Cascade Policy Institute is a non-profit

Non-profit organization

Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...

, non-partisan libertarian

Libertarianism

Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...

 public policy research organization based in Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon

Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...

 that focuses on state and local issues. The institute, founded in January 1991, seeks to "explore and advance public policy

Public policy

Public policy as government action is generally the principled guide to action taken by the administrative or executive branches of the state with regard to a class of issues in a manner consistent with law and institutional customs. In general, the foundation is the pertinent national and...

 alternatives that foster individual liberty

Liberty

Liberty is a moral and political principle, or Right, that identifies the condition in which human beings are able to govern themselves, to behave according to their own free will, and take responsibility for their actions...

, personal responsibility, and economic opportunity". Although not aligned with any political party, the institute advocates policies that promote free markets and limited government

Limited government

Limited government is a government which anything more than minimal governmental intervention in personal liberties and the economy is generally disallowed by law, usually in a written constitution. It is written in the United States Constitution in Article 1, Section 8...

.

Cascade publishes policy studies, quarterly newsletters, and commentaries on a variety of topics, including education, the environment, growth management, transportation, fiscal policy, health care, social services and more. The Institute also hosts meetings and conferences with local and national experts.

Cascade neither solicits nor accepts government funding, and is supported by individual, foundation, and corporate contributions. It is a member of the State Policy Network

State Policy Network

The State Policy Network is a U.S. national network of free-market oriented think tanks focused on individual U.S. states. SPN is based in Arlington, Virginia.-History:SPN was founded in 1992 by Thomas A...

.

Unemployment Insurance

Cascade is attempting to start a pilot program that would allow employers and works to opt-out of unemployment insurance in order to take part in Individual Asset Accounts (IAAs). Under this proposal employers would direct the money normally paid for payroll taxes that fund unemployment insurance to private accounts for each worker. IAAs could be accessed during times of unemployment or if a worker wishes to invest in additional education. Upon retirement IAAs would be rolled into the worker's IRA or other retirement plan. On death the assets in the account would pass to heirs.

Wheels to Wealth

Wheels to Wealth is an on-going project by Cascade to educate the public and policy makers about the value of car ownership in helping improve economic opportunity for the poor. According to Cascade research has shown that automobile ownership has a positive effect on employment. One study, by Kerri Sullivan of Portland State University, found that car ownership reduced the likelihood of being unemployed by 80 percent, increased average weekly wages by $275, and increased the average time worked each year by 8.5 weeks. Cascade hopes to encourage assistance for car ownership among low income groups and make changes in welfare and transport policy to promote car ownership.

Children's Scholarship Fund-Portland

The Children's Scholarship Fund (CSF) helps economically disadvantaged children in Oregon by award partial-tuition scholarships to K-8 students attending private schools or being home schooled. CSF also aims to improve educational opportunities for all children by promoting education reform and school choice.

Steve Buckstein

Buckstein serves as Senior Policy Analyst. He helped start Cascade and served as the organization's president since its founding in 1991 until 2004. Buckstein speaks and writes on numerous topics with a focus on education and Social Security reform. Buckstein spearheaded a 1990 ballot measure that would have provided tax credits to all K-12 students in order to promote school choice. He ran for State Treasurer as a Libertarian in 1988. Buckstein attended Oregon State University where he received an undergraduate degree in physics and an MBA.

John A. Charles, Jr.

Charles has served as President and CEO of Cascade since May 2005. Charles first joined Cascade in 1997 as Environmental Policy Director. His work focused on transportation, urban planning, land use, and using free-market approaches to solve environmental problems. He is best known for his work on managing urban growth and frequently lectures on this topic. Charles' opinion pieces have been published in newspapers all over the United States. Previously he was executive director of the Oregon Environmental Council. He served in that capacity for 17 years. During that time he also served on numerous local, state, and federal boards and commissions dealing with environmental issues. Influencing state legislation was a key component of Charles' work and he helped author numerous pieces of environmental legislation that eventually became law. Charles hold an undergraduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh

University of Pittsburgh

The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...

 awarded in 1976 and an MPA

MPA

-Academic degrees:* Master of Professional Accountancy* Master of Public Administration* Master of Public Affairs* Master of Physician's Assistant-Chemicals:* Medroxyprogesterone acetate, also known by the brand name Depo-Provera* Morpholide of pelargonic acid...

from Portland State University

Portland State University

Portland State University is a public state urban university located in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1946, it has the largest overall enrollment of any university in the state of Oregon, including undergraduate and graduate students. It is also the only public university in...

granted in 1990.