Events

In today's economy, many businesses are suffering. Many…but not all. They say necessity breeds innovation, and several Boston-based entrepreneurs have found this to be true. "Innovation Works" discussed how young, local entrepreneurs found success in this uncertain economy.

On Thursday, June 25, a panel of experts, including state Education Secretary Paul Reville, graded the success of the 1993 law and identified the likely areas of focus for the future. Their discussion, sponsored by the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth and turning on findings included in the non-partisan think tank’s research report, drew movers and shakers in education, including teachers union officials, Early Education Commissioner Sherri Reneé Killins and Rep. Marty Walz, House chair of the Legislature’s Education Committee.

The latest RealTalk event and the first of a three-part “Our Economy” series explored the issue of growing interest in public service and whether that increase is tied to the recession and a dearth of jobs.

Why do so few people run for office in Massachusetts? And can anything be done about it? Those were the two chief questions discussed by a panel featuring a political science professor, potential gubernatorial candidate, mayoral candidate and state senator who knocked off an incumbent.

Experienced hands in the Fourth Estate jumped from one hot topic to another Friday morning, hurtling from ethics and the economy to the changed and evolving political dynamics on Beacon Hill to a diminished capitol press corps and media strategies out of the Corner Office.

On October 30, a panel of commentators gathered at the Park Plaza Hotel in Boston to discuss the survey's findings, reasons behind the expectations of young adults, and ways government might instill more confidence. The forum was sponsored by the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth, which produced the survey, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of Massachusetts, the State Street Foundation and MassHousing.

The June 20 forum, sponsored by the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth and the Brookings Institution, was hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and included extensive comments from Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and Bruce Katz of the Brookings Institution, with each lambasting failed federal leadership.

Incoming state Education Secretary Paul Reville analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of the public education system in Massachusetts Wednesday morning during a breakfast forum attended by hundreds of system stakeholders at the Intercontinental Hotel.

Spanning political parties, gubernatorial administrations and more than two decades of government administration, former top state budget officials gathered at a downtown Boston hotel and talked taxes and spending for more than an hour.

Addressing the state’s underground economy, using tax policy to spark investment and jobs, improving worker training, passing a $1 billion life sciences bill, and reining in health care costs were among economic stimulus ideas mentioned during a forum Friday, February 8, 2008 on the future of jobs in Massachusetts.