fairness Act, Illinois will be able to control spending excesses, budget responsibly, and fully fund the annual required pension payment.
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6/9/2010
Rather than giving special benefits to a few specific tourist attractions, Illinois needs to consider new avenues for attracting tourists, such as decreasing the cost of visiting Illinois by lowering taxes.
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6/8/2010
The most important policy adopted by any school or school district is its contract with its teachers. This guide helps new and aspiring school board members in Illinois with collective bargaining.
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6/3/2010
Implementing regulatory reforms in the areas of workers’ compensation, minimum wage, and state licensing and fees would create a more favorable business climate in Illinois, attracting more businesses, more jobs, and more state revenue to our state.
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6/2/2010
Historically, public employees have faced a trade-off: lower wages than the private sector in exchange for job security and generous benefits. That trade-off, however, has been disappearing.
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5/21/2010
Illinois state government recently has taken some important steps toward greater transparency. However, the common activities of Illinois institutions are still often difficult for taxpayers to observe.
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5/20/2010
Collin Hitt reviews the performance of downstate and suburban
charter schools for the 2008-09 school year.
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5/2/2010
Senate Bill 2494 creates a pilot program to give parents in Chicago’s lowest-performing and most severely overcrowded schools educational options. Learn the specifics of this bill here.
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4/21/2010
ineteen studies have been conducted in cities and states where school voucher programs have
been created. Eighteen of them find significant improvement in public school performance.
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4/21/2010
Illinois’s budget is broken—that’s a fact accepted by almost all Prairie State policy analysts. The state has more than $6 billion in accumulated operating debt, to say nothing of the $83 billion in unfunded public employee pension liabilities.
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4/15/2010
Kate Piercy's testimony submitted to the Senate Executive Committee on
HB 4836, the Sunshine Commission Act.
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4/7/2010
The Illinois Policy Institute’s Budget Solutions 2011 offers an alternative spending blueprint that addresses our state’s immediate problems rather than kicking the can further down the road.
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3/24/2010
This report, prepared by the Institute for Justice, says SB294 is constitutional under both the federal Establishment Clause and the Illinois Constitution.
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3/23/2010
How one village is taking a business approach to local government. Read the report from Kate Piercy.
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3/18/2010
A detailed explanation of some of the education spending choices made in Budget Solutions 2011.
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3/15/2010
Budget Solutions 2011 addresses our state’s immediate problems rather than kicking the can further down the road. It contains three elements: spending realignments, right-sizing government labor costs, and pension funding reform.
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3/12/2010
Welcome to our inaugural Legislators’ Guide to the Issues. We have broken down the relevant, pressing issues facing Illinois today into 2-4 page summaries, detailing the problem and offering specific solutions to putting Illinois back on the right track.
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3/10/2010
Tired of scouring the web for records of state budgets in years passed? The Illinois Policy Institute has archived budgets from fiscal year 2005 here for your convenience.
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3/10/2010
Here is a chart that breaks down household spending of the average Midwestern household by category. We ask Governor Quinn and would-be tax hike supporters: What should families cut from their household budgets to make room for higher tax bills?
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3/10/2010
John O'Hara of the Illinois Policy Institute gives an immediate response to Governor Quinn's budget address in which he called for a 33% income tax increase.
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3/10/2010
On March 10 Kate Piercy testified before the Illinois House of Representatives State Government Administration Committee in regards to improvements in the Open Meetings Act. Read her testimony.
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3/4/2010
The Institute has outlined a series of reforms focused on bringing jobs, responsible spending, and accountable government back to Illinois. Our solutions address some of the root causes of Illinois’s financial problems.
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3/4/2010
On March 4, Kristina Rasmussen testified before the Illinois House of Representatives Family & Children Services Committee about Medicaid transparency.
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3/3/2010
The overwhelming majority of the science on red light cameras shows red light cameras clearly don’t serve the cause of traffic safety, and they should be pulled down quicker than they were put up.
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3/3/2010
The Rev. Senator James Meeks has proposed legislation that would create a school voucher program in Illinois. Similar pilot school voucher programs have been created throughout the country and have been thoroughly researched.
