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
New MassINC report suggests state housing policies leave Gateway Cities behind
A new MassINC study examining state housing spending over the last decade and a half argues that state housing programs designed primarily to increase affordability in strong markets like Boston have not been able to meet the needs of cities outside of Rte 128. The report, entitled “Going for Growth: Promoting Residential Reinvestment in Gateway
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
New MassINC study on education reform finds state’s landmark legislation has had significant but limited success
Bold new steps are needed in order for the state to meet one of the primary goals of education reform, according to a new report released today by MassINC. Incomplete Grade: Massachusetts Education Reform at 15 assesses the impact of the Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993 (MERA) and compares the relative performance of low-spending
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