Human beings are social creatures by nature. It should therefore come as no surprise that many decisions occur within the context of social groups. Whether a decision involves choosing a restaurant or which nominee a political party should support, individuals within a group often accept trade-offs as long as decisions are made within established rules. How do these rules develop? How do individuals determine what trade-offs they are willing to accept? If rules and trade-offs are unique to each ...
Jul 17, 2015•57 min
Dominated by Europe's welfare states, the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has been pushing policies to enable higher taxes and bigger government. The latest example is a base erosion and profit-shifting (BEPS) initiative that would raise business tax burdens and undermine the competitiveness of American firms operating in global markets. An expert panel will explain the new OECD scheme and outline a better policy approach. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/p...
Jul 17, 2015•42 min
Are libertarians and conservatives just variations of the same ideological species, or do they represent unique and separate philosophical traditions? One of National Review 's founding editors, Frank Meyer — father of Federalist Society president Eugene Meyer — called for a synthesis of the traditionalist and libertarian strains within the magazine's followers. This "fusionism" animated Cold War conservatism and influenced the likes of Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan. Decades later, facing a ...
Jul 14, 2015•1 hr 32 min
As U.S. policymakers debate how best to deal with the problem of abusive patent litigation, some other governments have decided to fight fire with fire by creating state-owned patent assertion entities. The phenomenon deserves more attention from policymakers in Washington, who are bound to play an important role in shaping international rules to regulate these government "patent trolls." Known formally as sovereign patent funds, these public-private entities amass large patent portfolios they c...
Jul 09, 2015•1 hr 19 min
The Supreme Court’s decision on King v. Burwell validated President Obama’s massive power grab, allowing him to tax, borrow, and spend $700 billion without congressional approval. This establishes a precedent that could let any president modify, amend, or suspend any enacted law at his or her whim.As it stands, Obamacare will continue to disrupt coverage for sick Americans until Congress repeals it and replaces it with reforms that make health care better, more affordable, and more secure. Despi...
Jul 09, 2015•41 min
Many in Washington deny that the nation's energy needs can be met by free markets. Wars on coal and carbon dioxide follow this faith in government regulation and control of energy. Since the 1970s, however, more libertarian voices have been heard on these issues. Rob Bradley, who has been involved with free-market energy policy since its inception, will discuss the history of libertarian thinking on past energy policy and its relevance for current policy debates. Please join us for a provocative...
Jun 30, 2015•57 min
Cato Connects features a LIVE discussion on Obergefell v. Hodges — what the ruling means to the 14th amendment and for marriage equality.In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court held that the Fourteenth Amendment requires a state to license a marriage between two people of the same sex.Produced by Caleb O. Brown, Austin Bragg, Tess Terrible and Kevin Sennett. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 26, 2015•33 min
The Supreme Court has ruled in King v. Burwell that individuals who get their health insurance through an exchange established by the federal government are eligible for tax subsidies. Says Cato scholar Michael F. Cannon, “The Court today validated President Obama’s massive power grab, allowing him to tax, borrow, and spend $700 billion that no Congress ever authorized. …In doing so, the Court has sent a dangerous message to future administrations: If you are going to violate the law, make sure ...
Jun 26, 2015•40 min
The EPA’s most costly air-pollution and global-warming regulations are justified by the belief that small particles in outdoor air, like soot and dust, kill people. Based upon internal EPA documents and original research, Steven Milloy, publisher of the widely read blog JunkScience.com , will demonstrate that the agency’s belief does not pass scientific muster. As has been the case with climate change research, the dangerous liaison between regulatory agencies and academia has again resulted in ...
Jun 25, 2015•46 min
Recent advances in energy production technology have driven a remarkable achievement: since 2008, American oil production has more than doubled and natural gas production is up about 24 percent. Directional drilling, horizontal drilling, hydraulic fracturing, and radical new advances in offshore platform technology and global positioning software have revolutionized both onshore and offshore oil and gas production. These advances have required considerable capital investment that would have been...
Jun 23, 2015•42 min
Please join us for a special documentary film premiere. An Unlikely Solution offers first-person perspectives on the unique, newly emerging phenomena of consumer lending, via the Internet, by Native American tribes. There are few areas of finance that generate more controversy than short-term consumer lending, especially in the form of pay-day or installment loans. Critics see such loans as “predatory,” while others, including many consumers, see such products as filling a critical need of acces...
Jun 17, 2015•46 min
Our growing national debt has dropped out of the headlines recently — but that doesn’t mean that the problem has gone away. The official national debt recently topped $18 trillion, and is projected to approach $27 trillion within 10 years. Worse, if you include the unfunded liabilities of Social Security and Medicare, our real indebtedness exceeds $90 trillion. Yet, despite these undeniable facts and figures, politicians from both parties continue to avoid taking serious responsibility and actio...
Jun 17, 2015•1 hr 22 min
In 2005 the Supreme Court ruled that the city of New London, Connecticut, could condemn residential properties and transfer them to a private developer for a planned office park (which never materialized). Although the Fifth Amendment permits taking private property only for "public use," the Court held that transfers to private parties for economic development were a sufficiently public "purpose." This unpopular ruling triggered an unprecedented political and judicial reaction, with 45 states l...
Jun 11, 2015•1 hr 15 min
In 2005 the Supreme Court ruled that the city of New London, Connecticut, could condemn residential properties and transfer them to a private developer for a planned office park (which never materialized). Although the Fifth Amendment permits taking private property only for "public use," the Court held that transfers to private parties for economic development were a sufficiently public "purpose." This unpopular ruling triggered an unprecedented political and judicial reaction, with 45 states l...
