Reason Foundation
Search Reason
State Government 
Recent Research and Commentary
How to Avoid Closing Washington State Parks
May 17, 2013, 1:57pmMany 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. Insley 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, 2013The 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, 2:26pmPolicymakers 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, 7:36pmMy 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, 2013Two 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, 2013An 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.
View Resources by Type
StudiesBlog PostsOp-EdsReason.comReason.tv
- Developments in Criminal Justice and Corrections
Annual Privatization Report 2013 examines criminal justice and corrections trends
Leonard Gilroy, Harris Kenny, Alexander Volokh and Andrew Livingston
May 6, 2013 - Developments in State Government Privatization
Annual Privatization Report 2013 examines privatization trends at the state level
Leonard Gilroy and Lisa Snell
April 22, 2013 - Developments In Surface Transportation
Annual Privatization Report examines highway and road trends at the state and federal levels
Robert Poole
April 8, 2013 - Better Service. Better Price.
How privatization can streamline government, improve services, and reduce costs for Kansas taxpayers
Leonard Gilroy, Harris Kenny and Todd Davidson
January 28, 2013 - Parks 2.0: Operating State Parks Through Public-Private Partnerships
Defining and applying the park operation public-private partnership (PPP) model.
Leonard Gilroy, Harris Kenny and Julian Morris
January 8, 2013 - Ten Myths and Facts on Transportation Public-Private Partnerships
Addressing fears, misperceptions surrounding transportation PPPs in Ohio
Leonard Gilroy and Robert Poole
July 26, 2012 - Privatization and Public-Private Partnership Trends in State Government
State Government Privatization Chapter of Annual Privatization Report 2011
Leonard Gilroy and Lisa Snell
May 1, 2012 - Privatizing "Yellow Pages" Government in Pennsylvania
Private sector solutions for the Keystone State
Leonard Gilroy, Harris Kenny, Katrina Currie and Elizabeth Stelle
May 26, 2011 - The Year 2010 in IT Outsourcing, Network Neutrality, and Federal Broadband
Telecommunications Chapter of Annual Privatization Report 2010
Steven Titch and Leonard Gilroy
February 25, 2011 - Privatization and Public-Private Partnership Trends in State Government
State Government Privatization Chapter of Annual Privatization Report 2010
Leonard Gilroy, Harris Kenny, Shirley Ybarra and Tyler Millhouse
February 18, 2011 - State Budget Reform Toolkit
Leonard Gilroy and Jonathan Williams
January 25, 2011 - Corrections 2.0: A Proposal to Create a Continuum of Care in Corrections through Public-Private Partnerships
Improving performance and reducing recidivism through PPPs
Leonard Gilroy and Adrian Moore
January 3, 2011 - Where Did the Money Go? An Analysis of Spending and Revenue in Nebraska and Surrounding States, 2002-2008
Adam Summers, Leonard Gilroy and Lisa Snell
August 3, 2010 - Ten Principles of Privatization
Best practices in privatization to lower the costs of government
Leonard Gilroy and Adrian Moore
July 9, 2010 - Knowing What State and Local Governments Own
A how-to guide for managing state and local property inventories
Anthony Randazzo and John Palatiello
June 29, 2010 - Comparing Private Sector and Government Worker Salaries
Public sector offers ironclad job security and greater pension benefits
Adam Summers
May 10, 2010 - Drowning in Debt: Bond Measures Threaten California's Already Precarious Debt Situation
Policy Brief 73
Adam Summers and Anthony Randazzo
October 1, 2008 - CSI for Real: How to Improve Forensic Science
Policy Study 364
Roger Koppl
December 1, 2007 - Privatizing University Housing
Leonard Gilroy, Laura J. Davis, Sarah F. Anzia and Geoffrey Segal
January 1, 2007 - Undermining the Future
Problems with November's Bond Initiatives, and Alternatives
Adrian Moore, George Passantino and Adam Summers
September 1, 2006 - Detailing Foreign Management of US Infrastructure
Leonard Gilroy and Adam Summers
March 1, 2006 - Privatizing Public Hospitals
A Win-Win for Taxpayers and the Poor
Francois Melese
November 1, 2005 - Driving More Money into the Classroom
The Promise of Shared Services
William D. Eggers, Lisa Snell, Robert Wavra and Adrian Moore
October 1, 2005 - Rebuilding After Katrina
Policy Strategies for Recovery
Adrian Moore, Lisa Snell and Geoffrey Segal
October 1, 2005 - The Sky Isn't Falling in Colorado
Proven Strategies for Budget
Geoffrey Segal and Adam Summers
October 1, 2005 - The Gathering Pension Storm
How Government Pension Plans are Breaking the Bank and Strategies for Reform
George Passantino and Adam Summers
June 16, 2005 - Should States Sell Their Toll Roads?
