It’s the Worst Possible Time for a Link Tax
Paul Matzko Link taxes are a flawed policy idea under even the best of conditions, as I recently wrote in a policy analysis. Legislation like the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA) would bail out struggling news outlets by compelling online platforms such as
Federal Debt vs. State Debt
Chris Edwards Is the federal government’s debt too large? Federal debt held by the public of $26 trillion amounts to almost $200,000 for every household in the nation. At 98 percent and rising, federal debt as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) will
Government Is the Hidden Hand Directing the Culture Wars
American culture wars are not the product of religious fundamentalists or even activist groups. They exist because of state interference in the private lives of individuals. Original Article: Government Is the Hidden Hand Directing the Culture Wars
Reason versus Emotion in Economics: A Praxeological Response
According to a relatively new economics field called Behavioral Economics (BE), one’s emotional state rather than reason influences their economic decisions. Vernon Smith, the BE economist who won a Nobel in economics, wrote: People like to believe that good decision making
The Cato Institute’s Belated, Squishy Stance on the Latest Middle East Crisis
The alarming events taking place in the Middle East are growing worse and have more than a small potential to entangle the United States in another foreign war. Hamas’s well-coordinated, surprise attack on Israel from Gaza clearly blindsided Prime Minister
The Dollar See-Saws between Two Views on Fiscal Explosion
Fiscal explosion is not in the economic dictionary. But in the foreign exchange markets and bond markets this intuitive concept has sometimes powered a narrative which drives long-term US interest rates and the dollar upward in tandem. The puzzle to
How Inflationary Money Causes the Affordability Crisis
The affordability crisis is upon us. Housing, food, you name it, life is becoming expensive. The government blames business, but perhaps government officials should look in the mirror. Original Article: How Inflationary Money Causes the Affordability Crisis
Is Freedom of Expression Dangerous? No, Study Finds More Expression Helps Us Handle Conflict
David Inserra Free speech scholars and advocates have written about the general decline in freedom of expression that has occurred over the past two decades. Despite great technological advances that make communicating immensely easier—social media, encrypted communications, and ubiquitous computers and
We Fixate on Book ‘Bans,’ But It’s Time to Scrutinize Acquisitions
Neal McCluskey Last week my new Policy Analysis on public school library holdings was published. A major reason I wrote it was because it felt to me that over the last few years Americans had been expending a huge amount of energy on books