Mercatus Policy Download: Recent Episodes
Mercatus Center at George Mason University
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In this episode, Mercatus Research Fellow Satya Marar speaks with Tomas Philipson, former Acting Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers and Professor at the University of Chicago, about the evidence behind drug price controls and their effects on healthcare affordability, pharmaceutical innovation, and research and development. They discuss the economics of patented and generic drugs, the Inflation Reduction Act, Most-Favored-Nation drug pricing proposals, and why policies intended to lower drug prices may ultimately reduce innovation and increase long-term healthcare costs. This episode features audio from a recent Mercatus webinar.
If you would like to connect with a scholar featured in this episode, please email the Mercatus Outreach team at mercatusoutreach@mercatus.gmu.edu.
Read a full transcript of the conversation: https://www.mercatus.org/economic-insights/event-videos/right-diagnosis-wrong-cure-examining-true-cost-drug-price-controls
In this episode, Veronique de Rugy, a Senior Research Fellow and George Gibbs Chair in Political Economy here at Mercatus, chats with Distinguished Visiting Fellow and former CBO Director, Keith Hall, about his latest research documenting SNAP waste, explain why fraud exists in the program, and present solutions for reforms. This episode features audio from a recent Mercatus webinar.
If you would like to connect with a scholar featured in this episode, please email the Mercatus Outreach team at mercatusoutreach@mercatus.gmu.edu.
Check out Keith's research on SNAP: https://www.mercatus.org/research/research-papers/reducing-waste-and-fraud-snap
Read a full transcript of the conversation: https://www.mercatus.org/mercatus-policy-download/snap-waste-fraud-conversation-keith-hall
On this episode, Patrick McLaughlin, a Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Regulatory Studies Project here at Mercatus, chats about the latest economic situation report with Dr. Bruce Yandle, who is a Distinguished Adjunct Fellow here at Mercatus. They discuss interest rates, rising household wealth, growing debt, and much more.
If you would like to connect with a scholar featured on this episode, please email the Mercatus Outreach team at mercatusoutreach@mercatus.gmu.edu.
Bruce's report.
On this episode, Patrick McLaughlin, a Senior Research Fellow and Director of Policy Analytics here at Mercatus, chats about the latest economic situation report with Dr. Bruce Yandle, who is a Distinguished Adjunct Fellow here at Mercatus. They discuss recession predictions, federal debt, the role of money in the economy, and much more.
If you would like to connect with a scholar featured on this episode, please email the Mercatus Outreach team at mercatusoutreach@mercatus.gmu.edu.
Check out Bruce's latest report here.
On this episode, Patrick McLaughlin, a Senior Research Fellow and Director of Policy Analytics here at Mercatus, chats about the latest economic situation report with Dr. Bruce Yandle, who is a Distinguished Adjunct Fellow here at Mercatus. They discuss Bruce's rollercoaster economy, subsidies and tariffs and how they fit into the bootlegger-Baptist theory of regulation, predictions for the remainder of 2023, Bruce's reading recommendations, and much more.
If you would like to connect with a scholar featured on this episode, please email the Mercatus Outreach team at mercatusoutreach@mercatus.gmu.edu.
Check out Bruce's report here.
On this episode, Patrick McLaughlin, a Senior Research Fellow and Director of Policy Analytics here at Mercatus, discusses the latest economic situation report from Dr. Bruce Yandle, who is a distinguished adjunct fellow here at Mercatus. They talk about inflation, what to expect from the Fed for the remainder of 2023, and if we can expect a recession in 2024.
If you would like to connect with a scholar featured on this episode, please email the Mercatus Outreach team at mercatusoutreach@mercatus.gmu.edu.
Check out Bruce's report here.
On this episode, Patrick McLaughlin, a Senior Research Fellow and Director of Policy Analytics here at Mercatus, chats about the latest economic situation report with Dr. Bruce Yandle, who is a Distinguished Adjunct Fellow here at Mercatus. They discuss inflation, regulatory accumulation, money, employment, and much more.
If you would like to connect with a scholar featured on this episode, please email the Mercatus Outreach team at mercatusoutreach@mercatus.gmu.edu.
Check out Bruce's report here.
On this episode, Patrick McLaughlin, a senior research fellow and director of policy analytics here at Mercatus, talks regulations and the latest Ten Thousand Commandments report with Wayne Crews, who is the vice president for policy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. They discuss regulatory changes since President Biden has been in office, the estimated cost of regulations, and much more.
If you would like to connect with a scholar featured on this episode, please email the Mercatus Outreach team at mercatusoutreach@mercatus.gmu.edu.
Ten Thousand Commandments 2022 by Wayne Crews.
On this episode, Patrick McLaughlin, a Senior Research Fellow and Director of Policy Analytics here at Mercatus, chats about the latest economic situation report with Dr. Bruce Yandle, who is a Distinguished Adjunct Fellow here at Mercatus. They discuss inflation and unemployment, the misery index, what to expect from the Fed, and much more.
If you would like to connect with a scholar featured on this episode, please email the Mercatus Outreach team at mercatusoutreach@mercatus.gmu.edu.
Check out Bruce's report here.
On this episode, Matthew Mitchell, a Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Equal Liberty Initiative here at Mercatus, chats about the latest economic situation report with Dr. Bruce Yandle, who is a Distinguished Adjunct Fellow here at Mercatus. They discuss inflation, gas and oil prices, the possibility of a recession, and much more.
If you would like to connect with a scholar featured on this episode, please email the Mercatus Outreach team at mercatusoutreach@mercatus.gmu.edu.
Check out Bruce's June 2022 report here.
On this episode, Salim Furth, a Senior Research Fellow and Co-Director of the Urbanity Project here at Mercatus discusses the new White House Housing Supply Action Plan with Mark Calabria, who is a Senior Advisor at the Cato Institute. They dig into what the action plan can do to fix the housing crisis in the United States and where it might fall short.
If you would like to connect with a scholar featured on this episode, please email the Mercatus Outreach team at mercatusoutreach@mercatus.gmu.edu.
Full transcript of this episode
On this episode, Dan Rothschild, the Executive Director here at Mercatus, digs into housing policy with Salim Furth, a Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Urbanity Project here at Mercatus. They chat about why Auburn, Maine is the perfect example of an American city getting housing policy right, and expand upon what policymakers can do to correct the housing crisis and make their cities flourish.
If you would like to connect with a scholar featured on this episode, please email the Mercatus Outreach team at mercatusoutreach@mercatus.gmu.edu.