Peter Samuel
June 1, 2005 - Offshoring and Public Fear
Assessing the Real Threat to Jobs
Ted Balaker and Adrian Moore
May 1, 2005 - Making Florida's Government Competitive
Geoffrey Segal
April 1, 2005 - Virginia Spending and Budget Reform
Geoffrey Segal
February 1, 2005 - Priority Colorado
Balancing the Budget While Preserving TABOR and Colorado's
Geoffrey Segal, George Passantino, Adam Summers, Lisa Snell and Tarren R. Bragdon
February 1, 2005 - What's in the Government's Attic?
John Palatiello
December 1, 2004 - Exposing the Myths and Realities of Competitive Sourcing
Geoffrey Segal, Ade Ifelayo and Chandra Pesheck
August 1, 2004 - Private Competition for Public Services
Unfinished Agenda in New York
E.J. McMahon, Adrian Moore and Geoffrey Segal
December 1, 2003 - Roadmap to Reform for California
George Passantino, Carl DeMaio, Kathleen Connell, Matt Fong, Bill Jones, Bill Baker and Lucy Killea
August 1, 2003 - Citizens' Budget
How to Balance CA Budget without Tax Increases
Carl DeMaio, Adrian Moore, Adam Summers, Geoffrey Segal, Lisa Snell, Vincent Badolato and George Passantino
April 1, 2003 - Contracting for Road and Highway Maintenance
Geoffrey Segal, Adrian Moore and Samuel McCarthy
March 1, 2003 - Corporate Corrections? Frequently Asked Questions About Prison Privatization
Geoffrey Segal
November 1, 2002 - The Extent, History, and Role of Private Companies in the Delivery of Correctional Services in the United States
Geoffrey Segal
November 1, 2002 - How to Navigate the Politics of Privatization
Robin A. Johnson
July 1, 2002 - Citizen's Budget Reports
Improving Performance and Accountability in Government
Geoffrey Segal and Adam Summers
March 1, 2002 - Weighing the Watchmen: Evaluating the Costs and Benefits of Outsourcing Correctional Services
Part 1: Employing a Best Value Approach to Procurement
Adrian Moore and Geoffrey Segal
January 1, 2002 - Privatization and Layoffs
The Real Story
Robin A. Johnson
March 1, 2001 - Electronic Procurement
How Technology is Changing Government Purchasing
Geoffrey Segal and Matthew D. Taylor
February 1, 2001 - Emerging Options for Youthful Offenders
Utilizing Public-Private Partnerships to Offer Hope, New Direction for Troubled Youth
Geoffrey Segal
December 1, 2000 - Child-Welfare Reform and the Role of Privatization
Lisa Snell
October 1, 2000 - Infrastructure Outsourcing
Leveraging Concrete, Steel, and Asphalt with Public-Private Partnerships
Adrian Moore, Geoffrey Segal and John McCormally
September 1, 2000 - Getting Greens in the Black
Golf course Privatization Trends and Practices
Lisa Snell
August 1, 1999 - Reforming Financial Management in the Public Sector
Lessons U.S. Officials Can Learn From New Zealand
Ian Ball
May 1, 1999 - Blueprint for the Privatization of Child Welfare Services
Conna Craig, Ted Kulik, Tim James and Shamim Nielsen
December 1, 1998 - Privatizing Public Hospitals
Strategic Options in an Era of Industry-Wide Consolidation
Richard Tradewell
April 1, 1998 - Private Prisons
Quality Corrections at a Lower Cost
Adrian Moore
April 1, 1998 - Competitive Neutrality
Ensuring a Level Playing Field in Managed Competitions
William D. Eggers
March 1, 1998 - Performance Based Contracting
Designing State of the Art Contract Administration and Monitoring Systems
