Beacon Hill made a loud statement with the Global Warming Solutions Act. The 2008 law mandating an 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions put Massachusetts on the leading edge […]
Ben Forman
Benjamin Forman is MassINC’s research director. He coordinates the development of the organization’s research agenda and oversees production of research reports. Ben has authored a number of MassINC publications and he speaks frequently to organizations and media across Massachusetts.
Posted inEconomy, Opinion
The middle-class squeeze
The much-heralded demographic change seen in the latest Massachusetts census numbers is at least partly the reflection of a decade of economic change that was particularly challenging for the state’s […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics
Public sector pay: reasonable or excessive?
gov. scott walker’s victory in curbing collective bargaining rights of Wisconsin public sector workers casts a spotlight on the issue of disparities between public and private sector compensation. The same […]
Posted inOpinion, Transportation
Revenue crossroads for transportation
In his recent response to the MassINC report “Next Stop, Massachusetts,” Transportation Secretary Jeffrey Mullan says: “Departure from the cost-cutting, efficiency-finding, and culture-changing approach we have taken would be a […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
A new look at the rankings
Every fall Boston magazine releases a back-to-school issue ranking the state’s best high schools. And every fall the skeptics sneer. These critical observers regard the magazine’s rankings as little more […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion, Politics
Don’t give GE $25m in tax credits
I received a voicemail this morning from a machine tool manufacturer in Springfield. The owner was irate about a Boston Globe report describing tax credits the state has been negotiating […]
Posted inOpinion
Jobs held hostage by housing
Like new england Patriots victories, high housing costs became matter of fact in Massachusetts over the last decade. As we rebuild from the Great Recession and the housing bubble that […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
Can an index lead to more creative thinking?
This past July Newsweek reported on an emerging “Creativity Crisis.” According to research described in their report, American kids are steadily losing their creativity. Presciently, just a few days before […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion
We need more housing
I participated yesterday in a forum on the connection between housing and the economy held by the Home Builders Association of Massachusetts. The event marked the release of a report demonstrating the […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion, Politics
Economic development reform bill missing key transparency provisions
Senate President Therese Murray’s economic development bill scheduled for debate this Thursday includes a number of smart ideas. Topping the list are proposals to make state economic development spending more effective […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion
Stop Bay State subsidies for Hollywood moguls
It’s time to pull our heads out of the popcorn buckets. With 310,000 jobless residents, Massachusetts can’t afford to waste any more public resources on subsidies for Hollywood moguls. The […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
Game show college planning
If you’ve been to college recently, or you’re the parent of a student, you know how planning for college has become a bit like the game show The Price is […]
Posted inEconomy, The Download
Report finds state’s “quality of life” is key IT industry driver
The UMass Donahue Institute released a comprehensive report yesterday profiling the state’s IT industry. Gov. Deval Patrick gathered with Massachusetts IT leaders for a presentation by the study’s lead author, […]
Posted inArts and Culture, Economy, The Download
Will creativity gild the road to growth in Gateway City economies?
At a recent roundtable with leaders from across the state, we learned how Massachusetts discovered the value in “creative economy” economic development well before Richard Florida popularized the concept with […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Calling for reform and progress in the Commonwealth’s Gateway Cities
Last week’s hearing on charter school legislation drew large crowds to Beacon Hill and demonstrated the energy surrounding the topic of education reform in Massachusetts. Another hearing of great importance […]
Posted inEducation, The Download
Charter schools legislation is a Gateway Cities bill
Boston is often seen as the center of the Massachusetts charter school movement, but charter school activity is equally vigorous in the state’s 11 Gateway Cities. Together they have just […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Do small businesses in Gateway Cities have adequate access to credit?
By Benjamin Forman and Lynn Sanders Small business development is a central strategy for growth and renewal in the Commonwealth’s former mill cities, but there are real reasons to be […]
Posted inEducation, The Download
Can Gateway City innovations close the achievement gap?
Last month MassINC released a major research report examining changes in public education in the 15 years following passage of the landmark 1993 Education Reform Act. The report’s findings and […]
Posted inEconomy
Build to suit
early last year, MassINC released Reconnecting Massachusetts Gateway Cities, a report on how the state’s historic mill communities have been struggling to make the shift to the New Economy. It […]