Founded in 1977 through the generosity of former students, corporations and foundations, the Private Enterprise Research Center (PERC) pursues a dual mission of supporting academic research at Texas A&M University and developing market-oriented solutions to public policy problems. PERC supports scholars doing cutting-edge research on issues ranging from criminal justice reform to charitable giving to macroeconomic policy. Center staff also provide policy studies and academic working ranging from local economic indices to Texas public pension reforms to studies on national retirement and savings.