Cato Podcast

What is the proper way for Christians to engage with the world around them? Many theologians believe Christians are called upon to be socialists. Deirdre McCloskey disagrees. Her forthcoming book is God in Commerce. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The nonprofit world largely weathered the pandemic, but the longstanding threats remain to the ability of nonprofit donors to remain anonymous haven’t gone anywhere. Peter Lipsett of DonorsTrust comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

American workers need to get to work, and the systems that support our transportation infrastructure need reform. Colin Grabow authored the transportation chapter in Cato's Empowering the New American Worker book. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

North Korea’s missile tests are a regular source of anxiety, but it’s important not to let the country’s saber rattling turn into a high-stakes cycle of increasing belligerence. Cato’s Eric Gomez details the current state of play. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Protests in Iran continue to highlight the struggle against mandated religious practices by Iran’s government. Cato’s Mustafa Akyol comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Items on ballots this month included the typical crop of candidates, but voters also weighed in on ballot issues on how people vote, abortion, the separation of powers, involuntary servitude, and ending some drug prohibition. Cato’s Walter Olson discusses some of the more notable ballot measures voters faced this year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are several paths forward for the American economy, but one path readily advanced by a movement on the right looks a lot like a loser’s playbook: protect industries and workers with the heavy hand of government and otherwise move toward more state interventions into economic affairs. Samuel Gregg is author of the new book, The Next American Economy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are ways to mitigate and prevent catastrophic wildfires if only the feds would allow them. Hannah Downey of the Property and Environment Research Center explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Biden White House continues to delay a return to normalcy in the Medicaid program, and that's putting states on the hook for more spending. Marc Joffe comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Independent contractors perform vital functions throughout the economy so why do many states and the federal government want to disempower that kind of work. Scott Lincicome is editor of the new Cato book, Empowering the New American Worker. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do states rank when it comes to protecting the right to speak publicly about politics? Scott Blackburn is author of The Free Speech Index at the Institute for Free Speech. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Public institutions dominate the education landscape, but those institutions do not serve the needs of workers particularly well. Neal McCluskey is author of two chapters dealing with education in the new Cato book, Empowering the New American Worker. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kendall Cotton of Montana’s Frontier Institute discusses how the state can make room for new Montanans and prevent long-term economic problems in the process. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Businesses run out of homes represent a massive and unseen part of our economy. Governments should take steps to empower rather than punish these firms. Chris Edwards is author of a chapter in the new Cato book, Empowering the New American Worker. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Despite what was described just months earlier as a great political environment for Republicans, the anticipated "red wave" didn't materialize. Cato's Emily Ekins provided some analysis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The new Cato book, Empowering the New American Worker, digs deep into policy reforms that would give American workers far greater freedom to plot their own professional lives. Scott Lincicome is the book's editor. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What's the case for limiting the time or term of Supreme Court justices? Akhil Reed Amar of Yale Law School made his case at the Cato Institute's Constitution Day festivities in September. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency portend for regulatory reform? Is there hope for other regulatory reform with a new Congress? Joe Luppino-Esposito of the Pacific Legal Foundation gives his take. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When social media companies decide what to show you, are the algorithms they use to automate the process a form of speech? It matters for civil liability. Paul Matzko comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is a massive, powerful state something to be feared and destroyed … or wielded like a weapon? Many self-styled conservatives have decided that The One Ring of big government is a gift to conservative policy goals. Tony Woodlief disagrees. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thirty years ago, Colorado's Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) was meant to strictly limit spending and taxes. That's not how it's worked out. Jon Caldara of the Independence Institute details for the benefit of other states how TABOR opponents wore it down. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recent shifts by some leading Democratic candidates for governor may indicate that the partisan political divide over school choice is shrinking. Rebekah Bydlak of the American Federation for Children explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tragic circumstances have inspired federal lawmakers to try to protect basic biographical information about judges from distribution online, but the proposal runs headlong into the First Amendment. Tommy Berry explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We knew it was coming, but the magnitude of declines in student test scores on the National Assessment of Education Progress still shocked many parents. So what should parents do on behalf of their kids now? Colleen Hroncich comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's agenda appears to be lighter than the one advanced by his immediate predecessor. The difficult work of regulatory reform appears to be nowhere on the agenda. Ryan Bourne comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Boosting the production of new housing keeps young people engaged in communities they might otherwise feel compelled to leave. Greg Brooks of the Better Cities Project discusses the housing redemption for policymakers in Auburn, Maine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Colorado's governor Jared Polis gets good press for his libertarian sympathies. Jon Caldara of Colorado's Independence Institute humbly asks the media to please cut it out and look at the evidence. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kentucky is among the worst performers in managing state pensions. Those pensions are promises to government workers that, if not managed properly, represent a massive new liability for taxpayers. Allison Ball is Kentucky's state treasurer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cato's Project on Poverty and Inequality in California is a year old, so how has the Golden State changed in that time? Cato's Michael Tanner comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Does the President have unilateral authority to spend billions of dollars to provide college students a bailout? The Cato Institute has filed suit to stop the mass debt cancellation undertaken by the Biden Administration. Clark Neily comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's laughable, right? Right? At least one high-level Jones Act supporter would like to see Cato Institute "members" charged with treason for daring to speak out about the century-old protectionist shipping law. Colin Grabow and Scott Lincicome won't plead the Fifth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Governors play a key role in state fiscal policy. This report grades governors on their fiscal policies from a limited‐​government perspective. Chris Edwards is the report's author. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Moses is author of The Municipal Financial Crisis: A Framework for Understanding and Fixing Government Budgeting. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Utah adopted a first-in-the-country regulatory sandbox to address needs of entrepreneurs and get businesses up and running with a big, temporary reprieve from government red tape. So how is it going? Connor Boyack of the Libertas Institute discusses the power of the sandbox to submit existing regulation to greater scrutiny. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cato adjunct scholar Bryan Caplan speaks at the New Challenges to the Free Economy conference on the subject of how (or if) the regulatory state fuels populism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Where do the Left and Right go wrong when considering economic policy? Economist Jason Furman spoke at the Cato Institute's New Challenges to the Free Economy conference held last week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kentucky is late to the school choice party, but its education opportunity accounts (#KYEOA) would deliver new education options for parents seeking better choices for their children. The Kentucky Supreme Court will hear oral arguments about EOAs this week. Akia McNeary is a parent seeking better education for her kids. David Hodges is an attorney at the Institute for Justice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The end of cannabis prohibition is long overdue. The Biden administration appears to recognize that, and is making substantial moves to bring that reality closer. Trevor Burrus discusses the importance of each of the President's directives. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you want to weaken an adversary who is escalating a war on a neighbor while scrambling global energy markets, you could do a lot worse than welcoming people who are trying to escape the regime. Alex Nowrasteh explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Norbert Michel details why the Fed needn't focus on returning to a pre-pandemic price level in its attempt to bring inflation down. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Sackett family's long struggle over how or if they may use their private property to build a home may be nearing an end after this week's argument before the Supreme Court. PLF's Charles Yates and Cato's Tommy Berry discuss the oral argument. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

