Pacific Research Institute – AmP Publishers Group

The Pillars of Reaganomics: A Generation of Wisdom from Arthur Laffer and the Supply-Side Revolutionaries

doug — Sun, 17 Aug 2014 22:15:34 +0000

In the early 1980s, the major arms of federal economic policy effectively cooperated to implement what came to be known as the supply-side revolution. Among those who fi rst developed supply-side economics, no one was more influential than the economist Arthur B. Laffer. Laffer Associates, the firm that Laffer founded in 1978 has now turned out over a thousand papers in the supply-side tradition.

The Pillars of Reaganomics is a collection of the greatest hits of those Laffer Associates papers, from the 1980s through 2005. In the main, these papers have not only been left unconsulted by historians—they have not been made available to the public generally. What they represent is no less than the comprehensive running commentary of the implementation of the supply-side revolution.

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Brian Domitrovic holds a Ph.D. in history from Harvard University, where he also did work in the economics department. The chairman of the Department of History at Sam Houston State University, he has written for numerous scholarly and popular publications. He is author of Econoclasts: The Rebels Who Sparked the Supply-Side Revolution and Restored American Prosperity (2009), and writes a weekly column at Forbes.com under the byline “Past & Present.”

Eureka! How to Fix California

doug — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 21:30:29 +0000

NEW RELEASE

One needn’t be an economist to know that California’s economy is in crisis. By a number of very important measures, California is failing. Especially considering the state’s status as a bellwether for the rest of the nation, California cannot allow this downward spiral to continue unchecked. It must be reversed—and sooner rather than later. Eureka! is a prescriptive book that provides a true economic roadmap for the rehabilitation of California through actionable solutions. Laffer also looks at other states to endorse practical policies that have resulted in strong economic growth.

Distinguished as “The Father of Supply-Side Economics” for his economic acumen and influence in triggering a worldwide tax-cutting movement in the 1980s, Arthur Laffer was a member of President Ronald Reagan’s Economic Policy Advisory Board during both of Reagan’s terms. Laffer served as a distinguished professor at the University of Southern California and at Pepperdine University, and was also a member of the board of directors at Pepperdine. Previously, he was a professor at the University of Chicago and a consultant to Treasury Secretary William Simon, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and Treasury Secretary George Shultz, under whom he was named the first-ever Chief Economist at the Office of Management and Budget. He received his B.A. from Yale University and his M.B.A. and Ph.D. from Stanford University, all in economics.

What They Are Saying:

“California is in great need of fresh and creative thinking if we are to fix its economic and fiscal problems and recreate the sense of optimism and opportunity this state has always embodied. Eureka! Is chock full of interesting ideas and insights that should help start a badly needed conversation about how to put the gold back into the Golden State. It is a straightforward, timely, and valuable reading for anyone interested in the role of taxes and fiscal policy in one of the world’s largest and most innovative economies.” — Charles Schwab, founder and chairman, Charles Schwab Corporation

“Those who think of economics as ‘the dismal science’ will stand up and cheer after reading this book. Dr. Laffer is optimistic about California’s future, and with good cause: if we follow his sound advice, the state’s future will indeed be golden once again.” — Christopher C. Cox, former U.S. House leader (R-CA) and chairman, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

“Dr. Arthur Laffer provides a clear-headed diagnosis of how California ruined its prosperity and writes a realistic prescription to recover its future. Eureka! How to Fix California offers a glimmer of hope for every Californian and a cautionary tale for every American.” — Tom McClintock, member of Congress (R-CA)

“Art Laffer’s unprecedented analysis of California’s fiscal and economic policies show without a doubt that the most effective fix to the state’s problems is a low flat tax. Eureka! is a wake-up call to all Californians that we need another Prop. 13-style revolution if we are to turn around the state.” — Jon Coupal, president, Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association

“The Golden State has become the Golden Bust thanks to dysfunctional policies in Sacramento. Arthur Laffer provides a policy roadmap for how to fix what has gone terribly wrong in a state that was once America’s richest, most dynamic and most desirable place to raise a family and grow a business. Every citizen and every politician who cares about California’s future should read this book.” — Steve Moore, editorial writer, Wall Street Journal

The Top Ten Myths of American Health Care: A Citizen’s Guide

doug — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 14:18:26 +0000

With this book, Sally Pipes gives us an invaluable tool for navigating the health care debate. But she doesn’t simply debunk ten popular myths. She puts lasting insights down on the table for whenever citizens and policymakers must deal with the seductive, but dangerous, argument that only government is able to provide essential economic goods and services to its people.