On this episode, Alden Abbott, a Senior Research Fellow here at the Mercatus Center talks to Douglas Melamed and Joshua Wright about their different perspectives on pressing discussions around antitrust policy.
If you would like to connect with a scholar featured on this episode, please email the Mercatus Outreach team at mercatusoutreach@mercatus.gmu.edu.
Competition Corner by Alden Abbott
Welcome to the show! On this episode, Matthew Mitchell, Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Equal Liberty Initiative at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, chats with Dr. Bruce Yandle about his latest economic situation report, including inflation, trade, the FTC, and much more.
If you would like to connect with a scholar featured on this episode, please email the Mercatus Outreach team at mercatusoutreach@mercatus.gmu.edu.
Check out Bruce's report here.
Welcome to the show! On this episode, Alden Abbott Senior Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and former general counsel at the Federal Trade Commission, speaks with Commissioner Noah Phillips about all things FTC, including consumer protection, antitrust, monopolies, privacy, competition policy, and much more.
If you would like to connect with a scholar featured on this episode, please email the Mercatus Outreach team at mercatusoutreach@mercatus.gmu.edu.
Welcome to The Bridge Policy Download, produced by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
James Broughel discusses the US Department of Health and Humans Services (HHS) proposed rule to rescind the Securing Updated and Necessary Statutory Evaluations Timely (SUNSET) rule finalized in January of 2021. The SUNSET rule attaches sunset provisions—i.e., expiration dates—to HHS regulations such that if HHS does not conduct assessments and reviews of regulations on a timely basis, then those regulations expire. Broughel explains the purpose of the SUNSET rule, lists his concerns with the proposed repeal, and then suggests alternative ways agencies can conduct retrospective analysis of regulations.
If you'd like to learn more about this topic, please email mercatusoutreach@mercatus.gmu.edu.
Welcome to the Bridge Policy Download produced by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
Today, we’re bringing you a conversation between Matthew Mitchell, Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Equal Liberty Initiative here at Mercatus, and Dr. Bruce Yandle, Distinguished Adjunct Fellow here at Mercatus.
They discuss Bruce’s latest economic situation report for December 2021, including the hot topic of late, inflation. They also talk about expectations for GDP growth and output, import competition, environmental regulations, and some financial advice Bruce received from his father that is still worth heeding today.
If you’d like to contact a scholar involved in this episode, please email mercatusoutreach@mercatus.gmu.edu.
Welcome to the Bridge Policy Download produced by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
Today, we’re bringing you a conversation between Matthew Mitchell, Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Equal Liberty Initiative here at Mercatus, and Dr. Bruce Yandle, Distinguished Adjunct Fellow here at Mercatus.
They discuss Bruce’s latest economic situation report for September 2021, including the role of risk and uncertainty in what Bruce calls the Frankenstein economy. They talk about debt forgiveness, corporate tax and antitrust reform, the exploding demand for building materials, and much more.
If you’d like to contact a scholar involved in this episode, please email mercatusoutreach@mercatus.gmu.edu.
Welcome to the Bridge Policy Download produced by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
Today we’re bringing you a conversation between Alden Abbott, Senior Research Fellow here at Mercatus, Daniel Crane, the Frederick Paul Furth Sr. Professor of Law at the University of Michigan, and Kenneth Elzinga, the Robert C. Taylor Professor of Economics at the University of Virginia. They discuss the connection between the world of antitrust and Christianity, capitalism as a vehicle for good, protestant moral theology and antitrust policy, Dan and Ken's latest co-authored book chapter, and much more.
Check out the book and their co-authored chapter here.
If you’d like to contact a scholar involved in this episode, please email mercatusoutreach@mercatus.gmu.edu
Welcome to the Bridge Policy Download produced by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
Today we’re bringing you the audio from a recent webinar we held between Karen Czarnecki, Vice President of Outreach, and Liya Palagashvili, Senior Research Fellow, both here at Mercatus, on independent workers, the gig economy, innovation, labor law, economics, and much more.
With the rise of independent work--whether app-based, contracting, consulting, and beyond--and new flexible arrangements like fully distributed teams or hybrid office environments, barriers to entering the workforce are falling and workers are embracing this newfound flexibility.
Liya walks us through how all workers are experiencing benefits from these changes, but new research shows the benefits accruing most to those who need or greatly value such arrangements--parents and familial caretakers, those with long-term illness or disability, and the formerly incarcerated among them. Poorly designed public policy risks preventing Americans from finding a job that works best for them and their specific situation, and evidence-based solutions are more important now than ever.
If you’d like to contact the scholar involved in this episode, please email mercatusoutreach@mercatus.gmu.edu.
Welcome to The Bridge Policy Download produced by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
The executive director of the Mercatus Center, Dan Rothschild, has a conversation with Mercatus scholars David Beckworth and Christopher Russo about inflation and deflation, supply side bottlenecks, spillover effects, base effects, the velocity of money, the US debt/gdp ratio, black swan events, and why we shouldn’t fear a repeat of 70s-era inflation.
If you would like to contact a scholar involved in this episode, please email mercatusoutreach@mercatus.gmu.edu.
Welcome to the Bridge Policy Download produced by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
Today, we’re bringing you a conversation between Matthew Mitchell, Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Equal Liberty Initiative here at Mercatus, and Dr. Bruce Yandle, Distinguished Adjunct Fellow here at Mercatus.
They discuss Bruce’s latest economic situation report for June 2021, including turning the corner on the COVID-19 pandemic economy, current inflation stats, the difference between crises and serious problems American’s are facing today, and much more.
If you’d like to contact the scholar involved in this episode, please email mercatusoutreach@mercatus.gmu.edu.
Welcome to the Bridge Policy Download produced by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
Today, we’re bringing you the audio from a recent webinar we co-hosted with the Classical Liberal Institute on the current immigration debate.
The panel shares insight from their recent books and working papers on the topic and then go on to discuss the benefits of immigration, reform options for our current Congress, how and why reform efforts should be informed by policy research, and much more.
If you’d like to contact the scholar involved in this webinar, please email mercatusoutreach@mercatus.gmu.edu
Dr. Liya Palagashvili, Senior Research Fellow here at Mercatus, will be moderating the discussion.
The panel:
- Robert Krol, Senior Affiliated Scholar at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University
- Chandran Kukathas, the dean and Lee Kong Chian Chair Professor of Political Science at the School of Social Sciences at Singapore Management University
- Adam Cox, Robert A. Kindler Professor of Law at NYU
- Alex Nowrasteh, Director of Immigration Studies and The Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies
Welcome to The Bridge Policy Download, produced by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
Zoning and land use policy regulations present the greatest barriers to affordable housing and increased urban density. Understanding how to navigate and remove these barriers allows for a dynamic housing market and paves the way for successful community development efforts.
