All 2026 Publications

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1. The Overton Window and The Political Vise: How Are Policy Decisions Made?
2. Planning for Life Workshop
3. From Criminal Record to Career: Opening Doors to Work in Michigan
4. The Power of Ideas: The Overton Window and the American Revolution
5. A Taxing Debate in Michigan: Growth, Fairness and Trade-Offs
6. Shrinking unions grasp hold of power through ESG activism
7. Victory for Louisiana workers and First Amendment rights
8. My grandmother’s story is why I believe America is worth celebrating
9. Make Michigan home again
10. Gary Peters’ Senate legacy
11. Dear local leaders: You don’t have to collect every tax dollar you’re allowed
12. Michigan legislators consider a variety of proposals, many bad, on data centers
13. Director of Strategic Partnerships (Gift Officer – Mid-/Northern Michigan)
14. Director of Strategic Partnerships (Gift Officer - Ann Arbor/Detroit)
15. Union Township: New Data, Same Poor Results
16. ‘It doesn’t matter who is in power; power should be restrained in a clear way’
17. Michigan is over-ruled
18. University Student Sues County for Flock Camera Records
19. Michigan’s anti-trust case against fossil fuel companies is absurd
20. Student Sues Genesee County for Flock Camera Records
21. Supreme Court readjusts balance of power
22. Michigan bills move state foster care forward
23. Congress should stop paying states
24. Gretchen Whitmer’s failed literacy test
25. Michigan’s costly bet on corporate subsidies hasn’t paid off
26. Politics needs less messaging and more meaning
27. ‘Human bodies and minds are not one size fits all’
28. Gavin Newsom has a Hollywood subsidy blooper reel
29. States have different standards for reporting spending totals
30. Millages hang on low-turnout votes
31. In corporate welfare, Michigan bets big, loses bigger
32. Parents must take back school boards
33. Farmers step up during health crises
34. The MEDC wants more time — it’s had decades
35. Ohio is eating our lunch
36. Gladwin Mayor Challenges Gag Clause That Restricts Speech
37. Michigan needs more nursing homes; why are we still blocking them?
38. Gladwin Mayor Challenges “Gag Clause” Limiting Elected Officials’ Speech
39. Developer subsidy bill added to the Michigan business subsidy scorecard
40. ‘Access can change the trajectory of anybody's life’
41. Notable rulings from the U.S. Supreme Court this term
42. How does MEDC chief’s defense of business subsidies hold up?
43. Legislative Director, Workers For Opportunity
44. Unlock opportunity to make Michigan more affordable
45. Flock ruffles feathers in Michigan
46. Michigan needs more sunlight
47. New Data: 17% of Cigarettes Consumed in Michigan Were Smuggled
48. What World Cup visitors can teach us about America and civility
49. IMPACT May/June 2026
50. Michigan’s childcare regulations should move toward national levels
51. Illicit smokes: 17% of cigarettes consumed in Michigan during 2024 were smuggled
52. There’s less pork in the state budget but it’s still bad
53. Director of Education Policy
54. Director of Labor Policy
55. Budget highlights and lowlights
56. ‘Whichever candidate wins, they’re both promising to get rid of the personal income tax’
57. Wooden teeth and iron men
58. How much does government regulation actually add to the price of housing?
59. The guild that almost killed the guitar
60. Economic development programs create jobs — for lobbyists
61. Michigan Business Development Program’s deals are plentiful; its results are not
62. Michigan debería adoptar la libertad económica
63. World Cup wisdom
64. When the Unthinkable Became Reality — The American Experiment Embraced
65. Michigan taxpayers are funding the push for higher taxes
66. The subtle art of concealing corporate welfare payments
67. ‘Vote No’ means vote no
68. Michigan roads improve
69. Michigan should not punish short-term rentals
70. Electric school bus replacement plan makes you say watt?
71. Michigan is catching up on its biggest debts
72. Michigan lawmakers push an affordability agenda
73. ‘The more you ask the computer to do for you, the more power you need’
74. New Report: Whitmer’s Subsidy Deals Deliver Just 3% of Promised Jobs
75. Let data centers compete on a level playing field
76. Consolidation shouldn’t be just for school districts
77. Whitmer’s Major Business Subsidy Deals
78. Rx Kids, Poverty Solutions and the Social Safety Net
79. Michigan should embrace economic freedom
80. Mackinac Center Comment on Eliminating Barriers to Broadband Internet
81. Class of 2026: Make yourself indispensable
82. Miranda Stovall v. Jefferson County Board of Education
83. Real Heroes of the American Revolution
84. Ben Sasse’s farewell address
85. Michigan's foster care system needs reform
86. A 'Champion of Education?' Whitmer’s record tells a different story
87. In Michigan, ‘free’ is expensive
88. Planning for Life Workshop
89. Michigan roads improve
90. Traverse City moves the goalposts, again, on broadband service
91. ‘We need to unleash American workers, not protect them’
