Briefing
The New England rental market
Sasser, Alicia (2007)
New England?s rental prices are high but relatively affordable to most residents.
New England Public Policy Center Policy Brief

Briefing
Ensuring adequate electrical capacity in New England
Conaway, Carrie (2006)
A settlement accepted by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on June 15, 2006, may finally resolve years of disagreement over how to increase New England?s electrical capacity. The final settlement was signed by 107 of the 115 parties negotiating for four months to create a forward capacity market for electricity in the region. Despite such strong support, however, several important parties oppose the plan, and its economic impact on the region is not yet clear.
New England Public Policy Center Policy Brief

Briefing
A guide to state debt affordability studies: common elements and best practices
Weiner, Jennifer (2013)
Policymakers must carefully balance a state's capital needs with efforts to keep debt levels affordable. To help weigh these competing concerns, a number of states routinely prepare formal debt affordability studies. By exploring the purpose of such studies, their common elements, and best practices, this policy brief aims to provide guidance to states that are developing or re-examining their own debt affordability analyses.
New England Public Policy Center Policy Brief

Briefing
Small employers and expanded health insurance coverage
Primack, Phil (2007-07)
New England states have been national leaders in developing and enacting health insurance programs. But as the new laws play out on real ground, various constituencies are seeing real or perceived devils in the detail of the expansion laws. For one group in particular?small employers?efforts to extend coverage have become a two-edged sword.
New England Public Policy Center Policy Brief , Issue Jul

Briefing
Nurse-to-patient ratios
Hershbein, Brad (2005)
This brief is based on information presented at the 25th Massachusetts Health Policy Forum, held on March 30, 2005 at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
New England Public Policy Center Policy Brief

Briefing
Revenue forecasting processes in New England
Shavit, Yael (2009)
State governments creating their budgets are concerned about available revenues. The basis of a successful budget is a sound revenue forecast. How states arrive at this forecast is both a science and an art and the approach differs markedly among states. This policy brief responds to the dearth of readily accessible information about states? revenue forecasting processes by describing, comparing, and contrasting the revenue forecasting processes of the New England states.
New England Public Policy Center Policy Brief

Briefing
Saving costs through regional consolidation: public safety answering points in Massachusetts
Kodrzycki, Yolanda; Cools, Angela (2013)
As local governments seek to address growing financial challenges, many will consider a variety of cost-cutting measures, including joint service provision with other localities. This policy brief examines the potential savings from large-scale service-sharing arrangements, using the specific example of emergency call handling and dispatch in Massachusetts. The analysis finds that consolidation can significantly reduce costs, and recommends that state policymakers consider options to encourage local consolidation. ; This policy brief builds on the Center?s 2013 research report, ?The Quest for ...
New England Public Policy Center Policy Brief

Briefing
GASB 45 and other post-employment benefit promises : the fog is clearing
Brady, Steffanie (2007)
It is often said that you won?t get rich working for the government, but you can?t beat the benefits. One form of these benefits is ?Other Post-Employment Benefits"(OPEB), which represent government promises to employees to provide health care and other non-pension benefits after retirement. Government employers commonly use these benefits to attract talent in lieu of large salaries or bonuses and to provide future security to employees. Until now, governments have also been able to apply preferential accounting treatment to OPEB plans, which allowed deferral of the costs of today?s ...
New England Public Policy Center Policy Brief

Briefing
Crowded out of the housing market: declining affordability and availability are squeezing New England's very low-income households
Sasser, Alicia; Saas, Darcy Rollins (2007)
Though many New Englanders find it difficult to buy and maintain a home or pay monthly rent, the problem is particularly acute for the region's very low-income households. While many reports about housing affordability focus on the growing affordability challenges faced by middle-income households, they often overlook a crucial problem in the region: very low-income households--those in the bottom fifth of the income distribution are squeezed by declining affordability and limited availability.
New England Public Policy Center Policy Brief

Briefing
The middle-skills gap: ensuring an adequate supply of skilled labor in northern and southern New England
Modestino, Alicia Sasser; Dennett, Julia (2011)
Recent evidence suggests that a mismatch between the skills demanded by employers and the skills supplied by the population may be underway, particularly for ?middle-skill? workers who possess some college education or an associate?s degree. This policy brief examines the middle-skill mismatch in New England, comparing recent labor market trends and future projections for the northern versus southern subregions. The analysis finds that the nature of the mismatch varies within the region, indicating that policymakers should tailor their potential responses as opposed to taking a uniform ...
New England Public Policy Center Policy Brief