The study of the impact of land use and zoning policy began with Bernard Siegan in his pioneering 1972 study, "Land Use Without Zoning." In his book, Siegan first set out what has today emerged as a common-sense perspective: Zoning not only fails to achieve its stated ends of ordering urban growth and separating incompatible uses, but it also drives housing costs up and competition down.
Drawing on the unique example of Houston—America’s fourth-largest city, and its lone dissenter on zoning—Siegan explored the impact of a different approach to land use policy and demonstrated how land use will naturally regulate itself in a non-zoned environment and yield a greater availability of multifamily housing.
While we have gained a greater understanding of the issues created by overly burdensome land use restrictions, these policies still remain in place, restricting the growth of communities and keeping housing costs high. Our speakers discuss how land use reform battles have evolved over time, how community groups are working to remove these barriers and increase urban density, and how barriers to development can be challenged in court.
Speakers and Topics
• Jim Burling, Pacific Legal Foundation, on legal barriers to development and issues in modern land use policy
• Tory Gattis, Center for Opportunity Urbanism, on Houston land use regulation after 1972 and lessons for other cities
• Emily Hamilton, Mercatus Center, on the case for pre-emption and current Texas proposals
Moderator
• Charles Coats, Texans for Housing
If you would like to contact a scholar featured in this episode, please email mercatusoutreach@mercatus.gmu.edu.
If you would rather watch the video from this webinar, you can find it here.
Welcome to the Bridge Policy Download produced by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
Today we’re bringing you the audio from a recent webinar we held on Antitrust.
Antitrust and other regulatory authorities around the world are busily assessing potential enforcement actions against big digital platforms, including Google, Facebook, and Amazon, among others.
The panel addresses the following questions:
- Should governments establish regulations that sets clear rules of conduct for digital platforms?
- Can existing “consumer welfare” standards guiding antitrust enforcement effectively curb abuses by digital platforms?
- Are proposals to heighten antitrust prohibitions and reverse antitrust burdens of proof de facto regulation?
If you’d like to contact a scholar involved in this episode, please email mercatusoutreach@mercatus.gmu.edu.
Don Boudreaux, Senior Fellow in the F. A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics here at Mercatus will be moderating this panel of leading antitrust scholars, regulators, and practitioners to address these timely questions about digital platforms.
Meet the panel:
- Alden Abbott, Senior Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University
- Scott Hemphill, Moses H. Grossman Professor of Law at New York University
- John Yun, Associate Professor of Law, Scalia Law School at George Mason University
- Nicolas Petit, Joint Chair in Competition Law at the Robert Schumann Centre for Advanced Studies, European University Institute
- Aurelien Portuese, Director of Antitrust and Innovation Policy at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
Welcome to The Bridge Policy Download produced by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
India's COVID-19 cases have been rising at an alarmingly rapid rate since mid-March, and the virus is now killing thousands of people each day in India.
Dan Rothschild, Executive Director here at Mercatus, talks to Shruti Rajagopalan, Senior Research Fellow and leader of Indian political economy research and Emergent Ventures India at Mercatus, about the rising COVID-19 cases in India, if lockdowns are the answer to halting India's rising cases, India's vaccine distribution, their hospital capacity, and how the United States can help one of their allies during this crisis.
If you’d like to contact a scholar involved in this episode, please email mercatusoutreach@mercatus.gmu.edu.
Welcome to the Bridge Policy Download produced by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
Today, we’re bringing you a conversation between Alden Abbott, Senior Research Fellow here at Mercatus, and Daniel Spulber, Professor of International Business, Strategy, and Law at Northwestern University. They take a deep dive into Professor Spulber’s latest book, The Case for Patents, they discuss what we can possibly expect from policy makers regarding patents in the coming years, and much more.
If you’d like to contact a scholar involved in this episode, please email mercatusoutreach@mercatus.gmu.edu.
Order Daniel's book The Case for Patents here.
Welcome to the Bridge Policy Download produced by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
Today, we're bringing you a conversation between Matthew Mitchell, Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Equity Initiative here at Mercatus, and Dr. Bruce Yandle, Distinguished Adjunct Fellow at Mercatus. They discuss Bruce's latest economic situation report for March 2021, the latest COVID-19 stimulus package, forgiving student loan debt, the debate for raising the federal minimum wage, and much more.
If you’d like to contact a scholar involved in this episode, please email mercatusoutreach@mercatus.gmu.edu
Welcome to the Bridge Policy Download produced by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
Today, we’re bringing you the audio from a recent virtual congressional briefing we held on the best arguments for and against paid federal leave.
It is often noted that the United States is the only industrialized country without a federal paid leave program. While true, Dr. Veronique de Rugy points out that this doesn't necessarily mean that women in countries that have such government-mandated programs are doing better than women in the United States. In this Congressional staff briefing, de Rugy weighs in on expected outcomes of various proposed federal paid leave programs, based on a review of research from other countries. She also responds to each point in favor of a federal paid leave program with unanswered questions, the expected impact on women, and unintended consequences.
If you’d like to contact a scholar involved in this briefing, please email mercatusoutreach@mercatus.gmu.edu
If you'd prefer to watch the video from this virtual briefing, click here.
We've changed our name! What was formally known at the Mercatus Policy Download is now The Bridge Policy Download. Our goal has always been to provide our audience with smart policy ideas for a growing world, and that remains to be our goal. To learn more about The Bridge, visit mercatus.org/bridge. Subscribe to The Bridge Policy Download for all policy, no punditry, and a path forward, wherever you get your podcasts.
Welcome to the Bridge Policy Download produced by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
Today, we're bringing you a conversation between Matthew Mitchell, Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Equity Initiative at Mercatus, and Dr. Bruce Yandle, Distinguished Adjunct Fellow at Mercatus. They discuss Bruce's latest economic situation report for December 2020, new life in the coronavirus economy, and much more.
Check out The Legacy of Bruce Yandle edited by Donald J. Boudreaux and and Roger Meiners here.
If you’d like to contact a scholar involved in this webinar, please email mercatusoutreach@mercatus.gmu.edu
We've changed our name! What was formally known at the Mercatus Policy Download is now The Bridge Policy Download. Our goal has always been to provide our audience with smart policy ideas for a growing world, and that remains to be our goal. To learn more about The Bridge, visit mercatus.org/bridge. Subscribe to The Bridge Policy Download for all policy, no punditry, and a path forward, wherever you get your podcasts.