Jun 11, 2015•1 hr 25 min
In 2005 the Supreme Court ruled that the city of New London, Connecticut, could condemn residential properties and transfer them to a private developer for a planned office park (which never materialized). Although the Fifth Amendment permits taking private property only for "public use," the Court held that transfers to private parties for economic development were a sufficiently public "purpose." This unpopular ruling triggered an unprecedented political and judicial reaction, with 45 states l...
Jun 11, 2015•31 min
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 05, 2015•1 hr 1 min
June marks the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta, the “Great Charter of Liberties” that King John of England agreed to and that aimed to limit the Crown’s power. The Magna Carta exerted a significant influence on the development of the common law in England and subsequently in the United States. Richard Helmholz will explain the emergence of the Magna Carta, describe its substance, and discuss its impact on the rule of law in England. Roger Pilon will speak about the charter’s importance to t...
Jun 04, 2015•1 hr 31 min
June marks the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta, the “Great Charter of Liberties” that King John of England agreed to and that aimed to limit the Crown’s power. The Magna Carta exerted a significant influence on the development of the common law in England and subsequently in the United States. Richard Helmholz will explain the emergence of the Magna Carta, describe its substance, and discuss its impact on the rule of law in England. Roger Pilon will speak about the charter’s importance to t...
Jun 04, 2015•1 hr 25 min
The Federal Reserve’s “stress tests” were intended to make the financial system safer. Using risk modeling, the tests subject banks to various stress scenarios in the economy to see how well they would perform and determine the capital “buffer” banks need to remain solvent and safely weather poor economic conditions. But with the Fed relying on risk modeling to determine regulatory capital requirements for banks, what happens if the models are wrong? Risk models can suffer from major weaknesses,...
Jun 04, 2015•1 hr 2 min
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 02, 2015•1 hr 15 min
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 02, 2015•1 hr 15 min
In the United States and around the world, medical treatment has traditionally been segregated along state lines. Recently, new technology has made the provision of medical care online (telemedicine) a possibility, and consumers could benefit greatly from this development. However, state and national regulations often interfere with online medical care when it crosses borders. Can these regulations be adjusted to allow interstate and international trade? What policy concerns might arise in relat...
May 28, 2015•1 hr 25 min
Because of an aging population and poorly designed entitlement programs, the burden of federal spending is projected to increase dramatically over the next few decades. Some lawmakers have proposed versions of a balanced budget amendment to avert this future fiscal crisis, but evidence strongly suggests that spending caps are the most effective way to address the problem. The Cato Institute has brought together three experts to talk about the world’s most successful spending caps. Hosted on Acas...
May 27, 2015•56 min
According to Washington elites, revolutions in information, transport, and weapons technologies have shrunk the world, leaving the United States and its allies more vulnerable than ever to violent threats like terrorism or cyberwar. As a result, they practice responses driven by fear: theories of falling dominoes, hysteria in place of sober debate, and an embrace of preemptive war to tame a chaotic world. Patrick Porter pushes back against the decades-old globalist fad, arguing that technology h...
May 26, 2015•1 hr 7 min
The death of Freddie Gray while in police custody has started a wide-ranging debate about policing and poverty in American cities. Does Congress need to spend more money on jobs programs and police body cameras? Should the Department of Justice sue the City of Baltimore for a pattern and practice of civil rights violations? Are better policy options available? Please join us for a discussion of these questions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
May 22, 2015•1 hr 3 min
Despite many predictions to the contrary, the British Conservative Party, led by Prime Minister Cameron, secured a majority in the House of Commons in this month’s general election. The Liberal Democrats, who joined the Conservatives in government in 2010, and the Labour Party both suffered losses. In Scotland, nationalists took all but three of Scotland’s 59 seats.The Conservative victory raises a host of questions related to the future of freedom in the United Kingdom. Speaking the day after t...
May 20, 2015•1 hr 29 min
Since 2008, oil production has more than doubled and natural gas production is up about 24 percent, according to the Energy Information Agency. Advances in technology have driven this remarkable achievement. Three major techniques that have revolutionized both onshore and offshore oil and gas production are directional drilling, horizontal drilling, and hydraulic fracturing, also known as "fracking." In addition, offshore drilling in a record 10,500 feet of water — and then through thousands of ...
May 15, 2015•1 hr 6 min
The recent financial crisis led to sweeping reforms that inspired countless references to the New Deal. Comparable to the New Deal in both scope and scale, the 2,300-page Dodd-Frank Act of 2010 also shared with New Deal reforms the assumption that the cause of the crisis was misbehavior by securities market participants, exacerbated by lax regulatory oversight. With Wasting a Crisis , Paul G. Mahoney shows that this narrative is formulated by political actors hoping to deflect blame from prior p...
May 13, 2015•59 min
Debates over economic interdependence and war are centuries old. Liberals have argued that interdependence creates interests on both sides of dyads that help prevent war. Realists have argued that the “high politics” of war and peace are rarely driven by the “low politics” of commerce. Dale Copeland’s new book offers a more supple, less categorical judgment. According to Copeland, leaders’ expectations of the future trade environment determine how economic interdependence influences the prospect...
May 12, 2015•1 hr 29 min
In 2005, Congress gave states three years to begin issuing driver’s licenses according to national identification card standards. The REAL ID Act sought to coerce states into using machine-readable technology with federally defined data elements in their cards, capturing digital images of identity-source documents, and providing other states electronic access to information contained in their motor vehicle databases. Confronted by this unfunded domestic surveillance mandate, state leaders across...
May 11, 2015•1 hr 26 min
