Southwest Public Policy Institute

Southwest Public Policy Institute (SPPI) is a libertarian research organization that examines data-driven policies in education, crime, and economics in the American Southwest.

History
Southwest Public Policy Institute was founded by Patrick Brenner as a regional think tank. Among the founding board members was James Hallinan, who died in 2023. In July 2022, the Southwest Public Policy Institute requested details about the Vax 2 the Max program, which offered cash prizes to promote vaccinations, using the Inspection of Public Records Act. Due to a lack of response, SPPI later sued the state for potential act violations.

In September 2022, the Southwest Public Policy Institute sued the New Mexico Department of Taxation and Revenue (NMTRD) over an unfulfilled Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA) request.

In 2023, the Southwest Public Policy Institute launched the "Bureau to Protect Financial Consumers" campaign in response to a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau data breach that exposed personal information of over 250,000 consumers. The campaign aims to aggregate affected consumers' stories to advocate for accountability and enhanced data protection measures at the CFPB.

Research
In 2022 and 2023, the Southwest Public Policy Institute (SPPI) surveyed more than 600 parents from Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) and over 300 from Las Cruces Public Schools (LCPS) about the past five years of education. Most parents from these two major New Mexico districts expressed dissatisfaction with the quality of public education and preferred higher-quality charter school options, if accessible.

In 2023, the Southwest Public Policy Institute analyzed intragovernmental advocacy in eight American Southwest states. The study revealed consistent taxpayer-funded lobbying practices across states, including Colorado, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and California. Public-sector entities notably influenced topics such as school choice, corporate incentives, criminal justice, and environmental regulations.

In June 2023, the Southwest Public Policy Institute released "No Loan for You, Too!", analyzing the impact of price controls on short-term loan accessibility. The report indicated challenges for the underbanked and unbanked in securing such loans, despite the claims of interest rate cap proponents.

Marianne T. Anderson Memorial Fellowship

 * Jack Radomski
 * Brandt Kringlie
 * Wake Gardner