Welcome to the Bridge Policy Download produced by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
Today, we’re bringing you the audio from a recent webinar we held on the future of innovation policy.
Adam Thierer promotes his research and perspectives on technology and innovation policy alongside one of the world’s foremost thinkers on the subject, Matt Ridley.
If you’d like to contact a scholar involved in this webinar, please email mercatusoutreach@mercatus.gmu.edu
We've changed our name! What was formally known at the Mercatus Policy Download is now The Bridge Policy Download. Our goal has always been to provide our audience with smart policy ideas for a growing world, and that remains to be our goal. To learn more about The Bridge, visit mercatus.org/bridge. Subscribe to The Bridge Policy Download for all policy, no punditry, and a path forward, wherever you get your podcasts.
Welcome to the Bridge Policy Download produced by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
Today, we’re bringing you the audio from a recent webinar we held on social security and progressive reforms.
In a new research paper, “An Analytical Framework for Strengthening Social Security,” leading expert Charles P. Blahous details a number of problems facing Social Security and how they can be addressed.
Ben Ritz and Jason Fichtner joined Blahous for a discussion to provide insight into the framework and share their research findings.
If you’d like to contact a scholar involved in this webinar, please email mercatusoutreach@mercatus.gmu.edu
We've changed our name! What was formally known at the Mercatus Policy Download is now The Bridge Policy Download. Our goal has always been to provide our audience with smart policy ideas for a growing world, and that remains to be our goal. To learn more about The Bridge, visit mercatus.org/bridge. Subscribe to The Bridge Policy Download for all policy, no punditry, and a path forward, wherever you get your podcasts.
Welcome to The Bridge Policy Download produced by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
Today we're bringing you part 2 of our most recent webinar on regulatory reform. If you missed part 1, you can listen to that episode here.
Our speakers today are James Broughel, Senior Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center, Matthew D. Mitchell, Senior Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center, Gretchen Conger, Deputy Chief of Staff for Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, and Jessica Cleveland, Oklahoma Deputy Secretary of State.
If you’d like to contact a scholar involved in this webinar, please email mercatusoutreach@mercatus.gmu.edu
We've changed our name! What was formally known at the Mercatus Policy Download is now The Bridge Policy Download. Our goal has always been to provide our audience with smart policy ideas for a growing world, and that remains to be our goal. To learn more about The Bridge, visit mercatus.org/bridge. Subscribe to The Bridge Policy Download for all policy, no punditry, and a path forward, wherever you get your podcasts.
Welcome to the Bridge Policy Download produced by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
Today, we’re bringing you the audio from a recent webinar we held on why states should undertake regulatory reform. This is the first of a two-part series on state regulatory reform. The second part, on how states can implement reforms, will release next week.
Our speakers today are James Broughel, Senior Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, Colin O'Reilly, Associate Professor, Heider College of Business, and Laura Jones, Visiting Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center and the Executive Vice-President and Chief Strategic Officer of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB).
If you’d like to contact a scholar involved in this webinar, please email mercatusoutreach@mercatus.gmu.edu
We've changed our name! What was formally known at the Mercatus Policy Download is now The Bridge Policy Download. Our goal has always been to provide our audience with smart policy ideas for a growing world, and that remains to be our goal. To learn more about The Bridge, visit mercatus.org/bridge. Subscribe to The Bridge Policy Download for all policy, no punditry, and a path forward, wherever you get your podcasts.
Regulations advance product safety, environmental quality, and sound business practices, but the consequences of poorly designed and implemented rules are more severe than previously thought. Regulatory accumulation has a disproportionately negative impact on the poorest and most vulnerable Americans. From increased poverty and income inequality to reduced entrepreneurialism and upward mobility, the consequences of bad policy are grave.
Karen Czarnecki, Vice President of Outreach at the Mercatus Center moderates a discussion between Patrick McLaughlin, Senior Research Fellow and Director of Policy Analytics at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, Dustin Chambers, Senior Affiliated Scholar Professor of Economics at Salisbury University, and Colin O'Reilly, Associate Professor at Heider College of Business where they chat about regulation myths, regulations suspended during COVID-19, what policy makers can do with existing regulations to improve the lives of marginalized communities, and much more.
Want to request a meeting with one of our speakers or ask them a question? Please email mercatusoutreach@mercatus.gmu.edu for more information.
The US economy is currently operating along a bumpy path defined more by the coronavirus and reactions to it than by the inherent dynamics of the economy itself. Yet while the path is bumpy and GDP growth puny, America still has a large and active economy. Has the US economy reached a turning point?
This week, we're very happy to be able to connect our listeners once again with Dr. Bruce Yandle, Distinguished Adjunct Fellow at Mercatus, Dean Emeritus at Clemson University, and author of the now-famous “Bootleggers and Baptists” model for understanding unlikely political alliances to help answer that question.
Matthew Mitchell, Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Equity Initiative at the Mercatus Center, interviews Bruce on his most recent Economic Situation Report, discussing the variables in each state's response to COVID-19, how increased saving and decreased spending are holding America back, who's funding the coronavirus deficit, Trump's tariffs, and how some ease on regulations across the country have helped the US economy bounce back from the shutdowns in March.
Interested in hearing more content like this on the download? Please reach out to Dallas at dfloer@mercatus.gmu.edu.
If you'd like to get in touch with a Mercatus Scholar featured on the download, please reach out to Matthew Boyer at mboyer@mercatus.gmu.edu.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a great deal of economic uncertainty at the state and local levels. Whether or not the virus is contained in the near future, local governments must provide flexibility in housing, zoning, and transit policies to help their communities recover.
Karen Czarnecki, Vice President of Outreach at the Mercatus Center is joined by Emily Hamilton, Research Fellow and Co-Director of the Urbanity Project at the Mercatus Center, Salim Furth, Senior Research Fellow and Co-Director of the Urbanity Project at the Mercatus Center, and Jenny Schuetz, Research Fellow at the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution to discuss how urban communities can strengthen their economies in uncertain times, how housing restrictions make the United States less resilient during a pandemic, handling traffic congestion and embracing non-vehicular congestion in the long term, and what should be done about missed rent payments.
