In a new policy report, Beware the Trojan Horse of Rulemaking Nongovernment Organizations, The Buckeye Institute outlines the history of national and international nongovernmental organizations (NGO), which present a unique regulatory threat disguised as an innocuous Trojan gift horse. “NGOs operate opaquely, with little public scrutiny, and their seemingly benign proposals can be a Trojan Horse leading to needless government regulations. Regulators and elected representatives should be wary of NGOs bearing gifts.”

In 2024, Ohio fell two spots in the Economic Freedom of North America 2024 report, ranking 35th out of all 50 states and Puerto Rico. The report, released by The Buckeye Institute in partnership with Canada’s Fraser Institute, ranks all states and provinces in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, as well as the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico based on economic freedom, measured by government spending, taxation, and labor-market freedom. 

In a new policy report, How to Make Ohio Healthcare More Affordable: A Public Policy Guide, The Buckeye Institute outlines nine commonsense policy and regulatory reforms that state policymakers can adopt to make healthcare more affordable. “Employers across the country face the challenge of finding affordable healthcare plans that meet the needs of their employees. Fortunately, as The Buckeye Institute’s report outlines, transparency, choice, and competition offer better paths forward for reducing costs and improving quality in healthcare.”   

As the Ohio Senate Government Oversight Committee takes up Ohio House Bill 238—a review of Ohio’s occupational licenses requirements—The Buckeye Institute issued a new policy memo urging lawmakers to continue reducing burdensome, unnecessary requirements that hinder careers and make it harder for people to join the workforce. In previous research, Buckeye identified 47 licenses that the state should eliminate or reform. This latest policy paper builds on this earlier research.

The Buckeye Institute released a new policy memo outlining the failures of government-owned broadband networks (GON) and encouraging local governments to utilize public-private partnerships with cutting-edge technology companies to deploy adequate broadband for customers. The Buckeye Institute outlines how, for years, local governments have propped up GONs to provide internet service in their communities and how those efforts have failed, most recently in Bryan, Ohio.

The Buckeye Institute released a new policy memo urging lawmakers to help Ohioans struggling with debt and adopt policies to improve debt resolution options and increase “consumer access to all available debt management and settlement options.” Consumer debt is not “a generic one-size-fits-all problem with a one-size-fits-all solution. Debt repayment programs can and should vary,” and “well-tailored laws, rules, and oversight should ensure that debt resolution companies operate ethically and effectively.”

In a new policy memo, How Higher Hospital Costs Lead to Higher Prices, The Buckeye Institute outlines one of the largest single drivers of healthcare costs—rising hospital costs. In his memo, Rea S. Hederman Jr., executive director of the Economic Research Center and vice president of policy at The Buckeye Institute, notes that hospital costs account for 30 percent of all healthcare spending. Hederman urges “hospitals—and the policymakers that help oversee them” to “look for ways to control spending and alleviate known causes of higher costs.”

In a new policy memo, Classroom Space for Every Student in Every Family in Every Community, The Buckeye Institute offers lawmakers additional solutions to address the growing need for classroom space in private and charter schools, given the success of the Ohio EdChoice program and the increasing demand for vouchers. In this new memo, Buckeye builds on an earlier recommendation and urges lawmakers to “authorize the state treasurer to make linked deposit programs and a loan guarantee program available to non-district schools.”

In a new policy memo, Focus Higher Ed Capital Budget Spending on Building a 21st Century Workforce, The Buckeye Institute recommends that capital budget requests from public universities only be granted for the “construction, maintenance, demolition, and repurposing of buildings needed for educating students on public campuses.” With growing student debt, rising tuition, and stagnant and declining enrollment, legislators should grant capital requests to help right-size campuses and meet the “education needs of the 21st century.” 
 

In a new report—A Healthcare World Reimagined: How Big Government Threatens Healthcare AI and What to Do About It—that is no April Fools’ Day joke, The Buckeye Institute outlines policy solutions and regulatory changes lawmakers should address to capitalize on the benefits of artificial intelligence to improve healthcare services. “Artificial intelligence, even in its fledgling stage, already shows great promise for improving healthcare services for physicians, hospital systems, and their patients.”