A Look Back at Pegasus Institute's 2020 Original Research
January – Economic Impact of School Choice in Kentucky
Pegasus Institute partnered with the Reason Foundation and Dr. Corey DeAngelis to examine the potential economic impact of charter schools in Louisville and found that charter schools could lead to:
$138 million in economic benefits from higher lifetime earnings associated with increases in academic achievement.
$54 million from additional high school graduates.
$6 million from reductions in the social costs associated with crimes.
$13 million each year from reductions in public education spending.
February – Innovation, Car Rentals, and Taxation
As the sharing economy expands to more sectors of everyday life, creating a level playing field becomes both more complex and more important. The most obvious case of this in Kentucky and around the county is the taxation of rental car companies. Jared Crawford explains the problems with the current tax structure and the changes that would make the system more fair.
March – The Case for COPS 3.0
Ever-decreasing law enforcement recruitment and retention numbers have been a growing problem in Louisville, Kentucky and around the country. In March, Executive Director Josh Crawford examined one program that has proven effective in assuaging these problems in the past, the COPS Hiring Program, and proposed a third round of such funding.
May – Price Controls and Surprise Billing in Healthcare
Surprise billing occurs when a patient goes in for a procedure and – due to staffing or other limitations – may have some part of their procedure done by someone not covered by their health insurance provider. Patients generally believe that because they have chosen an in-network provider, all services should be covered, and they are shocked to receive a bill from an out-of-network provider.
Despite the real problems posed by surprising billing, Jared Crawford explains why government-imposed price controls are not the answer.
June – Declaring an Emergency: Cross-State Comparisons and Recommendations for Reform
The American system of government is a carefully calculated structure of limited and separate governmental powers. In times of emergency, however, it may be necessary for a Governor or local chief executive to have greater power and flexibility to respond effectively to the problem. All 50 states have acknowledged these unique needs with statutes that allow Governors to declare an emergency and operate with certain emergency powers.
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to country-wide declarations of emergency unlike ever before in modern American history. In light of these unique circumstances, there is an equally unique opportunity for states to examine their statutes that govern declarations of emergency and to propose reforms. Executive Director Josh Crawford looks at the ways Kentucky can improve.
July – FDA Inaction Threatens Future of Hemp/CBD Industry
Hemp and CBD were supposed to be the next great American agricultural product, but inaction by the FDA and regulatory uncertainty have made things considerably more difficult for farmers and producers.
Other countries, like the United Kingdom, have enacted policies that allow for innovation and progress while also minimizing and preventing fraud. Executive Director Josh Crawford and Research Assistant Dasha Kolyaskina explain why the U.S. should follow suit.
August - New Analysis Shows that Increases in Self-Initiated Police Activity Reduce Homicides
Executive Director Josh Crawford and Senior Fellow Dr. Corrie Block take a closer look at the relationship between self-initiated police activity and homicides in Louisville.
Their research finds that Louisville could see 1.16 fewer homicides a month for every 1,000 additional instances of self-initiated police activity.
November - Kentucky State and Local Government Revenue Impacts from Covid-19 Episode
COVID-19 related lock downs were expected to have a major impact on state and local government budgets, but as Senior Fellow Dr. Paul Coomes and Research Assistant Dasha Kolyaskina find, Kentucky’s state and large city budgets weathered these restrictions quite well.
November – Exploring Barriers to Kentucky Broadband Expansion
In light of the coronavirus pandemic, access to high quality, reliable broadband internet has become more important than ever. Pegasus Institute founder and contributor Jordan Harris explains what Kentucky policymakers can do to improve access to broadband, especially last mile broadband.
December – Anti-SLAPP legislation and the First Amendment
Strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPP) are a tool often used to intimidate or silence critics with expensive legal proceedings. Governments, companies, or individuals may use lawsuits, or even the threat of a lawsuit, to punish those who have exercised their First Amendment rights. Plaintiffs do not file SLAPP suits with any intention to win them. Anti-SLAPP laws prevent these unnecessary and often costly lawsuits that have no objective other than to waste opponents’ money and to intimidate them, which is especially important as these lawsuits can have a chilling effect on constitutionally protected speech. However, anti-SLAPP legislation must be tailored to allow legitimate lawsuits to continue, while preventing abuses of the
system.