If you would like to speak with one of the scholars or learn more about future webinars, please reach out to mercatusoutreach@mercatus.gmu.edu
The COVID-19 pandemic is precipitating an unprecedented economic downturn, and small businesses are likely to bear the brunt. Mandatory shutdowns and social distancing forced many small businesses to shut their doors. Even as governments begin lifting social distancing restrictions, the residual effects of unemployment and disrupted business operations will complicate the economic recovery of small businesses. The US government has taken some steps to lessen the damage to small businesses, but these steps impose large costs on taxpayers, and depending on how long the pandemic lasts, these steps may not be enough to keep many small businesses open.
Karen Czarnecki, Vice President of Outreach at the Mercatus Center is joined by Patrick McLaughlin, Senior Research Fellow and Director of Policy Analytics at the Mercatus Center, Adam Thierer, Senior Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center, and Elizabeth Milito, Senior Executive Counsel at the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) to discuss potential next steps for small businesses, how deregulation can help small businesses right now and post pandemic, and the benefits of permissionless innovation during the pandemic and after the pandemic is over.
If you would like to speak with one of the scholars or learn more about future webinars, please reach out to mercatusoutreach@mercatus.gmu.edu
On today's episode, Shruti Rajagopalan, Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center, chats with Mario Rizzo and Glen Whitman about their latest book, Escaping Paternalism: Rationality, Behavioral Economics, and Public Policy. The three of them discuss the impact that behavioral economics, rationality, and paternalism have on public policy including, nudge paternalism, sin taxes, default rules, true preferences, and how behavioralists may be the new baptists.
Check out some of the Mercatus Center's research related to this topic:
- For Your Own Good: Taxes, Paternalism, and Fiscal Discrimination in the Twenty-First Century by Adam J. Hoffer and Todd Nesbit
- Behavioral Paternalism and Policy in Evaluating Consumer Financial Protection by Todd Zywicki and Adam C. Smith
Interested in hearing more content like this on the download? Please reach out to dfloer@mercatus.gmu.edu.
If you'd like to get in touch with a Mercatus Scholar featured on the download, please reach out to Matthew Boyer at mboyer@mercatus.gmu.edu.
After what may have seemed like an eternity to all who have suffered coronavirus pain and death, with June at hand, America has witnessed 19 brutal weeks since its first coronavirus case was identified on January 22. But while these 19 weeks may seem like an eon, it is still the case that owing to high social media speed, actions taken to contain the virus have occurred in record time.
This week, we're very happy to be able to connect our listeners once again with Dr. Bruce Yandle, Distinguished Adjunct Fellow at Mercatus, Dean Emeritus at Clemson University, and author of the now-famous “Bootleggers and Baptists” model for understanding unlikely political alliances.
Matthew Mitchell, Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Equity Initiative at the Mercatus Center, interviews Bruce on his most recent Economic Situation Report, discussing the race for a vaccine, the battered coronavirus economy, the rise of the command economy, the virus' impact on retail and food sales, and the ease of certain regulations due to COVID-19.
Interested in hearing more content like this on the download? Please reach out to dfloer@mercatus.gmu.edu.
If you'd like to get in touch with a Mercatus Scholar featured on the download, please reach out to Matthew Boyer at mboyer@mercatus.gmu.edu.
As the COVID-19 pandemic enters a preliminary phase of economic recovery, questions about how we respond is of concern to lawmakers, economists, and others. Veronique de Rugy and Michael Strain are experts at understanding “big picture” economic implications of different policy options. They will review the three best and three worst ideas that have been put forward for economic recovery thus far.
To add to our ongoing COVID-19 policy webinar series, this conversation covers:
- Three key policies that are the most useful in helping to encourage economic recovery
- Three policies, both implemented and under consideration, that are likely to make economic recovery more difficult
- Whether Americans should expect a slow or rapid economic recovery, and the vast resources Mercatus and AEI have developed over the last two months addressing recovery options
Check out Michael's book The American Dream Is Not Dead: (But Populism Could Kill It) here.
If you would like to speak with one of the scholars or learn more about future webinars, please reach out to mercatusoutreach@mercatus.gmu.edu
Attempting to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, policymakers at the federal, state, and local levels are suspending or rescinding laws and regulations that hinder timely, sensible responses to the pandemic. The temporary departure from these rules is causing many to question the need to reinstate them post-crisis. A diverse cross-section of scholars has written on why this is an important time to evaluate whether or not some of these regulations are really beneficial and how policymakers can best make these assessments. This co-sponsored webinar will provide viewers with a grounded, non-partisan approach for doing so. The Mercatus Center published a policy brief, part of the COVID-19 Response series, that proposes an approach called a Fresh Start Initiative. The Progressive Policy Institute has consistently proposed an approach to regulations that could foster more growth coming out of the pandemic while still protecting people and the environment.
Check out the Mercatus Center's research on the topic here and PPI's research here.
Want to tune in to a future webinar? Email the Mercatus Center Outreach team at mercatusoutreach@mercatus.gmu.edu.
Interested in hearing more content like this on the download? Please reach out to dfloer@mercatus.gmu.edu.
If you'd like to get in touch with a Mercatus Scholar featured on the download, please reach out to Matthew Boyer at mboyer@mercatus.gmu.edu.
Welcome back!
On today’s episode, Mercatus scholar Matthew Mitchell and Mercatus Distinguished Adjunct Fellow, Bruce Yandle, discuss the recent hot button topics flooding the current news headlines and their influence heading into the 2020 presidential election.
What will be the economic impacts of the trade wars and Trump's tariffs? Who's really losing when it comes to paying for these tariffs? What do the Trump impeachment proceedings mean for the economy? Matt and Bruce sit down to discuss these questions and much more.
And to end their conversation on a lighter note, Matt and Bruce also share stories about Bruce's grandson Adam Smith and discuss some books they hope to see in their stockings this holiday season.
Check out Bruce Yandle's December 2019 Economic Situation Report here and to learn more about the latest research at Mercatus, please visit The Bridge.
Want to get in touch with one of our scholars featured on the Download? Email Kate De Lanoy at kdelanoy@mercatus.gmu.edu.
We're back to bring you a special episode on CDA Section 230 or, as one of our guests put it “the 26 words that created the Internet."
This law paved the way for the explosion of Facebook, YouTube, and numerous other internet companies by protecting them from being held liable for what users say and do on their platforms. This also allowed each platform the freedom to develop its own content moderation standards.
But, as these platforms have grown larger and central to public discourse, some are worried that section 230 gives tech companies far too much influence in who can say what.
So, is 230 due for a reform? And if so, how?
