Under current Michigan law, Tesla Motors and other car companies may not open showrooms or service centers to work directly with consumers.  Instead, to operate in Michigan, car companies have to enter into franchise agreements with independent dealers.  Telsa and at least one other start-up car company, Elio Motors, have stated that working through dealers would impair their ability to get into the market.  A number of other states have recently moved to permit direct distribution by manufacturers.  Professor Crane will lay out the case for direct distribution, showing its importance to innovation, competition, and consumer choice.

The Mackinac Center for Public Policy invites you to join us for our 2015 Legacy Society Luncheon with special guest Jay Nordlinger of National Review.

The Mackinac Center for Public Policy announces our 2015 Planning for Life Workshops around Michigan.

Public workers in Michigan pay hundreds or thousands of dollars per year in dues to unions, but it’s very difficult for workers to find out how that money is being spent. The reason is that Michigan has weak reporting requirements for government unions, asking for only a few numbers on spending in broad categories. Under this system, union members cannot assess if their union is spending their dues money wisely or not.

The Mackinac Center for Public Policy and Northwood University Forum for Citizenship & Enterprise cordially invite you to join us in celebrating Milton Friedman Legacy Day 2015.

The Mackinac Center for Public Policy announces our 2015 Planning for Life Workshops around Michigan.

The Mackinac Center for Public Policy announces our 2015 Planning for Life Workshops around Michigan.

The Mackinac Center’s Arthur N. Rupe Foundation Debate will address the question of whether individuals who donate to nonprofit organizations or political issues should be able to maintain their privacy.

Civil asset forfeiture is a legal process by which allows the police to seize and sell private property, even if no crime has been charged against the owner of that property. Several states have recently reformed their civil asset forfeiture laws, and Eric Holder, the U.S. Attorney General, has called for improving federal laws pertaining to this practice.

Many middle-class Michiganders think that most low-performing schools are located in poor inner cities such as Detroit, not in their nice neighborhoods or in their smaller towns. They need to think again.