Cato Podcast

2021 was a big year for school choice, but this year more states are advancing so-called universal school choice programs. Colleen Hroncich discusses the trend. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Will Duffield provides additional context ahead of the Supreme Court's consideration of liability under Section 230 of Communications Decency Act.Related Cato Daily Podcast: Do Algorithms Get a Pass Under Section 230? featuring Thomas A. Berry and Caleb O. Brown Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In his new book, Why Shadow Banking Didn’t Cause the Financial Crisis, Norbert Michel explores the main problems with the conventional story about the 2008 crisis and explains why it does not justify expanding bank‐​like regulations throughout financial markets to mitigate systemic risks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's a heavy lift to create a culture of accountability within policing that could reduce police killings. Jay Schweikert discusses the brutal police killing of Tyre Nichols and why the case was both exceptional and alarming. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has asserted more direct control over the state's public schools. Neal McCluskey details why public institutions necessitate public control. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A case going before the U.S. Supreme Court at long last puts Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act front and center. Specifically, the court is being asked to rule on the status of algorithms that help platforms decide what content to offer up to users. Tommy Berry explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Workers have largely maintained their out-of-office work arrangements. Do big spending plans for transit still make sense? Marc Joffe provides details. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The federal labor market imposition known as E-Verify doesn't work very well, and it could be used in myriad ways to deny Americans’ employment. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis seems to like it anyway, having punished private employers who have refused to use the program. David Bier explains why the program is at best a bothersome federal intervention. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Birthing can be a tense process. The comfort of pregnant women is of utmost importance for a smooth delivery. Still, many states tell future mothers they don't need facilities that specialize in providing that comfort. Anastasia Boden explains how certificate of need laws interfere with the preferences of parents in how their children are born. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does research tell us about the use and abuse of non-compete agreements? Brian Albrecht of the International Center for Law and Economics comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's hard to square rhetoric surrounding high-earners who attempt to avoid taxes with a now-suspended plan to snoop on small financial transactions. Nick Anthony and Scott Lincicome comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why do immigrants consistently consume less in welfare benefits than native-born Americans? Alex Nowrasteh explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When you wait three months for an appointment only to spend a few minutes with a physician, would you say that you had adequate access to your doctor? How would expanding scope of practice help? Elizabeth Stelle with the Commonwealth Foundation comments from the Cato Institute’s State Health Policy Summit held earlier this month. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A dozen states and DC steal home equity from often unsuspecting homeowners. The process known as “home equity theft” leaves many people both homeless and without a large fraction of their retirement savings. The Pacific Legal Foundation will bring a case to the U.S. Supreme Court this year. Researcher Angela C. Erickson and attorney Larry Salzman comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The latest edition of the Human Freedom Index shows that the pandemic was devastating for freedom across the globe. Ian Vasquez is the co-author. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An emergent turf war over who gets to prescribe medication means delaying mental health care. Claudia Mosier is a prescribing psychologist in two states and believes what she's offering could help many Americans secure their own mental health. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How might expanding the ranks of prescribing psychologists fill the gap in providing mental health care? What stands in the way? Beth N. Rom-Rymer is a clinical psychologist and advocate for the expansion of mental health access. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's too soon to say if the classified material found in the home and former office of President Joe Biden represents a serious security vulnerability, but Patrick Eddington says it easily represents a breach for which most of us would already be in jail. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Many regulations were suspended or relaxed as COVID-19 surged in the United States. So why are they coming back? Rea Hederman of the Buckeye Institute explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yonas Fikre spent years on the federal "no fly" list. Now he's seeking the opportunity of redress. The FBI wants nothing to do with it and pledges not to put Fikre back on the list. Tommy Berry details why the claim of “mootness” has this case before SCOTUS. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some members of Congress appear to want to choke off all manner of innovation enabled by cryptocurrencies, and doing so would require a great deal more intrusive government. Jack Solowey explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chevron deference, the doctrine under which courts defer to agencies in interpreting statutory authority, has long been controversial. Now the Supreme Court will look at the doctrine again. Tommy Berry comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Laws aimed at controlling drug paraphernalia can end up harming efforts to prevent overdoses. Jeff Singer explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nationalism effectively outsources your ideological commitments to whatever the state wants. That's not a good thing. Alex Nowrasteh explains why. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The United States is an outlier (in a good way) in the protection of speech. Jacob Mchangama is author of Free Speech: A History from Socrates to Social Media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The U.S. shouldn't stumble its way into a war with Russia, but there are plans under consideration that put the U.S. at greater risk of a direct confrontation. Eric Gomez details why sending heavier firepower to Ukraine risks greater American entanglement. