Do you need a college degree to be successful? Why does college cost so much? How do we ensure higher education is flexible and affordable? Come hear a nuanced discussion about college costs and what states and the federal government should do about it. Join us at 11 am EST. Opening remarks will be made by Joseph Lehman, president of the Mackinac Center. Featured panelists will be Jason Delisle, visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, Jeremy Horpedahl, assistant professor of economics at the University of Central Arkansas, and Jarrett Skorup, director of marketing and communications at the Mackinac Center.
State mandates put in place to temporarily limit the spread of COVID-19 created widespread, ongoing economic ramifications. Economists and others are working to estimate the full costs of these actions, but the task is difficult considering how unprecedented and broad these state mandates have been. This virtual event will discuss sound economic theory and practical suggestions for initiating research, locating data and producing good, original scholarship. Join us at 6:00 pm EST. Sponsored by the Charles M. Bauervic Foundation, and presented in conjunction with Northwood University, our presenters will be Michael LaFaive, senior director of the Morey Fiscal Policy Initiative at the Mackinac Center, and Northwood University department chair Dale Matcheck. This event will be moderated by John Gustincic, director of the Alden B. Dow Center for Creativity and Enterprise.
The need for greater flexibility in the state's K-12 education system has been underscored by recent experiences with pandemic restrictions and remote learning. The Mackinac Center proposes a new Flex Learning model that would bring about needed changes. Join this virtual event at 11:00 am EST as our featured speakers discuss an educational plan that would give students and families across Michigan the ability to craft combinations of virtual and in-person learning opportunities, as well as choose dual-enrollment courses and career apprenticeships. Our presenters will include Ben DeGrow, the Mackinac Center’s director of education policy, Phil Janis, principal of the Morey FlexTech High School in Shepherd, Mich., and two experts from ExcelinEd – a leading national education reform organization – director of educational opportunity Cara Candal and Midwest regional advocacy director Zach Eckert. Joseph Lehman, president of the Mackinac Center, will provide opening remarks.
This virtual event will assess and discuss Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s unprecedented actions in response to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Join us at 6:00 pm EST. Sponsored by the Charles M. Bauervic Foundation, and presented in conjunction with Northwood University, this panel of three experts will cover the legal questions, as well as the economic consequences for entrepreneurs and the broader economy. Moderated by John Gustincic, director of the Alden B. Dow Center for Creativity and Enterprise, our featured panelists will be Northwood University department chairs James Hop and Dale Matcheck, as well as Mackinac Center for Public Policy’s director of research, Michael Van Beek.
This online event will give a general overview of how Michigan's tax system compares to other states, how the 2020 election affected taxes and what the tax policy conversation will look like in 2021. Join us at 11 am EST / 8 am PST. Opening remarks will be made by Joseph Lehman, president of the Mackinac Center. Featured speakers will be Janelle Cammenga, policy analyst with the Tax Foundation's Center for State Tax Policy, and James Hohman, the Mackinac Center’s director of fiscal policy.
This event will feature author C. Jarrett Dieterle, and Michael LaFaive, senior director of the Morey Fiscal Policy Initiative, as they discuss Mr. Dieterle's recently released book Give Me Liberty and Give Me a Drink!, current alcohol regulations and what reforms should be made to change them. Opening remarks will be made by Joseph Lehman, president of the Mackinac Center. Join us at 11 am EDT / 8 am PDT.
This Goldwater Institute event will feature Mackinac Center's director of environmental policy Jason Hayes as he discusses his new report on wildfires and what steps we can take to take control of them before they start. Join the Goldwater Institute at 2 pm EDT / 11 am PDT.
Please join our Planning for Life workshop to learn more about designing a will or estate plan that reflects your values and your heritage. Whether you are just beginning to think about your legacy plan, or need to update existing documents, you will leave our presentation equipped to move forward. This virtual presentation will begin at 11:00 a.m. on September 29th.