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3/3/2010
On March 3, Kristina Rasmussen testified before the Illinois House of Representatives Health Care Licenses Committee about hair braider licensing. She says the current licensing regulations are onerous and stand in the way job-creating entrepreneurs.
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2/24/2010
On February 23, Kristina Rasmussen testified before the Illinois Senate Appropriations Committee on the State Budget. Download her complete testimony here.
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2/16/2010
Residents of Illinois demand clear and safe roads. State and local agencies must budget and prepare for the winter season, and then perform up to certain standards when the snow comes. Otherwise, we risk losing money, time and lives.
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2/9/2010
We’ve joined with Citizens Against Government Waste to put together the book that Springfield doesn’t want you to read, highlighting over $350 million in wasteful spending.
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1/22/2010
Six simple steps that explain the rollout of the Pension Funding and Fairness Act.
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1/22/2010
The Institute’s Pension Funding & Fairness proposal requires a brief period of borrowing at its inception. This proposed borrowing has been met with some criticism, much of which stems from confusion regarding the overall policy strategy of this proposal.
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1/13/2010
“Ahead of the Curve: An Introduction to Public School Reform in Illinois” outlines three policy alternatives to Illinois’s current system of public education: charter schools, weighted student funding, and tuition tax credits.
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12/22/2009
For Illinois, 2009 should have been a year of opportunity. A year to move beyond petty squabbles. A year to fix Illinois’s perennially busted budget. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Illinois ends calendar 2009 much in the way it ended 2008.
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12/17/2009
This new report from the Institute reviews current levels of privatization in Illinois’s public schools and provides helpful advice to state and local policymakers.
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12/9/2009
Illinois needs workable energy solutions that protect the environment. Any solutions, though, must be grounded in objective, verifiable scientific data and sound economic principles. Cap and trade doesn't pass that test.
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11/23/2009
None of the health care “reforms” offered by Congressional Democratic leaders will address the growing health care wedge and its role in rising health care costs and will instead cost Illinois 169,000 jobs - $4,418 for each person in the state.
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10/27/2009
A new report from the Illinois Policy Institute and the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) gives Illinois’s public university system a failing grade in cost, as well as governance, general education and intellectual diversity.
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10/13/2009
Increasing tobacco taxes would have several negative consequences for Illinois. They hurt retail jobs, hit the poor especially hard, and produce diminishing amounts of revenue.
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9/30/2009
Collin Hitt, the Institute's Director of Education Policy, analyzes the benefits of charter schools specifically for Hispanic Students.
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9/23/2009
The latest report from Collin Hitt, the Institute's Director of Education Policy, demonstrates that charter schools produce higher graduation rates and makes the case for the state legislature to lift the cap on charter schools in Chicago and statewide.
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9/17/2009
When it comes to limited government, state constitution ranks in the bottom ten of nationwide assessment according to a report by the Goldwater Institute.
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9/10/2009
Several years ago, the Village of Glenview was facing mounting costs and a looming deficit. Then, the Board changed the way it did its business and made Glenview an example to follow.
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9/3/2009
One major aspect of health care plans being developed on Capitol Hill has received relatively scant attention. House and Senate Democrats are planning on significantly expanding Medicaid, which would come with a significant price tag.
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9/3/2009
Public option plans, health care rationing, and new surtaxes and fines – health care “reform” is receiving significant attention from a concerned public.
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8/26/2009
Reverse auctions would lead to more transparency and increased efficiency for Illinois's government.
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8/21/2009
State spending in Illinois has skyrocketed over the past decade, increasing 39 percent from 1998 to 2008.
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7/29/2009
The Institute examines the scary side of government healthcare.
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7/27/2009
High-speed rail has been touted as a clean, lowcost alternative to congested roads. A closer look
at the facts shows otherwise.
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7/20/2009
This report looks at how other states are addressing their budget shortfalls without pushing tax hikes on families and businesses when they can least afford them.
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7/16/2009
These numbers provide a closer look at why the second largest county in America faces a declining population.