School choice litigation has come a long way in the modern era of advancing educational freedom. Michael Bindas of the Institute for Justice details the big win in Carson v. Makin and what might come next. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Big Board in Washington D.C. faced some seemingly capricious government action in its attempts to stay open without policing customers. Robert Alt of the Buckeye Institute is representing the bar in its challenge to D.C. government. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What's in the EARN Act, legislation nominally aimed at boosting Americans' savings? Romina Boccia explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Will California move to prevent doctors from sharing information with patients that the state deems "COVID misinformation"? Cato's Jeff Singer discusses the likely consequences. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Transparency is the best way to curb members of Congress who might wish to use their positions to enrich themselves, according to Jennifer Schulp. She argues that a ban on stock trading probably won't achieve that much tangible benefit. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The vaccine mandate cases handled by the Supreme Court earlier this year deserve discussion for their implications for emergency powers going forward. Ilya Somin parsed the cases at Cato's Constitution Day event. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While reining in the administrative state is a worthy goal, Jonathan Adler is not impressed with the reasoning and doctrine of West Virginia v. EPA. He spoke at the Cato Institute's Constitution Day festivities. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The sourcing decisions for some pretty strange products are presented as vital national security matters by straight-faced members of Congress. Colin Grabow takes down some of the most galling justifications for limiting consumer choices. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What do experts with ideological commitments view as the most important elements of protecting the "guardrails of democracy" in America? Walter Olson (Team Libertarian) makes the case. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.