Join the Mackinac Center’s Morey Fiscal Policy Initiative and National Review Institute on September 22, 2020 for our Virtual Policy Forum, “State Economic Development Programs: Why Feed Sparrows Through a Horse?” Join us at 1 pm EDT.
This event will feature Campaign for Common Good's founder Philip K. Howard and the Mackinac Center's director of research Michael Van Beek as they discuss the Campaign, making the case for a government reboot no matter who wins the presidential election. The event will be moderated by Lindsay Killen, the Mackinac Center's vice president for strategic outreach and communications, and opening remarks will be made by Joseph Lehman, president of the Mackinac Center. Join us at 11 am EDT / 8 am PDT.
We regret to inform you that this event has been cancelled.
We regret to inform you that this event has been cancelled.
We regret to inform you that this event has been cancelled.
This event will discuss the health and economic harms from Gov. Whitmer's executive orders and the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation's lawsuit against the governor. The event panel will feature Dr. Randal Baker, a general surgeon in Grand Rapids whose practice was largely shut down from the executive orders, and Patrick Wright, vice president for legal affairs at the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation. Opening remarks will be made by Joseph Lehman, president of the Mackinac Center. Join us at 11 am EDT / 8 am PDT.
We regret to inform you that this event has been cancelled.
In light of COVID-19, what do families need to know to make informed decisions about homeschooling, virtual schooling and other unconventional options? What will this disruption mean for Michigan’s K-12 education landscape? Join us at 11 am EDT / 8 am PDT. Opening remarks will be made by Joseph Lehman, president of the Mackinac Center, and featured speakers will be Leanne Van Beek, a practicing homeschooler and consultant, Deana Garcia, mother of a student at a virtual high school and Ben DeGrow, the Mackinac Center’s director of education policy.
Join us at 2 pm EDT / 11 am PDT. After opening remarks by Joseph Lehman, president of the Mackinac Center, experts Jason Hayes, director of Environmental Policy at the Mackinac Center, and Todd Myers, director of the Center for the Environment at the Washington Policy Center, will discuss how the seven basic principles presented in their new publication can start legislators and regulators off on the right path by ensuring private property rights are protected and the productive and creative abilities of free markets are maximized.
Join us for this online event as we look into the recent failure of two mid-Michigan dams. What caused the failures, and how can we begin to repair the damage? Opening remarks will be made by Joseph Lehman, president of the Mackinac Center, followed by featured speakers David Kepler, owner of TCP Investments, and Jason Hayes, director of the Mackinac Center's Environmental Policy Initiative.
Join us for this online event to hear opening remarks by Joseph Lehman, president of the Mackinac Center, followed by the Mackinac Center's Patrick Wright, vice president for legal affairs, and Michael Van Beek, director of research, who will discuss Gov. Whitmer's use of emergency powers, what Michigan law allows and the Center’s legal challenges to the governor’s overreach.
Join us May 27th at 11 am EDT / 8 am PDT, as we host three energy and environmental policy experts to discuss what energy could (and should) look like in a pandemic and flood-weary country.
Join the Mackinac Center for a virtual town hall with two leading lawmakers representing two states making very different policy decisions in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.
We regret to inform you that this event has been cancelled.
Join us for this online event as we hear leaders of both the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and the Mackinac Center discuss ways Michigan can reopen its economy, while maintaining public safety.
Join us for this online event as Robert Whaples, professor and chair of the department of economics at Wake Forest University and the managing editor of the Independent Review, discusses the classic Robert Higgs book "Crisis and Liviathan" in light of the COVID-19 crisis.
Join us for an online policy forum on education policy featuring Mackinac Center’s director of education policy Ben DeGrow, Dr. Michael McShane, director of national research at EdChoice, and Robert Pondiscio, senior fellow and vice president for external affairs at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute.
Join us for an online policy forum on labor policy reforms featuring guest speakers F. Vincent Vernuccio and Joseph G. Lehman.
