http://www.pioneerinstitute.org/blog Public Policy Research Sat, 04 Feb 2012 16:33:53 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en You know you’re in for trouble when a school district with major graduation and dropout rates problems announces a new budget and leads with the hiring of five new nurses. That is not the definition of urgency. The big new Boston budget of $856 million came with big headlines about ... http://www.pioneerinstitute.org/blog/news/a-halfhearted-school-budget/ Manufacturing has a bad image these days. For those of us inside Route 128 , it can feel like there's nothing left. But the reality for the rest of the state is very different. Manufacturing still employs approximately 260,000 people or 8% of the workforce. And ... http://www.pioneerinstitute.org/blog/news/manufacturings-moment/ Think you've had a tense few weeks at work? Consider potential targets of US Attorney Carmen Ortiz's probe into wrongdoing at the state's Probation Department. The Globe Spotlight Team and the Ware Report detailed the madness, absurdity, and outright corruption of the Probation Department. It's tough ... http://www.pioneerinstitute.org/blog/news/carmen-ortiz-is-making-beacon-hill-nervous/ The Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of Massachusetts (BCBSF) put out an annual survey this week on the Massachusetts health reform law, along with a Health Affairs piece that has left me shaking my head. The presentation of the results seems to overstate the findings and draws unlikely conclusions about ... http://www.pioneerinstitute.org/blog/healthcare/bcbsf-of-ma-and-health-affairs-spinning-the-ma-reform/