October 2006
RealTalk X Corporate Social Responsibility
A panel of experts in the changing world of corporate social philanthropy discussed those dynamics Tuesday night with a crowd of 20-somethings at the Jury’s Hotel. The experts say more and more corporations, large and small, are moving beyond traditional check-writing and into more expansive forms of philanthropy that reflect the interests of their employees in public policy issues, such as the environment and social issues and causes. The RealTalk event was hosted by the Massachusetts Institute for a New…
Find out more »Finish Line 2006
A quartet of opinion leaders from the Fourth Estate holding forth on the twists and turns of this year’s gubernatorial race. Moderator: Robert Keough, Editor of CommonWealth magazine Panelists: Jim Braude, host of NewsNight on New England Cable News Virginia Buckingham, Boston Herald columnist Craig Sandler, State House News Service general manager Joan Vennochi, Boston Globe columnist Finish Line 2006 Transcript IAN BOWLES, MASSINC PRESIDENT AND CEO: This is an easy event for us. We have a re-run of a…
Find out more »June 2006
The Changing Face of Massachusetts
With immigrants playing a larger role in the state’s economy, as well as changing the social and cultural fabric of Massachusetts, those most familiar with their challenges and assets packed a Boston hotel ballroom Thursday morning to discuss the issues. The focus of the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth forum was the institute’s recently released report that provided a comprehensive look at the state’s growing immigrant population. Among other things, the report’s authors noted that Massachusetts is completely dependent…
Find out more »Paying for College The Rising Cost of Higher Education
The forum began with a presentation by Harvard Graduate School of Education professor of education and economics Bridget Terry Long, chief author of MassINC's recent report "Paying For College: The Rising Cost of Higher Education." A panel discussion followed, featuring: Moderator: John Schnieder, Vice President, MassINC Panelists: Evan Dobelle, New England Board of Higher Education president and CEO Judith Gill, state Board of Higher Education chancellor Robert O'Leary, state senator and co-chairman of the Legislature's Higher Education Committee Michael Widmer,…
Find out more »May 2006
View from the Corner Office
The wide-ranging discussion, hosted by the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth to mark that think tank’s tenth anniversary, featured two Republican governors, Paul Cellucci and Jane Swift, and one Democrat, Michael Dukakis. Gov. William Weld, then a candidate for governor in New York, offered videotaped remarks. Topics ranged from tax cuts to housing, education, diversity and the immigration debate. The following is a detailed summary, not a verbatim transcript, of their discussion. Moderator: Robert Keough, Editor, CommonWealth magazine Panelists:…
Find out more »Home Stretch 2006
Four leading members of the local punditocracy recently served up a heaping spoonful of insight for Massachusetts residents who may be picking up news and information about state politics in public policy in dribs and drabs. With the state Legislature heading into the last weeks of formal sessions that run through July and the race for governor heating up, the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth and the State House News Service last Thursday morning sponsored “Home Stretch 2006” at…
Find out more »March 2006
The Burden of Deceit in Public Life
Established in 2004 by MassINC and the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities, the Commonwealth Humanities Lecture recognizes a significant contribution to the study of public life and civic affairs in the Commonwealth. Keynote Speaker: Dr. Sissela Bok, Senior Visiting Fellow at the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies Sissela Bok is a writer and philosopher. Her books include Lying: Moral Choice in Private and Public Life; Secrets: On the Ethics of Concealment and Revelation; A Strategy for Peace: Human…
Find out more »Under Construction Growth and Development in Massachusetts
Is Boston turning into an ephemeral city? Will it become a virtual playground for adults and tourists, or reinvent its economic base and slot itself nicely for the changing global economy? A panel of experts discussed those questions and other growth and development issues at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. The Commonwealth Forum was sponsored by the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth. Joel Kotkin, author of the newly published “The City: A Global History” and “New Geography: How…
Find out more »February 2006
Real Talk IX Strapped
With the state’s overall population in decline for two straight years now, leaders of political and business institutions are paying closer attention to the reasons why so many people are moving out and opting against attempting to buy homes, build careers and start families here. The demographic shift is particularly worrisome to business leaders and anyone concerned about the state economy in general because often times, those looking to live in warmer, more job-rich climates with lower costs of living…
Find out more »December 2005
A Generation in Transition A Roundtable Discussion
Nearly one in three Massachusetts residents are members of the Baby Boom generation and as this massive group of individuals nears the traditional retirement age, they are redefining the norms typically associated with getting older. The oldest Boomers will turn 60 next year and, according to a recent poll of 1,000 Boomers, nearly half of this generation plans to retire at or after age 65 or not to retire at all. Some will work for the challenge, but many plan…
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