This important little book goes beyond the issue of raising taxes to pay for what politicians so often imply is free. It takes a hard look at how governments actually spend the money they take from the productive economy. What value do the recipients of government largesse get for each federal dollar and what are the real costs to society?

Recognizing that no delivery system is perfect or even totally fair, Sally Pipes strips away the soaring rhetoric used by today’s politicians. She looks closely at the real record of government, not just in American health care, but, around the world. She shows us how massive government intervention has actually performed and the many policy quagmires it has created.

If you instinctively question the need for government control over yet another aspect of our lives, but feel the health care “crisis” is too complicated to fathom, this book is for you.

Sally C. Pipes is president and CEO of the Pacific Research Institute and an expert on health care and economic issues. A former Canadian, and a refugee from Canada’s government-run health care system, she lives in California, is a frequent guest on network and cable news shows, and is a regular columnist for Forbes.com.

What They Are Saying:

“Before you do anything else, make a note to read The Top Ten Myths of American Health Care. . . . It might literally save your life.” – Thomas Sowell, senior fellow, The Hoover Institution

“A very well-reasoned case against more government control of medicine and an equally powerful argument for competition and choice.” — Rudy Giuliani

Free to Learn: Lessons from Model Charter Schools

doug — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 14:05:26 +0000

Charters are by nature different not just from traditional public schools, but from one another. With their freedom and flexibility, some charter schools have opened doors and opportunities for many poor minority children who were previously trapped at failing campuses run by school district bureaucracies. These successful charter schools have perfected alternative models of organization, management, and discipline that shatter the status quo orthodoxy. In Free to Learn, successful charter principals and teachers — who often do things contrary to the public education establishment — offer hope and practical advice for the charter movement. After Hurricane Katrina, Free to Learn served as an inspiration and handbook for charter school administrators in New Orleans.

Lance T. Izumi is the Senior Fellow in California Studies and director of education studies at the Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy (PRI), California’s premier free-market public policy think tank. He is the author of several major PRI studies, including “Putting Education to the Test: A Value-Added Model for California” (2004), the “California Education Report Card: Index of Leading Education Indicators” (1997, 2000 and 2003 editions), and “They Have Overcome: High-Poverty, High-Performing Schools in California” (2002).

Xiaochin Claire Yan is a Policy Fellow in Education Studies at the Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy. Before joining PRI, she was an editor at Regnery Publishing, in Washington, D.C. She has also worked at the Wall Street Journal in Asia. She has written editorials on education in Southeast Asia, free trade in ASEAN, and democracy and politics in China and Taiwan.

What They Are Saying:

“While charter schools are promising educational alternatives for thousands of parents, children, and teachers nationwide, experience has taught us that the ‘charter’ label by itself does not ensure success. Free to Learn examines innovative charter schools at work, and documents how they combine smart teachers, effective curricula, and strong management to produce results. Its findings offer a roadmap for all charter schools to emulate, and a lesson in what should be possible in all public schools.” — Rod Paige, former U.S. Secretary of Education

“Unlike most traditional public schools, charter schools have to earn their revenue by serving students and their families well. Like any organization that has to earn its keep, some charters will fall short while others will flourish. Izumi and Yan have provided an engaging and insightful account on how schools can be among the high performing.” – Jay P. Greene, head of the Department of Education Reform, University of Arkansas

2011 Almanac of Environmental Trends

doug — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 13:51:57 +0000

The 2011 Almanac of Environmental Trends brings tracking environmental progress fully into the twenty-first century of real-time analysis and commentary. The almanac explores the nature and sources of environmental progress, affirming the central role of markets, technology, and human creativity in solving the environmental challenges of our time.

2011 Almanac of Environmental Trends is a “reboot” of a stale franchise—the annual Index of Leading Environmental Indicators, which since 1994 has reported highlights of environmental trends in the United States.

Steven F. Hayward is senior fellow at the Pacific Research Institute and the F.K. Weyerhaeuser Fellow in Law and Economics at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C. He holds a Ph.D. in American studies and an M.A. in government from Claremont Graduate School, and has been a visiting professor at Georgetown and Ashland universities. He writes frequently on a wide range of topics, including environmentalism, law, economics, and public policy. His work has appeared in such publications as National Review, Reason, The Weekly Standard, the Claremont Review of Books, and Policy Review. His most recent book is Mere Environmentalism.

