Michigan’s recently enacted teacher pension reform received more praise this week when Moody’s Investor Services gave the legislative effort a “credit positive” review, citing reduced taxpayer risks for future employees as its reasoning for the finding, referring to the fact …
NYCERS's Divestment from Private Prisons is Misguided
New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer recently announced that the city’s Employee Retirement System (NYCERS) would be the first major public pension system in the U.S. to divest from private prison companies. Though well-intentioned, Stringer’s proposal not only misunderstands …
Manhattan Institute Report Chronicles the Decline of New York Citys Pension Systems
In a new Manhattan Institute report, authors Ed McMahon and Josh McGee recount the troubled history of the five funds collectively referred to as the New York City Pension System. New York City’s history of pension underfunding, unrealistic assumptions, benefit …
Snyder Signs Michigan Teacher Pension Reform Into Law
Michigan’s Gov. Snyder has signed into law a first-of-its-kind, innovative pension reform bill that will provide a new set of retirement choices for state teachers and cap the growth of liabilities in the state’s current, structurally flawed retirement plan. The Michigan …
Affordable Housing Takes Another Hit
Affordable Housing Takes Another Hit The construction of new homes in the United States faces a mountain of government imposed costs that just got a little bit higher when the Trump administration recently decided to impose a 24% tariff on Canadian timber, …
Are Local Education Revenues Compatible with Student-centered Funding?
As policymakers across the U.S. look to modernize school finance systems a fundamental question must be addressed: Are local revenues compatible with student-centered funding? The failure of state-aid systems to address the funding inequities caused by local revenues have been …
Exactly Why Economic Impact and ROI Studies are Overblown
Like other states, Florida’s government invests in all kinds of economic development projects, using economic impact studies to assess “return on investment,” or economic bang for the buck. But these economic impact studies are structurally and quantitatively riddled with problems, resulting in poor government decisions that …
Exactly Why Economic Impact and ROI Studies are Overblown
Like other states, Florida’s government invests in all kinds of economic development projects, using economic impact studies to assess “return on investment,” or economic bang for the buck. But these economic impact studies are structurally and quantitatively riddled with problems, resulting in poor government decisions that …
Marking Up Gov. Christie's Pension Math
After a brief shutdown over 4th of July weekend, the New Jersey’s legislature hammered out an agreement and sent a final budget to Gov. Christie’s desk for him to sign. This will be his last before he is term limited …
The crisis of integrity-deficient science Falsifying or ignoring data that don’t support conclusions or agendas is worse than junk science
Paul Driessen The epidemic of agenda-driven science by press release and falsification has reached crisis proportions. In just the past week: Duke University admitted that its researchers had falsified or fabricated data that were used to get $113 million in …
Pension Reform Newsletter #37 (June 2017 edition)
The June 2017 edition of the Pension Integrity Project’s Pension Reform Newsletter is now online. Topics covered in this issue include: Michigan Adopts Nation’s Most Innovative Teacher Pension Reform Pennsylvania Enacts Major Pension Reform Texas Enacts Dallas, Houston Pension Reform Legislation …
Real Estate Investment Prospects for Pension Funds in 2017
This is the second update on pension fund investment in real estate. America’s presently subdued investment environment has plunged public pension plans into uncharted territory. And a leading example is the uptick of pension plan allocations to real estate. The …
