By Maia Hass As the world becomes more technologically advanced, the online peer-to-peer sharing economy grows with it. In the last decade, digital platforms such as Airbnb, VRBO, and HomeAway have introduced more personalized lodging options. However, the unique features associated with these platforms have raised concerns among consumers and legislators about the lack of … Continue reading How Technology is Enabling a Revolution in Effective, Efficient Self-Regulation
Regulators Adapt to the Sharing Economy
By Matt Kelly The so-called “sharing economy” has revolutionized the way people travel, lodge, eat, and work through companies such as Uber, Lyft, Airbnb, and OpenTable. Buyers and sellers are increasingly transacting on online platforms that use a mix of demand pricing, reputation mechanisms, and computer algorithms to match users. This innovation represents a dramatic challenge … Continue reading Regulators Adapt to the Sharing Economy
New Overtime Rules Blocked For Now, But Uncertainty Weighs on Businesses
By Matt Kelly CLOCK IN TIME: 6:10pm Work in the United States may be about to change. The Department of Labor (DOL) has updated overtime rules relating to the Fair Labor Standards Act, and some changes could have a big impact on businesses’ labor costs. The rules were set to take effect on December 1, … Continue reading New Overtime Rules Blocked For Now, But Uncertainty Weighs on Businesses
Florida Facing the Wrong Direction on Immigration Reform
By Selene Capparelli The US immigration system has been badly broken for many decades. Mass deportation, enhanced border security, and keeping undocumented workers in perpetual illegal status have been proven to be very costly and ineffective methods to handle the constant influx of new immigrants.These policies result in hundreds of border-crossing deaths each year, abject … Continue reading Florida Facing the Wrong Direction on Immigration Reform
Top 2% of state employees see faster rise in income than bottom 98% since the Great Recession
By: Igor Lukashevich In 2014, the world was abuzz with talk of Thomas Piketty’s treatise on global economic inequality, Capital in the Twenty-First Century. The rising global disparity of income, the author argued, will inevitably result in social and economic instability across the world. It is interesting to note that income inequality also exists, and … Continue reading Top 2% of state employees see faster rise in income than bottom 98% since the Great Recession
Health Care and Education Departments Spend the Most of Florida’s State Budget
By: Nick Hyder and Tian Ma With 2015 behind us, it’s worthwhile to take stock of last year’s spending by state government. A state’s spending says a lot about its priorities, and accountability to taxpayers is an important component of a democracy. The Agency for Health Care Administration tops the list of spending by state … Continue reading Health Care and Education Departments Spend the Most of Florida’s State Budget
Privatize the Florida Retirement System
By Randall G. Holcombe, Ph.D. Over the past few years both Governor Scott and several members of the Florida legislature have been pushing the idea of transforming the Florida Retirement System (FRS), which pays pensions to retired state workers, from a defined benefit system into a defined contribution system. A defined benefit system, which covers … Continue reading Privatize the Florida Retirement System
The Current State of Pensions in Florida
By Matt Kelly With their swampy humidity and world famous theme parks, Florida’s cities seem a world away from the frigid cold and automotive factories of Detroit, Michigan. Yet the two states have at least one commonality: underfunded pension liabilities. Such liabilities can potentially put a state or municipality into budgetary crisis, even bankruptcy. Reforming … Continue reading The Current State of Pensions in Florida
Reevaluating Benefit Corporations
Original post date: October 13, 2014 Article by: Dan Davy A previous blog discussed the potential for Florida’s recently passed Benefit Corporation (B-Corp) legislation to encourage social enterprise. Some consider the B Corp movement a “seismic sea change in the world of corporations.” However, whether this legal innovation will make a significant impact on social … Continue reading Reevaluating Benefit Corporations