To unpack this topic further, Mercatus Scholar Brian Knight hosts today's episode.
In addition, we're joined by Jennifer Huddleston, Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center, whose research involves tech policy and law, Jeff Kosseff, Assistant Professor of Cybersecurity Law at the United States Naval Academy, Cyber Science Department, and the author of The 26 Words That Created The Internet, and finally, Adam Candeub, a professor of law and the Director of the Intellectual Property, Information, and Communications Law program at Michigan State University.
Want to get in touch with one of our scholars featured on the Download? Email Kate De Lanoy at kdelanoy@mercatus.gmu.edu.
Today's What's on Tap beverage is Rhinegeist Brewery's Bubbles Rose' Ale from Cincinnati, Ohio.
Few words are more politically and emotionally charged in Washington than “healthcare.” Just as the Affordable Care Act was hitting a decade or so of nearly continuous debate, so-called Medicare for All proposals have become the latest battleground for healthcare policy wonks.
Even beneath those big picture headline debates, other, smaller questions swirl around the healthcare world, including issues like prescription drug prices.
We'd probably bet that the looming 2020 election season isn’t going to do much to end the country’s existential debate on what healthcare should look like, meaning these fights aren’t going away anytime soon.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t make some progress, or at least shed a little light on them.
Here to do that, we're joined by a couple of healthcare policy experts.
First up, Tara O’Neill Hayes, Deputy Director of Health Care Policy at the American Action Forum. Tara’s work focuses on health insurance costs and coverage, including Medicare, Medicaid, and all the other issues that come along with it. Tara also spent some time as a Congressional staffer covering healthcare and budget issues.
Next, we're pleased to welcome back to the show Bob Graboyes. The last time we caught up with Bob we were talking about medical drones, so we’re glad he’s back to both continue and broaden out that discussion a bit. Bob is a Senior Research Fellow and healthcare scholar here at Mercatus, and has years of experience researching and teaching the economics of healthcare.
As we say goodbye to our host Chad, we want to hear from you! Email our producer Dallas at dfloer@mercatus.gmu.edu with your feedback on why you want the show to continue, how the show has helped you understand a particular topic better, or any general feedback on why you love the show. Our inboxes are open and we're ready to hear what you have to say.
Today's What's on Tap beer features New Belgium Brewing's Passion Fruit Kolsch.
You can continue to keep up with Chad on Twitter @ChadMReese.
Thanks for listening. Cheers!
While it sometimes feels like a lifetime ago, it was just back in August of 2011 that Standard & Poor’s downgraded the United States’ credit rating from AAA to AA+. Since then, concerns about US federal debt have gotten less and less attention with each passing year even as debt itself continued to rise.
For context, we think the number the last time we checked was just north of $22 trillion, while the federal deficit was just shy of a trillion dollars.
But should we even care?
After all, the US seems to have shouldered high levels of debt for a long time, and aside from the 2011 credit downgrade, doesn’t appear to have obviously suffered for it. Some proponents of a new idea called “Modern Monetary Theory” or MMT for short, even argue that as long as the Federal Reserve is around, US deficit spending is largely irrelevant.
Here to talk about what US debt actually means for taxpayers and policymakers, we’re joined by two excellent guests.
Tom Grennes joins us on the phone. Tom is a Professor of Economics Emeritus at North Carolina State, and author of a recent Mercatus paper on this topic titled “New Evidence on Debt as an obstacle to US Economic Growth" featuring his co-authors Mehmet Caner and Michael Fan.
We have Kate Davidson here in the studio with us. Kate is a reporter for the Wall Street Journal covering the Federal Reserve and US economy from the Journal’s Washington Bureau, and before that she covered bank regulation and policy for Politico and American Banker.
Follow Chad on Twitter at @ChadMReese.
Today's What's on Tap beverage features Union Craft Brewing's Duckpin Pale Ale from Baltimore, Maryland.
Deference is one of those magical words in the world of regulatory policy. Different types of deference play a huge role in how courts and federal agencies interact when it comes to deciding cases, and those cases in turn help shape federal policy on everything from healthcare to financial markets to environmental protection.
We say that upfront, because we’re about to dip our toes in the waters of administrative law, that’s the branch of law that deals with how regulations are made, and Chad's the only non-lawyer here at the table. So he reserves the right to interrupt and ask for clarifications as we go.
That said, we’re here today to talk about Kisor v. Wilkie, a case currently before the US Supreme Court. On paper, this is a case about the Department of Veterans’ Affairs decision to deny a veteran benefits. James Kisor is the veteran, and Robert Wilkie is the Secretary of the VA.
But as with any case before the Supreme Court, more is at stake here than just the people named in the individual case, and here to explain why this case matters and what we know about it so far are two regulatory legal experts.
First, we're happy to welcome back to the show Jennifer Huddleston. Jennifer is a scholar here at Mercatus whose work often focuses on the intersection between technology and regulation. She’s been on the Download here before to talk about transportation innovation as well as data privacy.
Second, from all the way on the other side of the building, we’re joined by Adam White. Adam is the Executive Director of the C. Boyden Gray Center for the Study of the Administrative State here at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School. He’s also a law professor there and wears a handful of other academic and policy hats.
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Check out the Bridge for all Mercatus research, all the time.
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Today's What's on Tap beverage is brought to you by Devil's Backbone Brewing Company in Lexington, Virginia.
At any given time in an economy, you generally have two groups of people: some who have extra money and want to find a way to put it to use, and others who have ideas for how to use that money. The various products, services, and institutions that work to connect those two groups of people are collectively known as “capital markets,” and they’re a vital part of making the economy work, from providing vehicles for retirement savings to funding new businesses just starting up, or helping existing firms expand.
With all that money flowing back and forth, of course, comes risk, and today we wrap up our three part series on resiliency by talking about ways to ensure that US capital markets are resilient to the normal ups and downs of economic activity.
Joining us again as special co-host is Brian Knight, Mercatus scholar and financial regulations expert.
Our first guest today is Georgetown University law professor Urska Velikonja. Urska has written extensively on securities regulation and enforcement both for academic journals and major media outlets.
We’re also joined by Andy Vollmer, University of Virginia law professor and director of the John W. Glynn Jr. law and business program. Andy has worked as a partner in a securities litigation and enforcement practice group, and served as deputy general counsel at the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadMReese.
Today's What's on Tap beverage features the KBS Bourdon Barrel-Aged Bourdon Coffee Stout by Founders Brewing Co.
