Highlighting policies and initiatives to advance innovation and drive economic growth

The State of Start-ups

When President Obama will deliver his first State of the Union address is still unclear. However, with 80 percent of the population believing that new economic growth and jobs will come from entrepreneurs, discussion around what his address should include in terms of policies that encourage new star... [More]
Posted By: Jonathan Ortmans at 01/18/2010 09:30 AM | Comments (8)
Actions: RSS Print

Small Businesses’ Views on Health Care

A Dallas Morning News article recently argued that in Texas, where fewer than 50 percent of private-sector employers offer health insurance, some small firms say they would be more competitive if they dropped coverage and paid the fine that is stipulated in the House bill. In other words, the fee wo... [More]
Posted By: Mark Marich at 12/04/2009 07:35 AM | Comments (46)
Actions: RSS Print

Health Care Reform: Don’t Shortchange our Growth Drivers

On the heels of the Senate Finance Committee’s long-awaited vote on its health care bill, I thought it would be helpful to once more comment on its effect on our entrepreneurs.  The status quo in healthcare undermines entrepreneurship: small businesses are paying a higher cost to offer he... [More]
Posted By: Jonathan Ortmans at 10/13/2009 14:37 PM | Comments (83)
Actions: RSS Print

An Emerging National Innovation Strategy

While President Obama has said a lot of the right things about innovation and entrepreneurship, a number have pointed to a disconnect between those words and the actions and policies emerging from the Administration. Earlier today, the president again addressed the topic from Hudson Valley Community... [More]
Posted By: Mark Marich at 09/21/2009 15:48 PM | Comments (75)
Actions: RSS Print

Developments in Washington from the Perspective of Small Businesses

PDE staff participated in a Virtual Summit organized by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). Our report of the event follows:On September 15, the NFIB held a Virtual Summit featuring interesting debates on the impact of health care reform proposals and the state of the economy on ... [More]
Posted By: Mark Marich at 09/16/2009 08:42 AM | Comments (99)
Actions: RSS Print

Entrepreneurs As a Solution to Policy Challenges

In the past few months, we have highlighted through articles and factsheets how public policy can make the path easier for entrepreneurship and innovation. With the Policy Dialogue on Entrepreneurship, we hope to emphasize not only how policies can foster entrepreneurs, but ... [More]
Posted By: Jonathan Ortmans at 09/07/2009 07:57 AM | Comments (47)
Actions: RSS Print

Modernizing the Labor Movement: “The Entrepreneurial Union”

Amy Wilkinson, senior fellow at Harvard University’s Center for Business and Government and public policy scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, has been researching and writing about entrepreneurial leadership. In a recent piece for the Stanford Social Innovation Rev... [More]
Posted By: Mark Marich at 09/03/2009 07:39 AM | Comments (31)
Actions: RSS Print

Press Conference on the Health Insurance Reform

Yesterday at a press conference at the Capitol, Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Chair Mary Landrieu, D-La., Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin, Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., discussed the effects skyrocketing health care costs on small... [More]
Posted By: Jonathan Ortmans at 07/31/2009 08:17 AM | Comments (120)
Actions: RSS Print

A Seemingly Simple Concept: Cost Matters

Until late 2008, Tom Sullivan served as the Chief Counsel for Advocacy at the Small Business Administration. While he is now back in the private sector, he is still championing the cause of entrepreneurs and small business owners everywhere.  In a recent blog post on AmericaSpeakOn.org, Sulliv... [More]
Posted By: Mark Marich at 07/20/2009 14:57 PM | Comments (90)
Actions: RSS Print

Unlock Entrepreneurship Through Health Care Reform

As the president of the Public Forum Institute, I have been actively engaged in health care economics for more than 15 years. After facilitating hundreds of town halls aimed at finding common ground, I can attest that whoever leads the charge makes as many enemies as friends. And while it is never g... [More]
Posted By: Jonathan Ortmans at 05/18/2009 11:35 AM | Comments (88)
Actions: RSS Print