92. Michigan should not punish short-term rentals
93. Michigan’s Government-Driven Internet Expansion Efforts are Expensive and Ineffective
94. Civility is infrastructure we cannot allow to collapse
95. Subsidies and Setbacks
96. Ohio Supreme Court Asked to Review Union Dues Agreement Dispute
97. Zoning reform can increase housing affordability, birth rates
98. When the State Becomes Guardian: Building a Better Foster System for Michigan Children
99. Mackinac Center Hosts Evening Celebrating America’s 250 Years
100. Who watches Grand Rapids City Hall if the watchdog is muzzled?
101. Workers for Opportunity joins the fight against the Faster Labor Contracts Act
102. Matthew Sheldon v. OAPSE
103. Michigan lawmakers need to understand economics
104. An Evening with the Mackinac Center
105. Michigan can easily handle adding data centers
106. The Past is the Present
107. Public Pensions Should Serve Workers, Not Political Movements
108. Electric school bus replacement plan makes you say watt?
109. A look at Michigan’s property tax
110. Rx Kids: The Promise and Some Concerns
111. Michigan is catching up on its biggest debts
112. Mackinac Center for Public Policy Public Comment on the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s Interim Final Rule on National Bank Non-Interest Charges and Fees and Interim Final Order Preempting the Illinois Interchange Fee Prohibition Act
113. ‘I Realized It Was a Prison Cell’
114. ‘The harsher the childcare regulations, the fewer kids people have’
115. School boards should represent the public, not silence it
116. It’s time to shut down the MEDC
117. The Power of Ideas: The Overton Window and the American Revolution
118. The Real Cost of Affordability
119. Michigan shows how we can make homeownership affordable
120. Is The World Better Off With America?
121. Commonsense Election Reforms in Michigan (And Beyond)
122. It’s time to shut down the MEDC
123. Michigan legalized dental therapists in 2018, but only a few practice
124. Workers for Opportunity celebrates Iowa win
125. Local governments care about government power. We care about freedom
126. Workers for Opportunity celebrates Iowa win
127. Graduation rates rise while student achievement flatlines
128. Detroit: All that glitters might not remain gold
129. Michigan could not be built today
130. Think your electric bill is high?
131. Michigan legalized dental therapists in 2018, but only a few practice
132. ‘Affordable housing: No matter what they say in public, they're terrified of it’
133. Virtue-signaling with state holidays
134. Freeing Health Care Markets: State Solutions for Coverage, Costs, and Innovation
135. Make room for growth
136. Court Freezes Hidden Earmarks in Major Win for Michigan Taxpayers
137. Some Detroiters pay high property taxes, others don’t
138. Whitmer’s budget proposals do not lower costs
139. For once, Michigan said no to new business subsidies
140. Michigan should embrace zoning reform, reject housing subsidies
141. School choice critics’ glaring double standard
142. A Choice Situation
143. Film Subsidies are an Expensive Flop
144. States can cure federal pharma fever
145. Detroit’s zoning history offers lessons for today
146. ‘You never talk to the people who lost the lottery, right?’
147. Unions Leverage Retirement Funds for Political Agendas
148. Unions and ESG: From Worker Representation to Shareholder Activism
149. Legislation Could Threaten Popular Small Consumer Loan Programs
150. Whitmer promised transparency and delivered gag orders
151. Oversight is a key role for local officials
152. The Power of Ideas: The Overton Window and the American Revolution
153. It’s Groundhog Day all over again on free trade
154. IMPACT March/April 2026
155. On housing, local vs. state control is the wrong question
156. Time to make full use of the new earmarks process
157. Michigan’s inflated teacher evals are failing students
158. Price hikes tied to wind and solar
160. Union Township receives recognition, but its performance underwhelms
161. Reform Michigan unemployment insurance
162. Water, Watts and Wealth: The Costs and Benefits of Data Centers in Michigan
163. Freedom notes U.S.A.: Nebraska takes over federal environmental reviews
164. ‘Let me pretend this is true, OK?’
165. ‘The difference between having a good idea and having others embrace it’
166. On housing, local vs. state control is the wrong question
167. Trump, Whitmer and the problem of emergency powers
168. What election reforms are actually possible?
169. What Michigan Can Learn About Reading From Mississippi
170. Michigan’s pandemic lockdowns need a full review
171. The False Promise of Film Incentives
172. The billion-dollar idea Detroit should consider
173. How Civility Strengthens Policy
174. The state of Whitmer’s state
175. Time to make full use of the new earmarks process
176. High gas prices don’t justify emergency powers
177. Free Market Road Show
178. Food trucks, often banned or heavily regulated, may get a chance to thrive
179. ‘If we do meet resistance from elected officials in Detroit, we’ll fund a referendum’