We regret to inform you that this event has been cancelled.
We regret to inform you that this event has been cancelled.
The Mackinac Center is pleased to host a Q&A with Grover Norquist to discuss these issues and more. The conversation will cover tax, regulatory and political changes at the state and federal level and what big issues are on the horizon.
Miss Virginia is based on the true story of Virginia Walden Ford, a single mom from Washington, D.C., who turned the fight for her own son’s education into a parent army that brought private school choice to the nation’s capital. Her story is an inspiration to families everywhere who need a way to access effective education options for their children.
A panel of leaders with relevant experiences overseeing schools in troubled urban communities will share their experiences and ideas at this event.
Dr. Paul Kengor, a historian and professor of political science, will talk about the forgotten history and legacy of communism and socialism and their effect on society and political conversations today.
Join us for an evening of fellowship among friends of liberty.
The Mackinac Center for Public Policy announces our 2019 Planning for Life Workshops around Michigan.
Featuring: Michael LaFaive, senior director of fiscal policy at the Mackinac Center and James Hohman, director of fiscal policy at the Mackinac Center.
Michigan’s auto insurance premiums have been the highest in America for the last six years – in large part because our state’s unique combination of no-fault regulation and unlimited personal-injury benefits has caused medical costs from auto accidents to surge out of control. However, in May, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Legislature agreed on a significant reform package that should provide Michigan motorists with significant relief as soon as next summer.
The Mackinac Center Policy Forum is a half day devoted to public policies that matter greatly to friends of free markets and free people. Join us in Traverse City as we discuss such topics as government internet, free market environmentalism, the state budget and related tax debate, education reform and recent legislative action.
The Mackinac Center for Public Policy announces our 2019 Planning for Life Workshops around Michigan.
For too long, Michigan law has made it easy for certain local governments to confiscate your property through dubious means, with some Southeast Michigan agencies being some of the most egregious offenders. However, the tide is starting to turn and provide Michiganders with a greater level of legal protections against such overreach. A new state law prohibits local law enforcement agencies from taking your personal property without first convicting you of a crime, while a pair of lawsuits are challenging the practice of practice of home equity theft by government.
Dr. William S. Smith will discuss quality-life measurements, compare the difference between the government and private insurance when determining treatment and talk about the push for rationing of medical care by federal and state governments.
How does Michigan insurance compare to that of other states? Why is insurance most expensive in Detroit? What fiscal impact does this have on the average household and also on the low-income household? Answers to these questions and more were recently addressed in a report published by Poverty Solutions, a research initiative at the University of Michigan, and these findings will be presented at this event.
The Mackinac Center for Public Policy announces our 2019 Planning for Life Workshops around Michigan.
Please Join Sylvie Légère, President and Co-Founder of The Policy Circle, and the Mackinac Center for Public Policy for a Policy Circle Conversation to discuss Free Enterprise.
What’s the right balance between local, state and federal control? What about the rights of citizens — should these vary widely based on where one chooses to live? This panel will feature a lawmaker, policy expert and local government advocate to talk about what is happening in Michigan and across the nation on these issues.
Join us to hear Dr. Larry Schweikart speak about his new biography title Reagan: The American President.
Seizure and forfeiture are important parts of the criminal justice system. In principle, this process is helpful for taking away assets from criminals and goods obtained illegally. But it’s easily abused, and Michiganders deserve to have their property rights protected. This panel will feature points of views from law enforcement, researchers and legislators. The discussion will be on why Michigan should continue to reform its civil asset forfeiture system and how to get it right.
Criminal justice reform will continue to be a hot topic in Lansing this year, as lawmakers on the left and right advance various proposals for reforming the system. But in order to properly evaluate the potential for successful change, it’s important to understand the nuts and bolts of how the system currently operates.
Public policy choices can have profound consequences on the decisions individuals make about their own opportunities — where to live, work, invest and raise families. What can government leaders do to influence those choices? Respect economic freedom.
