Research Reports: Policy Report

Air pollutants of all kinds in North Carolina and the United States are at their lowest levels since measurements began back in the 1970s. The weight of the evidence suggests that these low levels of air pollution are at worst a minor health concern.

North Carolina’s experience with taxpayer-funded judicial campaigns provides a great example of the critical problems with taxpayer-funded campaigns.

In spite of our state's record of commitment to education, there continues to be a significant debate as to the most effective means of providing our children the best possible education. The one point upon which a great majority agree is that, despite substantial increases in funding, public education is not meeting the needs of students. This report presents parental school choice as a promising alternative to the educational status quo. And it will show that it is consistent with NC's historical commitment to education.

New Hanover County’s waste-to-energy incinerator (WASTEC) was built in 1984 to extend the life of the county landfill and also to make money from selling the energy it generated. The incinerator was never able to make money, relying instead on subsidies from the landfill and a higher tipping fee. New technologies and competition have made this costly option obsolete.

County and municipal governments provide many key services while taking in billions in revenue. Their roles grow ever greater as state government shifts more taxing power to localities to make up for money kept by the state. Still, finding comparative data is hard. That's why this report provides information of how much local government costs in every city and county in NC.

The Asheville Civic Center is deteriorating and has lost nearly $1 million a year since 2000. The Asheville City Council convened a task force to find a solution. This report offers a solution not currently in the public discussion: sell the Civic Center to a private company.

HSAs are a form of medical savings account, similar to the now-familiar IRAs. These accounts are the property of the employee and can accumulate interest and dividends like other savings vehicles. Funds that are not used for health care-related expenses can be used for retirement living and can also be willed to one’s heirs. When combined with a high-deductible health insurance policy, an HSA replaces traditional health insurance coverage – and does so in a way that results in a more consumer-driven approach to health care.

A new survey of North Carolina’s most politically active business executives suggests that they disagree with the current direction of public policy in the state. A sample of over 600 respondents from every region of North Carolina answered questions about fiscal policy, education, transportation, tax rates, regulation, and ways to improve economic competitiveness. This report provides data not only from the statewide sample, but also from six regional subgroups: the Research Triangle (RTP), the Piedmont Triad (WNC), the Charlotte area, Northeastern North Carolina, Southeastern North Carolina, and Western North Carolina.

In North Carolina and 34 other states, if you are a health care entrepreneur and you want to do anything from adding a new wing or extra beds to an existing hospital, to opening an office that offers MRI or other services, you need a “Certificate of Need” from the state. If this sounds like the kind of central planning one might find in a socialist economy – it is. In North Carolina, the central planning authority is known as the Health Planning Development Agency, part of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. The role of this agency is to plan economic activity provided by medical-care facilities. This is done down to the most minute detail, circumventing the most basic function of private decision-making in a free enterprise system, i.e., the allocation of resources based on entrepreneurial insight and risk taking.

City and county government cost on average $3,804 per capita in Charlotte during fiscal year 2004, from July 2003 to July 2004. This was 28.1 percent higher than the $2,969 (constant 2004 dollars) per capita spent in fiscal year 1994. For comparison, real per capita personal income increased just 13 percent over the same period, from $24,926 to $28,235. Most of the increased expenditures were for operations, which climbed 23.2 percent to $2,766 in fiscal 2004. Char-Meck’s high capital spending climbed 43 percent over the decade, to $1,038 in fiscal 2004.