Research Reports

Chicago’s hidden housing solution: How additional dwelling unit expansion can make city more affordable

Chicago’s 2020 Additional Dwelling Unit Ordinance, while well-intentioned, has stifled development. Despite 71% of Chicagoans being in favor of putting additional dwelling units on existing residential lots – higher than the national average – restrictive and inequitable regulations have ensured very few are built.1 Only 44% of pre-approved applications have received building permits since the…

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How government unions work against interests of private-sector unions, taxpayers

Government unions posed threats to public welfare that were recognized by founders of the labor movement and by progressive icon Franklin D. Roosevelt. Those threats have become reality, with government union power dominating – especially in Illinois.

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Unlocking Opportunity: How Occupational Licensing Reform Would Promote Equitable Empowerment in Illinois

Illinois finds itself at a crossroads: will it empower minorities and poor people to unleash their potential, or will it perpetuate an inequitable status quo? For far too many Illinoisans, opportunity is unfairly and unnecessarily out of reach. Illinois ranks in the bottom ten among all states in social mobility and last among Midwest states…

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Building not permitted: Building permits in Illinois are a barrier to housing affordability

Illinois is in the midst of a housing affordability crisis. Over a third of residents are considered “burdened” by housing costs, meaning they pay over 30% of their income on costs related to housing. That is a greater portion of residents burdened by housing than any other state in the Midwest. The state fell 113,000…

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Report: Chicago Teachers Union is new Chicago political machine

Years of exorbitant political spending in Illinois – more than $24.3 million since 2010 – has secured an enormous amount of political influence for the Chicago Teachers Union. It is now the main political player not just in Chicago, but across the state.

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Illinois part of national epidemic, with only 1 in 3 students reading well

Student literacy is in trouble nationally, which is why Illinois is one of 35 states where just 1 in 3 – or fewer – of its fourth graders met reading standards in 2022.

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Regulatory reform can make housing more affordable for Illinois families  

America is facing a housing affordability crisis. According to a 2022 survey, 73% of Americans said the average person could not afford a home in their area, and 69% were worried about their children and grandchildren being able to afford a home. That’s unfair. Everyone deserves a good roof over their heads. Housing affordability problems…

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Forced agenda: Chicago Teachers Union contract aims to dictate radical, costly worldview to Chicagoans

The Chicago Teachers Union is putting political goals in its contract demands, something not found in other large cities. It is trying to impose policy on the public without elected representatives debating whether the policies will hurt students and taxpayers.

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Report: How Illinois can give parents more choice within public school system

Illinois has limited charter school options or open enrollment policies. Lawmakers should expand public school choice options in Illinois to give families more control over their children’s education.