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7/9/2009
High-speed rail is a technology whose time has come and gone. What might have been useful a century ago is today merely an anachronism
that will cost taxpayers tens or hundreds of billions of dollars yet contribute little to mobility.
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6/24/2009
This brief presents and corrects myths about the Illinois budget deficit.
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6/24/2009
These key facts show the realities of a high-tax, high-regulation, high-spending state.
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6/23/2009
Hundreds of communities and neighborhoods throughout Illinois are badly in need of better schools. In those communities it should be a realistic option
for innovative educators to create new school choices for students and their families.
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6/4/2009
State spending in Illinois has skyrocketed over the past decade, leaving Illinois in a tight spot.
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6/4/2009
The Illinois Policy Institute recently released an alternative budget plan called Budget Solutions. Here are ten Budget Solutions steps legislators can take to balance the budget.
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5/29/2009
Charter schools rival top state graduation rates and offer a chance to fix Chicago Public Schools. It is time to lift the cap on charter schools so that all Illinois children have the opportunity for an excellent education.
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5/29/2009
This report examines urban charter school graduation rates.
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5/27/2009
Are tax hikes or “doomsday” budget cuts really necessary to balance the state budget? No. The Illinois Policy Institute has put together a new report, Budget Solutions 2010, that shows a variety of ways to balance the
budget—all without tax hikes.
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5/26/2009
In Illinois, there is a significant wage gap between government and private-sector workers. At a time when Illinois is facing a serious budget shortfall, all areas of government spending should be carefully reviewed--including public employee pay.
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5/26/2009
With all of the budget woes facing Illinois, it's enough to make a weary taxpayer wish for a 'budgetary superhero' to come and save the day. There are no superpowers required: just sensible reductions in spending.
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5/26/2009
Deficits don't appear out of nowhere, especially not with our state's irresponsible spending habits. This report presents some wasteful programs funded by the state with taxpayer dollars.
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5/26/2009
Government has become a glutton. In Illinois, a voracious spending appetite has led the state budget to balloon from $24.7 billion in 2004 to $32.2 billion in 2009. This report designs a sensible expenditure limit for Illinois.
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5/26/2009
The Institute proposes cost-cutting reforms for Illinois. Implementing statewide transparency and creating a Council on Efficient Government would bring the much-needed change to Illinois.
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5/25/2009
This performance report of downstate and suburban charter schools shows their growing success.
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5/6/2009
The U.S. government has been busy issuing stress tests to the nation's largest banks to see if they are solvent. How about a stress test for the government itself? Learn more about the Illinois Policy Institute's stress test for the government.
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4/30/2009
On July 1, 2008, the Cook County sales tax increased from .75% to 1.75%. This high sales tax is pushing consumers to neighboring cities and leaving Cook County at a loss.
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3/30/2009
If taxpayers would get a better deal by contracting with a nonprofit firm or private company, it should behoove policymakers to use similar opportunities before resorting to tax hikes or service cuts.
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3/26/2009
The American Legislative Council has updated their Rich States/Poor States report for 2009. This report evaluates the fiscal and economic policies of each of the 50 states- and in Illinois, things aren't looking so good.
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3/24/2009
Gov. Quinn's proposed $2.6 billion personal income tax hike will take more from Illinoisans than they may know. Learn how this tax increase will soak the Illinois economy of $8.6 billion in economic output.
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3/18/2009
In a new report, the Illinois Policy Institute reveals that a wide range of Illinois citizens will be targeted by Governor Quinn's tax hike.
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3/16/2009
On March 16, 2009 Institute Executive Vice President Kristina Rasmussen testified before the Illinois General Assembly’s
Joint Committee on Government Reform regarding taxpayer financing of political campaigns.
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3/11/2009
Illinois desperately needs economic reform. The Economic Reform Agenda contains four, common-sense proposals that will get government spending under control and help to grow the economy.
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2/27/2009
Privatization can increase educational options and opportunities for students across the state.
