Reason Foundation

Recent Research and Commentary

How to Avoid Closing Washington State Parks

May 17, 2013, 1:57pm

Leonard Gilroy

Many thanks to the Washington Policy Center for publishing my legislative memo today on how to avoid the closure of dozens of Washington State parks, as Gov. Inslee has proposed if his tax increase package fails to advance

Rethinking Washington State Parks: How to Avoid Governor Inslee’s Plan to Close 60 State Parks

Antiquated, top-down management model is unsustainable; private sector can play major role

May 17, 2013

Leonard Gilroy

The century-old, top-down model of state parks operated and managed by state parks agencies is not sustainable and needs to be replaced by an approach in which the parks agency sets the mission for the parks system and then serves as a coordinator to arrange the right blend of public and private sector operators on a park-by-park basis.

Why is the CDC Being Anti-Science on State Liquor Privatization?

May 14, 2013, 2:26pm

Leonard Gilroy

Policymakers and citizens in the 17 "control" states like Pennsylvania should take the CDC's anti-privatization stance with a major grain of salt, as it rests on a dubious scientific foundation.

Louisiana Republicans Introduce Bills to Replicate Massachusetts's Pro-Union, Anti-Privatization “Pacheco Law”

May 9, 2013, 7:36pm

Leonard Gilroy

My latest column offers a critique of two bills introduced in the Louisiana legislature that are modeled after the Massachusetts "Pacheco Law," which is widely regarded as the most onerous and stringent anti-privatization law in the country.

Louisiana Republicans Introduce Bills to Replicate Massachusetts's Pro-Union, Anti-Privatization “Pacheco Law”

Bills would effectively shut down use of privatization, competitive contracting to lower costs of government

May 9, 2013

Leonard Gilroy

Two proposed bills introduced in the Louisiana legislature raise serious barriers to fiscal responsibility, as the bills would effectively shut down the ability of the current and future governors to use the proven tool of competitive contracting to lower the costs of state government. Given the similarity to a 1993 law enacted in Massachusetts at the behest of government employee unions—and which has stymied privatization efforts in that state for two decades since—a more appropriate title for the proposed Louisiana bills would be the "Louisiana Government Employee Protection Act."

Are Federal Contractors Immune from Tort Suits Just Because the Government Is?

Reviewing recent developments in government contractor immunity

May 9, 2013

Alexander Volokh

An important question in contracting out is always how the contractors’ legal regime differs from the government’s. There are accountability mechanisms in the private sector, but they generally differ from the ones available in the public sector; similarly, the availability of money damages can sometimes change dramatically when a service is contracted out.

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