180. Prescription Drug Toolkit Urges States to Take a Bigger Role
181. Yes, other states are building much more housing than Michigan
182. Almost everyone agrees that municipal zoning rules are too strict
183. Where did Michigan’s surplus go?
184. Mackinac Center Applauds Bipartisan Action on Physician Licenses
185. The Free Market Remedy for Drug Pricing Ills
186. Where did Michigan’s surplus go?
187. Michigan’s tax competitiveness is at risk
188. The Economic Spirit of 1776
189. Michigan’s tax competitiveness is at risk
190. Judge throws out Mackinac ferry monopoly claim
191. The Economic Spirit of 1776
192. Success of Rx Kids should prompt reevaluation of welfare programs
193. New Report: Michigan Should Follow Mississippi’s Lead on Reading
194. Rhode Island’s Cigarette Tax Hike Would Fuel Smuggling
195. Michigan’s Broadband moment: Time to focus on connections
196. Supreme Court Turns Away Mother’s Free Speech Appeal
197. Let’s fix licensing systems that lock ex-offenders out of work
198. ‘People bemoan that they can't trust the news’
199. Walter Isaacson to Headline Mackinac Center Event
200. Keep Michigan’s budget sustainable
201. Capping credit card rates unnecessary, harmful
202. Making Drug Policy Work for Patients, Not Institutions
203. Mississippi Learning
204. Michigan Must Have Affordable Reliable Electricity
205. A Lesson from St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations
206. The ideas that built America still matter
207. How Trump can make homeownership affordable
208. Limit zoning to make Michigan grow again
209. Michigan lawmakers move to protect reasonable childhood independence
210. Let’s Build Michigan: Why Housing Costs Have Spiked and How to Fix It
211. Right to compute moves forward in other states
212. Michigan taxpayers build it, but nobody comes
213. ‘All of your data has been stolen’
214. IMPACT January/February 2026
215. Cigarette smuggling increase on the docket in Washington State
216. ‘SAFE’ bills are not safe
217. Seven habits of highly civil people
218. Michigan subsidy picks are a short seller’s bonanza
219. Beware of most-favored-nation drug pricing regs
220. Tax hikes and smuggling: Will Michigan tempt scofflaws?
221. Laws have unintended consequences
222. Time to rein in old MEGA gravy train
223. The state of housing in Michigan
224. Mackinac Center partners for historic summit
225. Why Michigan needs more housing, despite a flat population
226. ‘We don't wear capes’
227. Make Michigan competitive again
228. Michigan Can’t Subsidize Its Way to Growth — It Must Build Its Way There
229. Setting the record straight on schools of choice
230. Michigan Lawmakers Introduce Housing Reform Bills
231. Lawmakers should reject sales tax holidays
232. Voters can lower their own property taxes under Michigan rules
233. I (heart) freedom, and you should too
234. Michigan only enacted 74 laws in 2025. So what?
235. Senior discount won’t solve Michigan’s property tax problem
236. Interest rates should be left to the private market
237. House bill a shot in the arm for Schools of Choice law
238. ‘A country where opportunity is still possible’
239. Licensing rules make Michigan’s health care problems worse
240. All former governors join Mackinac Center civility panel
241. Freedom Notes U.S.A.: Americans want the lights on
242. A Defining Moment for Civility
243. Rhode Island’s Cigarette Tax Hike Would Fuel Smuggling
244. Rochester Schools Trustee Sues to Protect Her Right to Speak with Constituents
245. Rochester Schools Trustee Sues to Protect Her Right to Speak with Constituents
246. Indiana chokes with new cigarette taxes
247. The meaning of America, 250 years later
248. What’s the real poverty line?
249. Grand Rapids should publish its 311 data
250. The state of housing in Michigan
251. Mackinac Center Announces 2026 Policy Priorities
252. Does Michigan Reconnect get people better paying jobs?
253. Public Policy Recommendations 2026
254. Does Michigan Reconnect get people better paying jobs?
255. Give credit where due on the roads deal
256. More solar energy is wrong for Michigan
257. Let interest rates find their market rate
258. ‘Everything exploded in the world of online teaching’
259. Want to boost Michigan? Stop punishing R&D
260. Give credit where due on the roads deal
261. We need real performance metrics for Michigan public universities
262. M.L.K.’s campaign of ideas
263. Michigan hospitals aren’t using charity program for charity
264. Before spending, ask, ‘Is this thing working?’
265. Caregivers pay SEIU dues for no real union benefits
266. It’s time for focus on the debate over subsidies to corporations
267. IMPACT November/December 2025
268. What is the role of a think tank?
269. Matthew Sheldon v. OAPSE
270. Legislature Approved Zero New Business Subsidies in 2025
271. ‘People are very bad at managing their own finances’
272. Mackinac Center Comment to FDA Regarding Modified Risk Tobacco Products
273. Government makes a bad Santa Claus
274. More solar energy is wrong for Michigan
275. 3 ways to rebuild Americans' trust in government
276. America’s flirtation with socialism
277. Whitmer should form a commission to review pandemic response