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Peacock on "Pratt on Texas"
- May 14, 2008

Public sector employment continues to rise
- May 13, 2008

Lone Star Lessons: May 12-16
- May 12, 2008





About the Foundation

The Texas Public Policy Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit, non-partisan research institute guided by the core principles of individual liberty, personal responsibility, private property rights, free markets and limited government.

The Foundation’s mission is to improve Texas by generating academically sound research and data on state issues, and by recommending the findings to opinion leaders, policymakers, the media and general public.

Learn more about the Foundation in our video, Ideas Into Action.
Research Link

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Highlighted Research


Eminent Domain: Restoring Texans’ Property Rights
Testimony before the House Committee on Land Use and Regulation
Taking private property is not only wrong, it is also unnecessary. A recent study shows that economic develop can and does occur without eminent domain, another reason why Texas should reform its laws for the post-Kelo world we live in.

Work Release: Con Job or Big Payoff for Texas?
For Texans behind bars, a job can be the key to unlocking gates of opportunity and abandoning the criminal lifestyle. The limited experience in Texas and evidence from around the nation indicates that work release programs that properly monitor and carefully screen participants can reduce recidivism and costs to taxpayers while protecting public safety.

The Condition of Our Nation: The Press Is Always Wrong
Thinking Economically: Lesson 4
The U.S. today is in its best shape ever. Americans enjoy low flat(ish) tax rates, an economy open to foreign trade, and wealth unprecedented in human history. To continue to enjoy this prosperity, it is important to understand why the 1980s and beyond have been so much better.

School Choice Delivers High Marks for Students, Parents, Teachers, and Taxpayers
This paper explores the benefits that existing school choice situations—including private school choice, charter schools, and public school transfers—hold for students in public and private schools, parents, teachers, and taxpayers.

Is Government Expansion of Early Childhood Education Programs Necessary?
As Texas lawmakers contemplate expanding government early childhood programs, it is instructive to look at the effectiveness of current programs and whether parents prefer universal pre-k or choice on where and how to educate their four-year old child.

Visit the Publications section for all of our reports.

Latest Commentaries


Telecom Taxes on the Decline
Cutting the telephone and cable franchise fees in half would reduce most consumers’ bills by another 3 percent or so, lowering Texas telecom taxes by more than $500 million a year.

Dependency Mindset Limits Health Care Choices
A return to competition and personal responsibility will cure America’s health care crisis...if we let it.

The Folly of Food as Fuel
Texas is the appropriate state to call for a change in federal ethanol mandates. The indirect costs of ethanol hurt Texans in the grocery store as well as key agricultural sectors of the state economy.

For Texans, a "Proposition 13" Moment
It goes with the robins and the roses – the bad news of what property ownership costs in a society that leans heavily, for the satisfaction of public wants, upon the owners of homes and businesses.

A Note of Caution as Wind Energy Whips Through Texas
Who knew a “free” source of energy could be so expensive?

Budget Shortfalls Create Opportunity for Fiscal Responsibility
All too often, it takes cutbacks to force government to re-prioritize its core functions and correct its indulgences.

The Quality of Science Matters
Characterized by the EPA as perhaps its most expensive rule ever, this 75-ppb standard begs for solid scientific justification.

More commentaries are found in the Newsroom.



Recent Press Releases


Statement by The Honorable Talmadge Heflin, Director of the Center for Fiscal Policy
On recent budget surplus estimates
The recent estimates of a $10.7 billion to $15 billion state budget surplus vindicate the limited government policies Texas has pursued during the last five years.



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Complete archive and podcast.
For Texans, "Proposition 13" moment has arrived, Murchison writes
- Amarillo Globe-News
Ethanol messes with Texas, according to Thornley
- National Review Online
White: The folly of food as fuel
- Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Foundation research on occupational restrictions for ex-offenders highlighted
- Austin American-Statesman
Stout: CHIP expansion distorts market for health insurance
- Houston Chronicle
Crowd-out effect from CHIP expansion predictable, according to Stout
- San Antonio Express-News
"Our Times" interview with Bill Peacock on the Texas Electric Meter, part 2
- Cumulus Broadcasting (Dallas/Fort Worth)
"Our Times" interview with Bill Peacock on the Texas Electric Meter, part 1
- Cumulus Broadcasting (Dallas/Fort Worth)
Deregulation and urbanization limit need for phone subsidies, Peacock says
- Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Georgia should follow Texas' lead on spending transparency
- Bryan County News (Richmond Hill, GA)
Time to reform teacher pay schedules, Terry writes
- San Antonio Express-News
Texas phone taxes still too high, according to Peacock
- Dallas Morning News
Wind should play peripheral role in Texas energy supply, Thornley writes
- National Review Online
Editorial: Lawmakers should study any tax reduction ideas
- Tyler Morning Telegraph
Benefits do not justify cost of new ozone standard, White writes
- Dallas Morning News
End single salary structure for teachers, Terry writes
- Galveston County Daily News
Editorial: TPPF report on electric choice reveals Brownsville residents missing a lot
- Brownsville Herald