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Education
Cascade Policy Institute is dedicated to presenting
Oregonians with promising, cost effective ways to improve
education. To fulfill that mission, we ask fundamental
questions: How can we empower teachers in the classroom? Who
should be the decision-makers for a school? What incentives
would lead to better school performance? How can parents
gain more control over their children's education?
School choice, disciplined fiscal policy and innovative,
market-oriented alternatives are the calling cards of the
Institute's education research. Over the last decade Cascade
has been at the forefront of reform debates in Oregon and
has advanced real policy solutions. In 1993, Cascade brought
Ted Kolderie, the father of the national charter school
movement, to Portland; six years later and with Cascade's
input, the Oregon State Legislature passed a law allowing
charter schools in Oregon.
Beyond charter schools, Cascade explores a variety of
education-related issues, including tuition tax credits,
vouchers, teacher certification and school funding. In
addition, the Institute takes an active role in improving
education for Oregonians through the Children's Scholarship
Fund - Portland. This privately funded program is providing
four-year scholarships to several hundred low-income
families in the Portland area so that they can send their
children to the schools of their choice.
From private scholarships to detailed analysis of
spending and reform issues, Cascade helps promote policies
that encourage choice and competition, to the benefit of
teachers, parents and children.
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Environment
Over the last three decades America has increasingly
looked to the federal government to protect the environment.
Yet laws such as the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts,
Superfund, and The Endangered Species Act have proven costly
and disappointingly ineffective. Cascade Policy Institute
examines current approaches to managing the environment and
recommends policy reforms that encourage better stewardship.
Cascade's approach, sometimes called "free-market
environmentalism," emphasizes the importance of wealth
creation and incentives in environmental protection. The
Institute shows how greater wealth gives us the wherewithal
to solve environmental problems, while private property
ownership and market forces offer incentives for individuals
to conserve resources. When coupled with an appropriate
liability system, property rights can also prevent
individuals and companies from damaging land and property
they do not own as well.
Cascade Policy Institute has been a leader in promoting
free-market environmentalism in Oregon, by hosting speakers,
publishing papers and offering invited testimony before
various public bodies. In 1997, Cascade deepened its
commitment to this issue by hiring one of Oregon's most
prominent environmentalists, John A. Charles, to work
full-time as the Institute's environmental policy director.
Prior to joining Cascade, John spent 20 years working in the
environmental movement, first in New York, and then for 16
years as director of the Oregon Environmental Council.
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Fiscal/ Budget
Cascade Policy Institute provides sound analysis of tax
and budget policies and offers practical suggestions for
reducing the expense of government. In addition to
advocating fiscal responsibility, Cascade emphasizes quality
and consumer choice in the delivery of vital services.
Cascade offers solutions in the face of budget
shortfalls, and alternatives to high taxes, through its
reports and public forums. From the timeless Seven
Principles of State Budget Reform to the ground breaking Can
Oregon Tighten its Fiscal Belt? Benchmarking Oregon
government spending, Cascade has played an instrumental role
in shaping policy debate.
The Institute's fiscal policy work is based on sound
economic principles, among them, that competition and choice
are essential for improving our quality of life.
Specifically, Oregonians will benefit if we lower barriers
to competitive and private provision of services, replace
broad based tax schemes with user charges, and provide
vouchers for those currently relying on public assistance.
These and other Cascade-proposed reforms will help all
Oregonians keep more of their earnings and gain greater
control over the important decisions in their lives.
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Growth
Though smart growth and livability are political
buzzwords that have only recently received national
attention, Oregon has had over 20 years' experience with
implementing policies aimed at limiting "sprawl." Portland
in particular is frequently touted as the "poster city" of
smart growth.
From land use restrictions that govern every inch of land
in the state, to costly expenditures on Portland's light
rail lines, Oregon's growth management policies have had
negative consequences including rising housing costs,
increased traffic congestion and restricted choices for
commuters, property owners and citizens.
Cascade Policy Institute leads the way in debunking the
smart growth myth and presenting alternative policy
solutions. Located in the heart of Portland, Cascade offers
a unique, up-close perspective for which the Institute has
gained national recognition; media, policymakers and
organizations around the country increasingly look to
Cascade for land use and transportation policy advice.
In contrast to the command and control nature of smart
growth policies, the Institute's alternative solutions rely
on property rights, market incentives and decentralized
decision-making. Cascade promotes such strategies as
peak-period road pricing, privatized and competitive transit
systems and performance zoning, in an effort to address
growth related concerns while upholding individual choice
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