Diagnosing the Problem, Prescribing the Cure: Major Studies

Transforming Michigan
Not a major study, but ten key policy recommendations from the studies below and others.

Michigan at the Crossroads
Again, not a major study, but a major speech that brings together many of the findings from the studies below.

MEGA: A Retrospective Assessment
Rather than “get the incentives right” overall, Michigan’s political establishment (both parties) have instead sought to fix the problem with targeted tax- and direct-business subsidies. MEGA is the flagship program in this effort, and this study provides evidence that it has not improved Michigan’s per-capita personal income, employment or unemployment rate.

Recommendations to Strengthen Civil Society and Balance Michigan’s State Budget — 2nd Edition
A prerequisite to getting the economic incentives right is to reduce the level of government spending. Three times in the past decade the Mackinac Center has analyzed the state budget line-by-line and pointed out common-sense ways in which spending can be cut. In this most recent edition some $2 billion in potential cuts were identified.

Keeping Michigan on Track: A Blueprint for a Freer, More Prosperous State
A comprehensive list of 77 recommendations that if adopted would make Michigan’s economy a wealth and job-producing wonder of the modern world.

The Effect of Right-to-Work Laws on Economic Development
For the last thirty years Right-to-Work states have been outperforming compuslory unionism states such as Michigan. This report demonstrates how individual freedom and higher productivity give workers in Right-to-Work states the edge in job opportunities, employment, and purchasing power