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Courts have given public sector employees the ability to walk away from their unions, so unions have had to get creative in retaining those members. Ken Girardin of the Empire Center discusses the state of unions today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The housing crunch is showing signs of breaking, at least when it comes to states where the availability of affordable housing has been most visible. Nolan Gray, author of Arbitrary Lines, discusses what changed in 2022. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thomas A. Berry details two cases that may provide an opportunity for the Supreme Court to bolster its reputation as protectors of free speech and weaken the troubling court-invented doctrine of qualified immunity.Support this podcast and the broad mission of the Cato Institute and become a Podcast Sponsor today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are there lessons for other states in North Carolina's plan to set guardrails on shifting energy sources? André Béliveau of the John Locke Center makes his case.Support this podcast and the broad mission of the Cato Institute and become a Podcast Sponsor today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Conservation needs willing parties to participate, so aligning incentives voluntarily is generally preferable to federal mandates. That from Brian Yablonski of the Property and Environment Research Center.Support this podcast and the broad mission of the Cato Institute and become a Podcast Sponsor today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Mackinac Center's Jarrett Skorup believes the high-profile unionization of some businesses this year should be put in the broader context of the larger, steadier decline of union membership nationally.Support this podcast and the broad mission of the Cato Institute and become a Podcast Sponsor today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paul Meany of Libertarianism.org details the ideas and influence of Cato’s Letters on the American founding era.Support this podcast and the broad mission of the Cato Institute and become a Podcast Sponsor today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paul Meany of Libertarianism.org discusses the cultural environment in which Cato's Letters arrived and their impact on the American Revolution.Support this podcast and the broad mission of the Cato Institute and become a Podcast Sponsor today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This year is looking more like a historic year for government handouts to well-heeled companies. John Mozena with the Center for Economic Accountability details how federal spending has fueled big state-level corporate giveaways. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This mismeasurement of income inequality has given us costly and unjustified policy interventions to boost redistribution. That's the argument from the book coauthored by Cato's John F. Early, The Myth of American Inequality. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wishing the United States were less of a global hegemon doesn't mean giving up on engagement with the globe, as Christopher Coyne argues in his new book, In Search of Monsters to Destroy: The Folly of American Empire and the Paths to Peace. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When we knew little about COVID-19 and hand sanitizer was in short supply, distilleries stepped in to fill the gap. For their efforts, the federal government thanked them with ... a hefty bill. Daniel Dew of the Pacific Legal Foundation comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Outgoing Republican Representative Peter Meijer of Michigan would like to see Congress reassert powers over war from the executive branch and address its own dysfunction. We discussed what he’s learned in his term in Congress, if his party plans to engage in any form of introspection, and what’s next for him. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Todd Myers is author of Time to Think Small: How Nimble Environmental Technologies Can Solve the Planet's Biggest Problems. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Productive employment is associated with avoiding entanglement in the criminal justice system, but for those already entangled that fact may be of little comfort. Scott Lincicome explains why criminal justice reform may also be pro-worker policy reform in his chapter of Empowering the New American Worker. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Employment and health care are inextricably linked, and often that means limiting the choices of workers across the economy. Michael Cannon authored the health care chapter in Cato's new book, Empowering the New American Worker. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The President hasn't done much with respect to immigration, but there are a few bright spots. David Bier discusses the Biden record on immigration so far and a new paper on guest workers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's a clear conflict of interest when industry insiders get to control who participates in that industry, but that's exactly how occupational licensing functions. And, as Steve Slivinski of the Pacific Legal Foundation notes, it's worse than you might think. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Higher salaries are great, but the cost of living impacts quality of life every bit as much. In her chapter in Cato's new Empowering the New American Worker book, Gabriella Beaumont-Smith details the myriad ways basic goods cost more than they should. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mike Tanner's new paper on the path forward for housing affordability in North Carolina shows that some of the biggest impediments to new housing exist in more states than just New York and California. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Congress loves to avoid accountability. Our current and most recent former presidents have both presided over unprecedented spending. To make matters worse, the flashpoint of accountability elections provide is two years or more away. Jonathan Bydlak of the R Street Institute says this is the time when we should expect to see lawmakers at their least accountable as many (but not all) traditional opponents of profligate spending have shifted focus more immediate culture war fights. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The cost of housing is at historic highs and largely without good reason. Vanessa Brown Calder discusses what needs to change to make housing more affordable for average Americans. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cristal Starling of Rochester, New York just wants her money back. The government took it without even charging her with a crime. Lee McGrath of the Institute for Justice is representing her in court. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The temperance movement in the U.S. that culminated with Prohibition wasn't the only one, though the results were similar. Mark Lawrence Schrad is author of Smashing the Liquor Machine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.