William D. Eggers
May 1, 1997 - Delivering Services for the Mentally Ill and Developmentally Disabled
A Consumer Choice Model
Richard H. Dougherty and William D. Eggers
October 1, 1996 - A Guide For Divesting Government-Owned Enterprises
Henry Gibbons
July 1, 1996 - How to Privatize Orange County's Airports
Robert Poole
August 1, 1995 - A Guide for Divesting Government Owned Enterprises
Henry Gibbons
August 1, 1995 - Revitalizing State and Local Infrastructure
Empowering Cities and States to Tap Private Capital and Rebuild America
Robert Poole
May 1, 1995 - Guidelines for Airport Privatization
Robert Poole
October 1, 1994 - Public Authorities and Private Firms as Providers of Public Goods
Clayton P. Gillette
September 1, 1994 - Intergovernmental Contracting For Public Services
John W. Donlevy, Jr.
February 1, 1994 - Rightsizing Government
Lessons from America's Public Sector Innovators
William D. Eggers
January 1, 1994 - Techniques for Mining the Public Balance Sheet
Roger D. Feldman and Thomas M. Ingoldsby
September 1, 1993 - Privatization and Public Employees
Guidelines For Fair Treatment
John O'Leary and William D. Eggers
September 1, 1993 - Port Privatization
An International Perspective
David Haarmeyer and Peter Yorke
April 1, 1993 - Cost Savings from Privatization
A Compilation of Findings
John Hilke
March 1, 1993 - How To Compare Costs Between In-House and Contracted Services
Lawrence Martin
March 1, 1993 - Privatization Opportunities for States
William D. Eggers
February 1, 1993 - Designing an Effective Bidding and Monitoring System to Minimize Problems in Competitive Contracting
John Rehfuss
February 1, 1993 - Designing a Comprehensive State Level Privatization Program
William D. Eggers
January 1, 1993 - Rightsizing Government
Lessons From America's Public-Sector Innovators
William D. Eggers
January 1, 1993 - Expanding Airport Capacity
Getting Privatization Off The Ground
William H. Payson and Steven A. Steckler
June 1, 1992 - Mining the Government Balance Sheet
What Cities and States Have to Sell
Robert Poole, David Haarmeyer and Lynn Scarlett
April 1, 1992 - The Public Benefits of Privatizing Logan Airport
Robert Poole
November 1, 1991 - Airport Privatization
What the Record Shows
Robert Poole
August 1, 1990 - Public vs. Private
Alternative Ownership Scenarios for Electric Utilities
Michael A. Crew and Paul R. Kleindorfer
June 1, 1990 - Selling LaGuardia and Kennedy Airports
Robert Poole
May 1, 1990 - Privatizing Airports
Robert Poole
January 1, 1990
State Government Blog
- How to Avoid Closing Washington State Parks (5/17)
- Rethinking Washington State Parks: How to Avoid Governor Inslee’s Plan to Close 60 State Parks (5/17)
- Why is the CDC Being Anti-Science on State Liquor Privatization? (5/14)
- Louisiana Republicans Introduce Bills to Replicate Massachusetts's Pro-Union, Anti-Privatization “Pacheco Law” (5/9)
- Louisiana Republicans Introduce Bills to Replicate Massachusetts's Pro-Union, Anti-Privatization “Pacheco Law” (5/9)
Related Topics
Experts: State Government
RSS Feeds: State Government
Media Contact
Chris MitchellDirector of Communications
Email
(310) 367-6109
Support Reason
Your tax-deductible gift can help us promote individual liberty, choice, and free minds and free markets.

