Studies
Blog
Spending Watch
AB 4: A Bad Idea That Costs Too Much
AB 4: A Bad Idea That Costs Too Much Wayne Winegarden and Nikhil Agarwal May 2025 As we noted in an earlier Spending Watch piece, growing economic volatility will likely cause revenue growth to be much weaker than expected for the upcoming FY2025-26 budget. It is, consequently, fiscally irresponsible for ...
Blog
China Is Preparing to Go to War in Space
READ THE PDF China Is Preparing to Go to War in Space On April 24, a Long March 2F rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China and carried the three taikonauts of the Shenzhou-20 mission to the Tiangong space station. There, they replaced the Shenzhou-19 ...
California
New Study Reveals Soaring Costs of California’s Green Energy Transition
As the US marks Earth Day, a new study released today by the Pacific Research Institute, a nonpartisan, California-based, free-market think tank, reveals the staggering costs California consumers and businesses will incur as the state pursues its aggressive green energy mandates. The paper, “The Cost of Going Green,” provides a ...
Blog
Spending Watch
The May Revision Should Assume A Weaker Fiscal Position for FY2025-26
The May Revision Should Assume A Weaker Fiscal Position for FY2025-26 Wayne Winegarden April 2025 The recently enacted tariffs are significant tax increases on consumption and production, as I discussed in a February 2025 PRI Issue Brief. These tariffs will increase costs for consumers and reduce profits for businesses both ...
Blog
Africa, Unchained From China
READ THE PDF Africa, Unchained From China Elon Musk on March 22 accused the Economic Freedom Fighters of inciting racial hatred. “Very few people know that there is a major political party in South Africa that is actively promoting white genocide,” he posted on his X platform.[1] The leader of ...
Book
New Free Cities Book
New Book “The War on Suburbia” Challenges the Ideological Battle Against American Suburbs
SACRAMENTO – Acclaimed journalist and policy analyst Steven Greenhut released today his latest book, The War on Suburbia, a compelling examination of how urban planning, government policies, and ideological battles threaten the future of suburban living. Published by the Pacific Research Institute, this book offers a critical look at how policymakers, environmentalists, and urban ...
Blog
Spending Watch
SB 222 Will Weaken California’s Economy and Reduce State Revenues
SB 222 Will Weaken California’s Economy and Reduce State Revenues Wayne Winegarden and Nikhil Agarwal March 2025 The destructiveness of the Eaton and Palisades fires were unprecedented. According to the Anderson School of Management at UCLA, the recent Los Angeles wildfires caused up to $164 billion in property and capital ...
Blog
The Gordon Chang Report–The U.S. Can Control the ‘World’s Light Switch’
READ THE PDF The U.S. Can Control the ‘World’s Light Switch’ It’s a “LNG and drilling free-for-all.”[1] That’s how the energy industry sees President Donald Trump’s actions this Valentine’s Day. Trump on February 14 promised to open up more than 600 million offshore acres to oil and gas drilling, signed ...
Blog
CAPITAL IDEAS: The Costly Scramble To Save Public Transit In San Francisco
Public transportation in San Francisco has been slipping for some time. To keep it from barreling into the bay, officials are going after wallets, and they plan to cast a net that is so wide that even those who don’t use the systems will be pinched. Both BART, the Bay ...
Blog
Spending Watch
Backfilling Lost Federal Education Funding Will Cost California Dearly
Backfilling Lost Federal Education Funding Will Cost California Dearly Wayne Winegarden February 2025 The erratic actions of the Trump Administration are undoubtedly making it more difficult for states to budget for the upcoming 2026 fiscal year. The knee-jerk reaction from many California politicians is to call for more taxes on ...
Spending Watch
AB 4: A Bad Idea That Costs Too Much
AB 4: A Bad Idea That Costs Too Much Wayne Winegarden and Nikhil Agarwal May 2025 As we noted in an earlier Spending Watch piece, growing economic volatility will likely cause revenue growth to be much weaker than expected for the upcoming FY2025-26 budget. It is, consequently, fiscally irresponsible for ...
China Is Preparing to Go to War in Space
READ THE PDF China Is Preparing to Go to War in Space On April 24, a Long March 2F rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China and carried the three taikonauts of the Shenzhou-20 mission to the Tiangong space station. There, they replaced the Shenzhou-19 ...
New Study Reveals Soaring Costs of California’s Green Energy Transition
As the US marks Earth Day, a new study released today by the Pacific Research Institute, a nonpartisan, California-based, free-market think tank, reveals the staggering costs California consumers and businesses will incur as the state pursues its aggressive green energy mandates. The paper, “The Cost of Going Green,” provides a ...
Spending Watch
The May Revision Should Assume A Weaker Fiscal Position for FY2025-26
The May Revision Should Assume A Weaker Fiscal Position for FY2025-26 Wayne Winegarden April 2025 The recently enacted tariffs are significant tax increases on consumption and production, as I discussed in a February 2025 PRI Issue Brief. These tariffs will increase costs for consumers and reduce profits for businesses both ...
Africa, Unchained From China
READ THE PDF Africa, Unchained From China Elon Musk on March 22 accused the Economic Freedom Fighters of inciting racial hatred. “Very few people know that there is a major political party in South Africa that is actively promoting white genocide,” he posted on his X platform.[1] The leader of ...
New Free Cities Book
New Book “The War on Suburbia” Challenges the Ideological Battle Against American Suburbs
SACRAMENTO – Acclaimed journalist and policy analyst Steven Greenhut released today his latest book, The War on Suburbia, a compelling examination of how urban planning, government policies, and ideological battles threaten the future of suburban living. Published by the Pacific Research Institute, this book offers a critical look at how policymakers, environmentalists, and urban ...
Spending Watch
SB 222 Will Weaken California’s Economy and Reduce State Revenues
SB 222 Will Weaken California’s Economy and Reduce State Revenues Wayne Winegarden and Nikhil Agarwal March 2025 The destructiveness of the Eaton and Palisades fires were unprecedented. According to the Anderson School of Management at UCLA, the recent Los Angeles wildfires caused up to $164 billion in property and capital ...
The Gordon Chang Report–The U.S. Can Control the ‘World’s Light Switch’
READ THE PDF The U.S. Can Control the ‘World’s Light Switch’ It’s a “LNG and drilling free-for-all.”[1] That’s how the energy industry sees President Donald Trump’s actions this Valentine’s Day. Trump on February 14 promised to open up more than 600 million offshore acres to oil and gas drilling, signed ...
CAPITAL IDEAS: The Costly Scramble To Save Public Transit In San Francisco
Public transportation in San Francisco has been slipping for some time. To keep it from barreling into the bay, officials are going after wallets, and they plan to cast a net that is so wide that even those who don’t use the systems will be pinched. Both BART, the Bay ...
Spending Watch
Backfilling Lost Federal Education Funding Will Cost California Dearly
Backfilling Lost Federal Education Funding Will Cost California Dearly Wayne Winegarden February 2025 The erratic actions of the Trump Administration are undoubtedly making it more difficult for states to budget for the upcoming 2026 fiscal year. The knee-jerk reaction from many California politicians is to call for more taxes on ...