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1/9/2009
How does your hard-earned money get diverted to private developers so that they can build expensive projects in your neighborhood without your input? It’s all through something called Tax Increment Financing, more commonly known as a “TIF.”
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11/4/2008
Government has attempted to help the uninsured gain access to health care by continually expanding public insurance programs. Yet many people with private insurance are opting to drop it (when they can afford it) to go on public coverage.
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10/29/2008
Imagine you’re about to have heart surgery. Would you want your doctor operating on your heart in the dark? Or without looking at your x-ray first? Without an x-ray, he wouldn’t know where to operate, the severity of your sickness or understand exactly wh
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10/15/2008
The Illinois Policy Institute has obtained the questions from the Pioneer Press, which publishes about 50 local newspapers throughout Illinois.
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9/23/2008
Out of the 50 states, Illinois ranks 48th in economic performance. According to the ALEC-Laffer State Competitiveness Index, Illinois is doing better than only two states: Michigan and Ohio.
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9/17/2008
Imagine for a moment that your father, brother or husband had prostate cancer. That is bad enough, of course, but now imagine that they had to unnecessarily wait in long lines to get the most advanced and least invasive treatment possible, or perhaps, no
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8/21/2008
These are not partisan proposals. They are simply the only way that Illinois can bring back the jobs, prosperity, and commerce needed to sustain us in the future.
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7/24/2008
The Institute's latest policy brief is an in-depth examination of privatization practices in Illinois' public schools.
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6/25/2008
Too difficult to enforce and economically risky, insurance mandates are not the answer to America's health care dilemma.
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6/24/2008
The latest Illinois Policy Institute brief explains why cap-and-trade policies would cause more problems than they would solve.
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5/20/2008
The current Illinois gas tax burden is the fourth highest in the country.
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4/9/2008
We’ve joined with Citizens Against Government Waste to put together the book that Springfield doesn’t want you to read, highlighting over $686 million in wasteful spending.
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4/3/2008
Opening The Books In Illinois: Basic Transparency For Better Government
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4/1/2008
Illinois' Medicaid program suffers from a number of maladies that increase costs for all while deteriorating service for its enrollees. Among these are a perverse set of incentives that perpetuate a culture of dependency and block potential reforms.
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3/27/2008
Many Illinois citizens, facing unaffordable insurance costs within state borders, are forced to cross their fingers when it comes to their family’s health. It doesn’t have to be this way.
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3/20/2008
How much would an expanded educational tax credit system cost in Illinois? Collin Hitt reports that it's not just a good deal for students--it could also save the state billions of dollars.
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1/31/2008
Learn more about roadblocks to these innovative schools in the Institute's latest policy brief.
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1/25/2008
Illinois' Health Facilities Board has no rationale for continued existence. Greg Blankenship explains why--and how we can change the system for the better.
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1/11/2008
'This is not a fairy tale': The Illinois Policy Institute released its analysis of the deal to
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1/1/2008
In December 2007 the Illinois Policy Institute joined the Milton and Rose Friedman Foundation in a comprehensive poll on school choice with significant results. Four out of 5 would choose a school other than a traditional public school for their children.
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12/13/2007
4 out of 5 Illinois voters would pull their children out of public schools if they had the choice...read more about our latest education poll here.
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11/26/2007
The CTA's $158 million dollar deficit calls for long term solutions that a bailout won't fix. The Institute's brief offers some suggestions.
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11/26/2007
Illinois needs both short-term and long-term solutions to deal with looming budget crises.
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11/26/2007
The Institute's e-newsletter from November 26 has more to say about the CTA.
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8/16/2007
Liberty Leaders are our spokespeople for liberty in Illinois. Learn more about how to work as a volunteer in our innovative program.
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1/1/2007
Improving access and quality without breaking the bank
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6/5/2006
The book Springfield doesn't want you to read.
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3/26/2006
It is no wonder that those who are heavily invested in the notion of clean government believe that various cosmetic changes will purify what ails us.
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10/19/2005
Institute president Greg Blankenship explains the need for better value and customer service within Illinois government.
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9/23/2005
Why local funding is the best way to publicly finance education.
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