Not as Good as You Think: The Myth of the Middle Class School

doug — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 13:34:05 +0000

Not as Good as You Think shatters the myth that “good” schools are in “nice” neighborhoods. Using data on school performance and interviews with parents, students, principals, and school reformers, Not as Good as You Think confirms parents’ silent fear: that their financial sacrifice and investment in an expensive home in a “good” school district is not yielding the achievement results needed to get their kids into good colleges and good jobs.

Rowena M. Itchon is vice president for marketing at the Pacific Research Institute. Prior to joining PRI, she was a senior editor at Regnery Publishing in Washington, D.C.. Her experience in public policy and government includes speechwriter for former California governor Pete Wilson and former chairman of the SEC Richard Breeden. She was a researcher with the White House Office of Presidential Speechwriting during the Reagan Administration. Itchon holds an MBA from George Washington University and a BA from the University of Southern California.

Lance T. Izumi is the Senior Fellow in California Studies and director of Education Studies at the Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy (PRI), California’s premier free-market public policy think tank. He is the author of several major PRI studies, including “Putting Education to the Test: A Value-Added Model for California” (2004), the “California Education Report Card: Index of Leading Education Indicators” (1997, 2000 and 2003 editions), and “They Have Overcome: High-Poverty, High-Performing Schools in California” (2002).

Sally C. Pipes is president and CEO of the Pacific Research Institute and expert on health care and economic issues. A former Canadian, and a refugee from Canada’s government-run health care system, she lives in California, is a frequent guest on network and cable news shows, and is a regular columnist for Forbes.com.

Not as Good as You Think: Why the Middle Class Needs School Choice

doug — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 13:13:54 +0000

Parents know how important good schools are when they are deciding where to buy a new house. That’s why they are willing to stretch their budget for a home near a “good” school. But they should not be fooled by the tree-lined streets and expensive real estate – the neighborhood schools may not be as good as they think, according to the findings in Not as Good as You Think: Why the Middle Class Needs School Choice. The book takes readers on a driving tour of some of California’s best neighborhoods and supposedly some of its best schools. Many parents have found out the hard way that despite what they have been told about their neighborhood schools, many of these students are not performing at grade level, let alone ready for college.

Lance T. Izumi is the Senior Fellow in California Studies and Director of Education Studies at the Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy (PRI), California’s premier free-market public policy think tank in San Francisco. He is the author of several major PRI studies, including “Putting Education to the Test: A Value-Added Model for California” (2004), the “California Education Report Card: Index of Leading Education Indicators” (1997, 2000 and 2003 editions), “Developing and Implementing Academic Standards” (1999), “Facing the Classroom Challenge: Teacher Quality and Teacher Training in California’s Schools of Education” (2001), and “They Have Overcome: High-Poverty, High-Performing Schools in California” (2002).

Vicki E. Murray is Senior Policy Fellow, Education Studies, at the Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy (PRI). Dr. Murray is the former director of the Goldwater Institute Center for Educational Opportunity in Phoenix, Arizona, and the author of more than a dozen education policy studies.

Rachel S. Chaney is a Senior Fellow in Education studies at the Pacific Research Institute. She is currently a doctoral student in American history at the University of California at Davis. She graduated with honors and distinction from Stanford University in American history and earned her Masters degree in Chinese history from Stanford University. After completion of her masters’ she taught high school in East Oakland, California for two years before coming to PRI.

What They Are Saying:

“Many parents across the country have found out the hard way that the quality of public schools in the more affluent neighborhoods is often not what it’s cracked up to be. This book by PRI reveals that the supposedly “good’ schools that these students attend are producing surprising – and often bad – results. Armed with the knowledge their schools are coming up short, middle-class parents must take action and start demanding school choice options in their communities.” – William J. Bennet, author of America: The Last Best Hope and Fellow at The Claremont Institute

“This book confronts the depth of the challenge confronting public education, in California and across the country, and makes it more difficult for the apologists of the status quo to continue to defend mediocrity. It helps sow the seeds of what can become a much-needed American education revolution.” – Eugene Hickok, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education during President George W. Bush’s first term

“Not As Good As You Think exposes the dirty secret underlying American public schooling; even the best public schools aren’t very good. Our nation’s universities are the world’s envy; our K-12 public schools are a world embarassment. This book cogently tells the true story and points a clear direction toward greater choice and competition that is urgently needed for America to remain the most prosperous nation.” – Clint Bolick, Director of Litigation at the Goldwater Institute and Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution