Policy Studies
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How Obama-Era Regulations Are Shutting Down Perfectly Good Power Plants
Publication -Policy Studies -Coal has been a mainstay of economic growth and human well-being in the United States for more than a century. -
How the Premature Retirement of Coal-Fired Power Plants Affects Energy Reliability, Affordability
Publication -Policy Studies -More than 250 coal-fired power plants in the United States have been retired since 2010, and more are scheduled to be retired. The premature retirement of these coal-fired units poses a threat to the country’s electricity supply. -
Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators
Publication -Policy Studies -This 2017 study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development provides information and trends on education. -
Air Quality and Industrial Sand (Frac Sand) Mining
Publication -Policy Studies -This Heartland Policy Study examines the best available scientific data on the effects of industrial sand mining on air quality, concluding those operations do not pose a threat to human health or the environment. -
Comprehensive Regulatory Control and Oversight of Industrial Sand (Frac Sand) Mining
Publication -Policy Studies -Industrial silica sand mining is governed by a comprehensive regulatory apparatus established to protect human and environmental health from the potential impacts of all industrial activities, including industrial sand mining. -
Trends in College Pricing 2016
Publication -Policy Studies -A report by The College Board examining college and university costs in 2016-17, including how prices have changed, and variance between types of institutions, states, and regions. -
Bill McKibben’s Terrifying Disregard for Fracking Facts
Publication -Policy Studies -In an article published at The Nation, 350.org founder Bill McKibben portrays methane as a dangerous greenhouse gas. Here's why he's wrong. -
Senate Bill 127: Expanding the Existing Charter School Cap
Publication -Policy Studies -Senate Bill 127, along with its companion, House Bill 936, is one of several bills put forward this session to expand the existing charter school cap in Texas. Th ough the tenants of SB 127 are simple, this is important legislation for Texas. -
Introducing ‘Article V 2.0’: The Compact for a Balanced Budget
Publication -Policy Studies -As the federal debt approaches $18 trillion, a balanced budget amendment has emerged as one of few viable options to curb government spending. The Article V process for amending the U.S. Constitution, however, is long and tedious. -
Social Impacts of Industrial Silica Sand (Frac Sand) Mining: Land Use and Value
Publication -Policy Studies -The “social” impact of sand-mining operations, including their impact on land use, scenic beauty, and property values, can be a sensitive topic. Emotion and opinion, rather than technical facts and scientific data, tend to dominate the discussion. -
Roadway Impacts of Industrial Silica Sand (Frac Sand) Mining
Publication -Policy Studies -As many as 9,000 non-metallic mines operate in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin – approximately one mine for every 3,000 residents. Until recently, those mines have operated without opposition. -
Economic Impacts of Industrial Silica Sand (Frac Sand) Mining
Publication -Policy Studies -Second in a series#137 (May 2015) Environmental Impacs of Industrial Silica Sand (Frac Sand) MiningHydraulic fracturing for oil and natural gas production has dramatically increased the demand for industrial silica sand, known as “frac sand,” available -
How do Electronic Cigarettes affect Adolescent Smoking?
Publication -Policy Studies -Understanding electronic cigarettes’ effect on tobacco smoking is a central economic and policyissue. This paper examines the causal impact of e-cigarette availability on conventional cigaretteuse by adolescents. -
In Defense of Private Civic Engagement: Why the Assault on ‘Dark Money’ Threatens Free Speech – and How to Stop the Assault
Publication -Policy Studies -Being able to speak freely and donate money anonymously has a long and distinguished history in the U.S. The Declaration of Independence, the campaigns for approval of the U.S. -
2015 Welfare Reform Report Card Executive Summary
Publication -Policy Studies -In the nearly two decades since the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 was signed into law, the nation has seen a major reduction in the number of welfare recipients. -
2015 Welfare Reform Report Card
Publication -Policy Studies -Most state governments can improve the effectiveness of their efforts to help those in poverty. This 50-state report card offers policymakers and the public a roadmap for how it can be done. -
Hydraulic Fracturing a Game-Changer for U.S. Energy and Economies
Publication -Policy Studies -Vast reserves of oil and natural gas have been known to exist in shale formations throughout the United States for decades, but extracting these resources was not economically viable until the advent of “smart drilling” technology – the combination of -
The Municipal Government Debt Crisis
Publication -Policy Studies -June 20, 2013 – The 518 taxing districts within Cook County have a combined “financial burden” of almost $34 billion - an average of $17,147 per Cook County household - according to a study released today by The Heartland Institute and Truth in -
Wired to Waste
Publication -Policy Studies -As the 21st Century evolves and our economy begins to recover, there is near-universal agreement on the importance of expanding Americans’ access to high-speed Internet service. -
Property & Casualty Insurance Report Card, 2011 Edition
Publication -Policy Studies -Each of the past four years, The Heartland Institute has released a report that asks fundamental questions about the nation’s property and casualty insurance regulatory environment. -
Why Some Cities Are Growing and Others Shrinking
Publication -Policy Studies -Florida Gulf Coast University Associate Professor of Economics Dean Stansel studies migration and taxation data for 100 American metropolitian areas, finding statistically significant correlations between rates of taxation and individuals' choices to -
An Unsustainable Path: The Past and Future of Kentucky Medicaid Spending
Publication -Policy Studies -John Garen, professor in economics at the University of Kentucky and adjunct scholar at the Bluegrass Institute, writes an extensive study on the expansion of Medicaid in his state. -
Collective Bargaining in California Charter Schools: Cooperation or Conflict?
Publication -Policy Studies -As unions begin to target charter schools, James Moss in his doctoral dissertation for the University of Southern California describes the effects a unionizing workforce has on charter teachers, administrators, and students' educations. -
Amending the Constitution By Convention: A More Complete View of the Founder’s Plan
Publication -Policy Studies -Rob Natleson, senior fellow of the Independence Institute, presents his first policy study relating to amending the Constitution of the United States through an Article V convention.
