In Massachusetts, quasi-public agencies perform vital government functions, delivering essential services such as operating public buses and rail systems, delivering drinking water and managing public pensions. But, too often, information on how quasi-publics perform those functions is inaccessible to the public. Out of the Shadows documents the size and extent of quasi-public agencies in Massachusetts and makes the case for greater transparency. (May 2010)

This report evaluates states’ progress toward “Transparency 2.0” – a new standard of comprehensive, one-stop, one-click budget accountability and accessibility. At least 7 states have become leaders in the drive toward Transparency 2.0, launching easy-to-use, searchable Web sites with a wide range of spending transparency information.

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The ability to see how government uses the public purse is fundamental to democracy. Budget transparency checks corruption, bolsters public confidence in government, and promotes fiscal responsibility. At least 29 states currently mandate that residents be able to access a searchable online database of government expenditures. These states have come to define “Transparency 2.0” – a new standard of comprehensive, one-stop, one-click budget accountability and accessibility. California has taken some steps towards better transparency, but still falls far short of the best practices established by other states. This report describes how California can fill in the gaps in government reporting and bring its online transparency up to speed. (October 2009)

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Chicago is at the forefront of the trend toward privatization of public assets. Since 2005, the city has leased a major toll road, four city-owned parking garages and 36,000 parking meters to private investors. Privatization and the Public Interest tells the story of the Chicago experience, which has delivered huge short-term cash inflows to the city at the risk of serious harm to the long-term public interest. The report recommends that Chicago embrace stronger protections for the public in future deals and use new tools to increase government transparency.

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Toll road privatization is becoming an increasingly important trend in the United States, with major implications for the public interest. Several states have sold off, or considered selling off, existing toll roads in exchange for huge upfront cash payments, while in other states, private companies have been given the right to build private roads and collect tolls from motorists. Private Roads, Public Costs spotlights this emerging trend, calls attention to the potential threats that toll road privatization poses to the public interest, and lays out an agenda for protecting the public. (March 2009)

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Out-of-district financial contributions from special interests and wealthy individuals undermine democracy in North Carolina by reducing the influence of citizens who live in a candidate’s district. Looking for Funds in All the Wrong Places analyzes contributions to 10 powerful members of North Carolina’s Legislature during their 2006 campaigns to determine how much funding came from outside the candidates’ districts. On average, 74 percent of funding came from outside the district, including 14 percent from outside the state. North Carolina should adopt a public financing system for legislative campaigns to address this problem. (April 2007)

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Michigan’s campaign finance laws allow citizens to make large donations to individual candidates and unlimited contributions to political action committees (PACs), undermining the ability of ordinary citizens to be heard in the political process. The absence of limits on giving to PACs distorts what should be a tool through which ordinary citizens can aggregate their political power into just another route for wealthy citizens to use money to influence elections. An analysis of data from the 2002 election cycle shows that some Michigan PACs are dominated by a few wealthy individuals who made contributions far greater than those feasible for citizens of average means. (February 2004)

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