Policy Briefs
View all policy studies.-
Pathways and policy for 21st-century freight rail
The successful development and deployment of automation technologies in the future is key to ensuring freight rail’s ongoing success.
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Providing Electronic Toll Collection to the Unbanked and Underbanked
Providing one or more user-friendly tolling options for the unbanked and underbanked is important to ensure economic inclusion for everyone.
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U.S. Space Traffic Management and Orbital Debris Policy
Public-private partnerships could improve the tracking and removal of space debris and better manage space traffic.
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The 2021 Texas Power Crisis: What Happened and What Can Be Done to Avoid Another One?
This report focuses on ERCOT and the electric power system because the power outages were the proximate cause of many hardships suffered during the failures.
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Rethinking Interstate Rest Areas
This policy brief suggests that a 21st-century Interstate system should have state-of-the-art service plazas in addition to new pavement, improved bridges, and redesigned and rebuilt interchanges in many urban areas.
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Mass Transit Systems Face Critical Challenges Now and When COVID-19 Pandemic Is Over
Public transportation is uniquely sensitive to changes in the number of people working from home, changes in commuting patterns, and concerns over public health and safety.
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Nebraska’s Growing Municipal Pension Funding Challenges
Omaha and Lincoln have made progress in addressing pension issues in recent years, but unfunded liabilities are likely to continue to grow and harm city finances.
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Challenges and Opportunities for Federal Automated Vehicle Policy
This policy brief aims to provide guidance to federal policymakers as they work to develop a pro-innovation national framework for automated vehicles.
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Fiscal Explainer: Texas Charter School Funding Analysis
Between 2015 and 2019, the inflation-adjusted funding gap between public charter schools and traditional public schools grew by about 36 percent—from $596 per pupil to $813 per pupil.