Seeking to serve

By Alison Lobron  “All I wanted to do was help kids write college essays,” Julie, a 24-year-old friend, told me. “It should have been easy. But I called a few different places that do college prep stuff for kids who can’t afford to hire a tutor, and none of them could figure out how to

Real Talk Health Insurance

By Alison Lobron “I would love to do what you’re doing,” a 20-something friend said. “But I need benefits.” She went on to tell me about her dream of starting an interior design company, a dream she’s put on hold until — well, until someday. I heard comments like hers often in the year I

Lessons from Salongate

The New Republic is heralding a well-reported piece on problems at The Washington Post.  Get used to pieces like this.  As newspapers continue to struggle with declining or disappeared profits, the blame game will resemble a convention of political operatives from the Coakley campaign. The villain of the TNR piece is Katharine Weymouth, who took

The multimedia Globe

An interview with Martin Baron Between layoffs, pay cuts, and the threat of closure, the The Boston Globe had a painful year last year, but Martin Baron, the paper’s editor since 2001, sounds like he’s looking forward to the challenges ahead. He sat down in his office with CommonWealth magazine editor Bruce Mohl (a former

Mark Erlich

An interview with Mark Erlich, Executive Secretary-Treasurer, New England Council of Carpenters  “To understand what’s ahead for the American worker, you have to look back on what’s been happening in this country for the last three decades. From my years in the labor movement and certainly in my lifetime, I’ve watched us become a different kind of

Redefining financial literacy

One of the many lessons that has come out of the sub-prime mortgage crisis, if not the entire economic downturn, is the need for new thinking in the areas of financial literacy and consumer protection.  As part of new program called Family Financial  Skills, MassINC pulled together a group of experts to discuss what can be

Dan Grabauskas to join MassINC as Senior Fellow for Public Policy

BOSTON—MassINC announced today that it has named Daniel Grabauskas as the inaugural Senior Fellow for Public Policy. Grabauskas brings two decades of public sector management experience spanning five administrations to this transitional appointment at the Boston-based, non-partisan, think tank. Grabauskas, most recently known for his work as the General Manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation

MassINC Applauds Budget Language on Capital Gains Tax Reform

BOSTON— Governor Patrick’s move to curb the state’s reliance on the capital gains tax was applauded today by MassINC, the nonpartisan public policy institute that recently warned of the state’s growing reliance on this volatile and unpredictable revenue source. “I commend Governor Patrick and Secretary Kirwan for seizing the opportunity within the current budget crisis

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