Welcome to a special bonus episode of the Mercatus Policy Download. This week, we're very happy to be able to connect our listeners with Dr. Bruce Yandle, Distinguished Adjunct Fellow at Mercatus, Dean Emeritus at Clemson University, and author of the now-famous “Bootleggers and Baptists” model for understanding unlikely political alliances. Long-time Mercatus fans will know that Bruce has been providing regular updates on the state of the economy for some time now, and earlier this month he released the March 2019 edition. Last week, he was on Capitol Hill sharing his economic situation report with policymakers, and we thought we’d share the audio from that meeting with you. In just a minute, Bruce will talk about the December Market sell-off and what it means for 2019, the effects of the government shutdown, the future of interest rate policy, and more. Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadMReese. Want to learn more about Bruce? You can find his work and other quarterly economic situation reports here. Follow along with Bruce's slideshow presentation here.
Today’s episode is part two in our resiliency series. Last time we talked housing and the Financial Crisis, and we’re not straying too far from that today. We’re going to be talking banking resiliency. For a long time, banks have been viewed as big, secure buildings where we keep our money and go to get a mortgage. Events like the financial crisis, however, tend to force people in the broader economy to wonder: how do we stop bank crises before they begin?
Today, we’re going to try and get at the heart of that question by discussing what a resilient banking system looks like, whether or not we’re there after a decade of regulatory responses to the crisis, and where there’s room for improvement.
To do that, we're joined once again by co-host Brian Knight, Mercatus Center senior research fellow and expert on a wide variety of financial regulatory issues.
We're happy to have a couple guests in the studio with us. First up, Victoria Guida, financial services reporter for Politico Pro.
And fresh off the train from Philadelphia, senior research fellow and Mercatus colleague Stephen Matteo Miller.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadMReese. Today's What's on Tap beverage features Old Ox Brewery in Ashburn, Virginia.
Today we start a special miniseries on the idea of economic resiliency. Over the course of several weeks, we’ll be diving into three distinct policy areas to talk about ways policymakers can help make consumers, specific markets, and the entire economy better able to withstand shocks and crises.
To help guide us through the series, we'll be joined by a special co-host, Brian Knight. Brian is a scholar here at Mercatus, directing our work on financial regulation, and is the perfect person to both contribute policy expertise and ask some probing questions of our additional guests as we work our way through the series.
For today’s episode, we’re starting at the only place it makes sense to start a series about financial resiliency: the housing market. Often considered a primary source of the 2008 financial crisis, housing has gone from being considered the safest and most reliable markets in the US economy to one viewed with suspicion.
Luckily for us, we have two extremely well-qualified folks in the studio today to help walk us through the past, present, and, hopefully, future of housing in the United States, and over the next 30 minutes or so, we’ll hopefully land on some ideas for making housing more resilient for everyone.
First, we welcome back to the show Emily Hamilton. Emily is an economist here at Mercatus specializing in state and local policy. Emily’s research often focuses on land use regulations, looking at the local, state, and federal laws that play a significant role in shaping where and how people live.
And to round-out the group I’m very happy to welcome Kevin Erdmann. Kevin is a visiting fellow with the Mercatus Center, and just released a new book entitled Shut Out that offers a bit of a contrarian take on the housing boom and bust.
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Today's What's on Tap beer is the Partly Cloudy New England Style IPA from Solace Brewing in Sterling, VA.
Data privacy. Just saying those two words together probably conjures a whole host of emotions, ranging from suspicion and fear about the way corporations collect and use our personal information to amazement at the quantity and variety of digital products and services that our personal data buys us access to.
As any lawyer will tell you, privacy has always been a tricky issue to pin down, and the digital age has made that even more obvious, as consumers seem both more willing than ever to share private information about themselves freely online and simultaneously more concerned that such information might be used improperly.
For today’s episode, we’re going to be talking with some tech experts who deal with these issues every day.
- Mercatus scholar Jennifer Huddleston. Jennifer’s research focuses on the intersection of emerging technology and law
- Shane Tews, Visiting Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute where she focuses on cybersecurity and internet governance
- Brendan Bordelon, tech and cybersecurity reporter at National Journal
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Today's What's on Tap beverage is Budweiser's Copper Lager.
With the Super Bowl behind us, football fans are already looking ahead to the 2020 season, and they’re not the only ones thinking about the future of the NFL. More specifically, speculation about where and how new stadiums will be built is in full swing, particularly in the Washington, DC area.
Even back in December, the Washington Post reported that Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder was working with Congress to secure a deal for a new football stadium, and in response, local lawmakers have started signaling their reluctance to engage in a bidding war for the team.
Virginia Delegate Michael Webert introduced legislation proposing an “interstate compact” between Virginia, Maryland, and DC, which would essentially bar all three localities from providing incentives to host a new Redskins stadium. Maryland Delegate David Moon and DC Councilmember David Grosso have both indicated support for something similar.
So today, we’re talking about the Redskins stadium, how an interstate compact might affect it, and what all this means for other sports stadium deals.
- First, we're joined by the Washington Post’s Liz Clarke. Liz has two decades as a sportswriter for the Post under her belt, including eight seasons with the Redskins
- Next up, we welcome back Michael Farren. Michael’s been on the show before to talk stadium subsidies, and his research covers a range of issues at play here including government favoritism and economic development
- Finally, we have Matthew Mitchell on the phone. Matt is one of our research directors here at Mercatus, where he focuses on public choice economics and the economics of government favoritism
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Today's What's on Tap beverage is Long Black Veil brought to you by Port City Brewing in Alexandria, VA.
What comes to mind when you hear the word “drones?” For some, the answer might be a remotely-piloted military aircraft. For others, it might be the little quad-copter you fly around your backyard for fun. But for our guests today, drones might be the future of healthcare.
Other countries have already started experimenting with drone technology in order to deliver medication, blood, or other supplies, and the technology could one day replace or augment some ambulances or emergency helicopters, making such services more accessible, affordable, and safer.
But we aren’t there yet, and here to talk about what it might take to get us there are two healthcare policy experts who just co-authored an essay for STAT entitled “Drones Delivering Medical Supplies and More Can Help Save American Lives.”
- Dr. Darcy Nikol Bryan, an associate clinical professor at the University of California, and a practicing physician at the Riverside Medical Clinic. Also relevant to today’s discussion, she is a certified remote pilot
- Robert Graboyes, PhD economist and senior research fellow here at Mercatus. Bob is an award-winning professor of health economics, and his current research focuses on technological innovation in the healthcare space
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If you have any questions or comments for Darcy, please send her an email at drdarcynikol@gmail.com
Today's What's on Tap beer is brought to you by Alewerks' Coffehouse.
