Pacific Research Institute | Business and Economics Blog

Will California Cities Repeat Seattle’s “Amazon Tax” Mistake?

June 18, 2018

No one should wonder why executives keep saying California is the worst state to do business in. Too many politicians see businesses as nothing more than vessels available to be drained of their substance for the funding of foolish ideas. The most recent proposal among...

Kilauea Volcanic Eruptions Spike Pensions for Hawaii’s Emergency Workers

June 12, 2018

Business Economics

“Pension risk includes lava,” said Keli’i Akina, president of the Grassroot Institute, a sister free-market think tank in Hawaii. Recently, the Grassroot Institute hosted an event titled “Navigating risk at Hawaii’s public pension system.” Thom Williams, executive director of the Hawaii Employees’ Retirement System (ERS),...

Would Public Employees Really Lose Income After Janus Ruling?

June 08, 2018

Public-sector employees who want to be freed of forced unionization are hoping that the Supreme Court will release them from their yoke when it issues its impending ruling in the case of a government worker who sued the union that claims to represent him. Others, though,...

Free Markets 101: Free Markets Enable Prosperity and Compassion

June 07, 2018

Business Economics

The U.S. economy has generated more wealth for more people than any other economic system in human history, and it’s not even close. What began as a small group of colonies clustered near the eastern seaboard of a mostly empty continent founded by political and...

Assembly Offers $120 million Bait to UC to Stop 401(k) plans

June 04, 2018

The great investor Warren Buffett once said, "Should you find yourself in a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is likely to be more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks." UC President Janet Napolitano probably had similar thoughts when she wrote to...

The Anti-Growth Tariffs Are a Clear and Present Danger to Our Future Economic Prosperity

May 31, 2018

Business Economics

Without a hint of irony, while announcing the 25 percent tariffs on imported steel and the 10 percent tariffs on imported aluminum on May 31st, Commerce Secretary Ross proclaimed that “we take the view that without a strong economy, you cannot have strong national security”. In...

Taxifornia This Week

May 30, 2018

By Rowena Itchon and Tim Anaya This week, the Assembly and Senate face a key deadline. All bills originating must pass their “house of origin” by the end of the week (i.e., bills introduced in the Assembly must pass the Assembly). The Appropriations Committees of both...

Will Sports Betting Ruling Be a New Gold Rush for California?

May 23, 2018

That sound you hear is the rush of California politicians and various moneyed interests racing to try and take advantage of a recent Supreme Court ruling paving the way for sports betting in every state. On May 14, the Court struck down a federal law passed...

Could Court Case Gig the Gig Economy?

May 22, 2018

Businesses in California could use some good news, but one wonders when -- and sometimes if -- any will ever come. At the same time, there seems to be no end to the bad news, at least when government authorities are involved. The most recent...

Legislature Still Has Chance to Eliminate Unnecessary Barriers to Work

May 17, 2018

Cutting, styling, shampooing, and curling hair properly takes some practice. But how much before a person is skilled enough to obtain a license to perform those tasks in California? The state says at least 1,500 hours of training are needed. Common-sense says far fewer. In California,...