Marc Joffe
Senior Policy Analyst
Marc Joffe is a senior policy analyst at Reason Foundation.
After a long career in the financial industry, including a senior director role at Moody's Analytics, Joffe's research focuses on municipal finances, alternative asset investments, transportation policy and federal, state and local fiscal policy.
His financial research has been published by the California State Treasurer's Office, UC Berkeley, the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, California Policy Center, The Center for Municipal Finance, and the Macdonald-Laurier Institute among others.
Joffe is a regular contributor to The Orange County Register and his op-eds have also appeared in The Fiscal Times, Governing, National Review, The Hill, and The San Jose Mercury News.
Joffe recently presented a panel paper at the APPAM 42nd Annual Fall Research Conference along with University of Texas, Dallas Associate Professor Evgenia Gorina and his Reason colleagues Anil Niraula and Jen Sidorova.
He has an MBA from New York University and an MPA from San Francisco State University.
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When Governments Go Insolvent, Should Others Absorb their Retirement Plans’ Costs and Risks?
San Francisco voters are being asked to assume liabilities that are not currently on the city’s books.
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Even California Democrats Prefer the Private Health Care System Over Medicare for All
Fifty-seven percent of the state’s likely Democratic primary voters favor incrementally changing the existing private health care system while 37 percent want to replace the private system with a single-payer Medicare for All system.
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Green Municipal Bond Raises Questions About Pension Fund Borrowing
The California State Teachers Retirement System's use of innovative financing is notable for its environmental aspects and its implications for pension finance.
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New York City’s Unfunded OPEB Liability Surpasses $100 Billion
The city’s unfunded other post-employment benefits liability exceeds that of any other local government in the country, as well as that of most states.
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Financially-Distressed Local Governments Can Learn From Top Performing Cities and Counties
Best practices include funding infrastructure through the budget rather than borrowing via bonds and writing and abiding by strong financial reserve and rainy-day policies.
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The Downward Trend in U.S. Life Expectancy and Its Uncertain Impacts on Public Pensions
A recent Society of Actuaries mortality study found that public sector employees have longer life expectancies than the general population.
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Illinois Embraces Pension Consolidation, But Needs to Do Much More
The pension consolidation plan is a good idea, but dramatic changes will be needed to extricate the state from its pension crisis.
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Rhode Island Supreme Court Upholds Pension Benefit Cuts in Cranston
The state Supreme Court's ruling may set a precedent for fiscally distressed local governments grappling with unfunded pension liabilities.
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West Contra Costa County: A Bermuda Triangle of Government Finance
It’s where taxpayer money often disappears without explanation, leaving local governments teetering on insolvency
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The Potential Consequences of California’s Proposed Split Roll Ballot Measure
The proposal to change Prop. 13 would reduce controls on government, leading to more spending and new problems.
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Why We Should Stop Comparing High-Speed Rail In California and the US to China
Given the rule of law, the need to protect property and defend workers’ rights, high-speed rail projects in the United States will never achieve the ruthless efficiency of those in China. And that’s a good thing.
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California State Auditor Ranks 471 Cities On Financial Health, Finds 18 at High-Risk
Overall, more than half of California's cities were listed as being at a moderate to high risk of experiencing fiscal distress.
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Consideration of XBRL and Structured Disclosures by Municipal Issuers
The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board should accept and display Inline XBRL disclosures.
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Illinois Has More Governments Than Any Other State, Now Looking to Consolidate
Illinois has a disproportionate number of local governments and pension systems.
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California’s Stem Cell Center Hasn’t Delivered and Shouldn’t Get More Taxpayer Money
Despite the lack of results and management deficiencies, California's voters will likely be asked to approve another $5 billion in bond money in 2020.
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California’s High-Speed Rail Project Should Be Put Back on the Ballot
Any revised rail plan should be carefully vetted and, ideally, put back in front of the electorate.
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California Highway Patrol Officers Temporarily Forgo Pay Hikes to Help Fund Pension Liabilities
It's an important moment: a California public employee union displayed a willingness to help the state address its pension funding gap.
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Negative Interest Rates: The Implications for Municipal Bonds and Pension Systems
Many governments outside the US can now borrow money for free. Might that option become available to US states and other municipal bond issuers?