Articles and research chosen based on its quality and relevance to Public Sector Inc by the PSI editor.

TOP 10 READS

Special Interest: Teachers Unions and America's Public Schools, Terry Moe, (Brookings Institution Press), March 2011

The Market Value of Public-Sector Pension Deficits, Andrew G. Biggs, April 2010
Compares pension funding by percentage of state GNP—and comes up with a new list of most underfunded plans.

The Trillion dollar Gap: Underfunded state retirement systems and the roads to reform, Pew Center on the States, Susan K. Urahn, February 2010
 Comprehensive report on state retirement funding issues.

The Liabilities and Risks of State- Sponsored Pension Plans, Robert Novy-Marx and Joshua D. Rauh, Journal of Economic Perspestives, Fall 2009
 Pioneering researchers use market value accounting to suggest size of U.S. public pension gap is more than $3 trillion.

Underfunded Teacher Pension Plans: It's Worse Than You Think, Josh Barro, Stuart Buck, Civic Report 61, Manhattan Institute, April 2010
There is a major disparity between what states report and the true value of unfonded liabilities.   

Iceberg Ahead: The Hidden Cost of Public-Sector Retiree Health Benefits in New York, ECNY Special Report, E.J. McMahon, Empire Center, October 13, 2010
An accounting of the large, and largely unnoticed, retiree health care obligations facing New York State and its municipalities—and therefore taxpayers

The Beholden State, Steven Malanga, City Journal, Spring 2010
A look at the unsustainable cost structure of California government, driven by public employee unions’ demands for higher compensation and spending

The Trouble with Public Sector Unions, Daniel DiSalvo, National Affairs, Fall 2010
How  and why public sector unions evolved into major political players at the state and local level.

Public Sector Unions and the Rising Cost of Employee Compensation, Chris Edwards, Cato Journal, Winter 2010
How public sector union power translates into higher employee compensation costs.

Shakedown: The Continuing Conspiracy Against the American Taxpayer, Steve Malanga, Fall 2010
A look at the symbiotic relationship between public employee unions, government-financed non-profits, and ever bigger government