The Cardinal's Nest

The Legislature has approved the Hope Scholarship Rules, so what? Since the West Virginia Supreme Court lifted the injunction in October, the Hope Scholarship program has been moving ahead with implementation. One of the most crucial elements of implementation has been the establishment of the progr… Read More

Survey Says . . .  Leading into the 2023 Legislative Session, our team at the Cardinal Institute commissioned a public opinion survey to track and determine the attitudes and opinions of West Virginia voters on the issues that concern them the most in our state.    … Read More

Reflections on the 2023 State of the State Address January 11th, 2023 West Virginia State of the State Address On Wednesday, January 11, 2023, slightly past 7pm, Gov. Jim Justice delivered what was, perhaps, the most optimistic and upbeat State of the State Address of the seven he has delivered… Read More

Occupational Licensure Stands in the Way of the Path to Prosperity The path to prosperity, for most people, starts with income. Income, collected and saved over time, is what lines the coffers of most financially secure people, regardless of what they may have converted it to over the… Read More

Occupational Licensing Reduces Mobility For those considering a move to West Virginia, there is little mobility between states when it comes to licensing requirements. Across the nation, nearly one in four workers require a professional license to perform their job. Occupational… Read More

Hello West Virginia,    It’s hard to believe that 2022 is coming to an end. As the Cardinal Institute team looks back on this year, we can confidently say that it was a very good year for our beautiful state!  We kicked off the… Read More

Which College Degrees Are Best and Worst in West Virginia? This week the Cardinal Institute published the second—perhaps annual—report on the financial outcomes of college degrees in West Virginia. Last year’s report, using the U.S. Department of Education’s standards, identified 21 failing and 64 p… Read More

The Future of Health Care is Digital A new report from KPMG found health leaders are beginning to spend more on digital health solutions — marking a major shift in health care investments. Given how flawed present models of healthcare record keeping are,… Read More

It’s Groundhog Day in West Virginia In the 1993 hit movie starring Bill Murray, Groundhog Day, Bill Murray’s sarcastic, cynical character, tv weatherman Phil Connors, wakes up experiencing the same day over and over again, which, as the title suggests, is Groundhog Day. Once Phil realizes… Read More

Public School Choice Many states have policies which allow students to attend traditional public schools outside of their zoned attendance area. These policies are under the umbrella of open enrollment, which, as defined by National School Choice Week, are policies that, “make it… Read More