Even in the middle of a partial federal government shutdown, federal, state, and local agencies continue to play a huge role in the policy world and our everyday lives. Regulations help determine everything from the kind of toothpaste you used this morning to the music you listened to on the radio during your commute to rent prices in your neighborhood, and after an exciting year of regulatory policy in 2018, we're eager to hear more about how the regulatory landscape may change in the year ahead.
Here to help walk us through that and to make some predictions about what we might expect from policymakers, we're joined by three terrific guests:
- Cheryl Bolen, reporter on the White House for Bloomberg BNA, and is well-known as one of the top regulatory journalists in the country
- Emily Hamilton, economist here at Mercatus focusing on urban economics and land-use policy
- James Broughel, economist with Mercatus and a law professor specializing in state and federal regulatory procedures
Check out mercatus.org and The Bridge for our latest research, publications, and podcast episodes.
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Today's What's on Tap beverage is for you Dry January participants, O'Doul's Amber.
There are a lot of ways we could wrap up the year, but probably none better than to take a step back, look at 2018, and ask ourselves what the most important economic developments were.
From trade wars to interest rate hikes, inverting yield curves to tax reform implementation, a lot happened this year. We've asked our guests today to be prepared to talk about…well, just about everything.
We actually want to start with a disclaimer that we normally wouldn’t include, and it’s that we are recording this podcast in mid-December just before the Federal Reserve’s December press conference. Since we’re probably going to get to monetary policy and interest rates and all that, we mention that in case Fed Chair Jay Powell does something shocking or surprising and throws everything we’re about to talk about out the window.
With that out of the way, we're very happy to welcome some incredible guests to the show today:
- From the Washington Post, we’re joined by economics correspondent Heather Long. Heather is a consistently reliable source for economics news and analysis, and her Twitter feed is one of the best round-ups of economic news out there
- And returning to the show, we have David Beckworth. David heads up our monetary policy research here at Mercatus, and is the host of his own wildly successful economics podcast, Macro Musings
Check out mercatus.org and The Bridge for our latest research, publications, and podcast episodes.
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Today's What's on Tap beverage is Supreme Core's Ivy City Rosé. Check them out here!
To kick off the year, MIT’s Technology Review did something they’ve done every year since 2001: they picked “10 Breakthrough Technologies” to watch in the coming years. Those breakthroughs varied from 3D metal printing to artificial embryos to ubiquitous and affordable artificial intelligence and everything in between.
We’re not going to go through the list and rank how those predictions turned out, but we are going to bring on our own technology policy experts to get their take on the biggest tech developments of 2018, why they matter, and what to watch for in 2019.
Here to wax nostalgic about 2018 and peer into the future of 2019 we have a couple of experts in tech policy:
- We’re joined on the phone by Roslyn Layton, visiting scholar with the American Enterprise Institute
- Jennifer Huddleston, research fellow here at Mercatus
Check out mercatus.org and The Bridge for our latest research, publications, and podcast episodes.
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Today's What's on Tap beer is brought to you by New Belgium's Accumulation, White IPA. Check them out here and pick up a 6-pack while you still can this holiday season!
Stick around until the end of the show to hear our latest What's on Tap segment and what beer we're drinking today! Check out the Twenty Three Anniversary beer by Avery Brewing Co. in Boulder, Colorado here.
The last time we talked about trade was back in April, right about the time China had started to threaten new taxes on imported American products. That, of course, was a response to our own new taxes imposed on imported steel and aluminum.
A lot has happened since April, including a planned replacement for the North American Free Trade Agreement, and a new Democratic majority in the House of Representatives may change the trajectory of trade policy even further.
Here to help us unpack the current state of trade policy in the US and abroad, and maybe even make some predictions about where it could be headed in the future, we're pleased to welcome our two experts:
- Dan Griswold is the co-director of the Mercatus Center's trade and immigration portfolio, author of the book Mad About Trade: Why Main Street America Should Embrace Globalization, and, most importantly, a repeat guest here on the Download
- Pierre Lemieux is a senior affiliated scholar here at Mercatus. He’s a frequent university lecturer in Canada, and recently published the book What’s Wrong with Protectionism, a response to common objections to free trade
Interested in learning more about Dan and Pierre's work on trade? Give them a follow on Twitter! @DanielGriswold @pierre_lemieux
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The policy world loves to talk about infrastructure. Support for infrastructure policy is often bipartisan, and it’s almost assumed now that candidates running for office will use the phrase “crumbling roads and bridges” at some point during their campaigns.
But there’s another side to infrastructure that might be more interesting than those roads, bridges, and airports, and that’s the infrastructure innovation that often happens at the state and local level. Given promising new technologies like dockless scooters or bicycles and driverless cars, it’s easy to forget that ride-sharing apps like Uber and Lyft are still relatively new parts of how people get around.
So today, we have three experts to talk about this new world of infrastructure needs, sometimes called “Transportation 3.0.” Specifically, we’re going to be talking about how state and local policy interacts with these new issues:
- Alex Baca, Engagement Director for the Coalition for Smarter Growth, where she works to promote walkable, inclusive, and transit-oriented communities in the Washington, DC area
- Emily Hamilton, research fellow here at Mercatus where she focuses on urban economics and land-use policy
- Jennifer Huddleston, research fellow at Mercatus, whose work covers the interactions between technology and the administrative state
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Need beverage ideas to serve with Thanksgiving dinner? Check out today's What's on Tap beer from Bell's Brewery, Best Brown Ale.
Today we have a special, behind the scenes episode for you. Earlier in September, the Atlas Network announced the finalists for the 2018 Templeton Freedom Award, and the Mercatus Center was fortunate enough to be on that list.
Specifically, Atlas identified the RegData project and the way states have used the project to reform regulations.
Since there’s a lot to unpack in that one sentence, Chad's joined by some Mercatus colleagues who have been instrumental in the project from day one to help explain what, exactly, RegData is, why it’s important, and how state governments can take advantage of the research we’ve done to make meaningful policy changes:
- Patrick McLaughlin, director of the Program for Economic Research on Regulation, and the creator of RegData
- James Broughel, state and local policy research fellow here at Mercatus, and an adjunct law professor at the Antonin Scalia Law School
- Kate De Lanoy, What’s on Tap co-host and director of our media relations team
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Today's What's on Tap beverage is the Pumking Imperial Ale from Southern Tier Brewing Co. Check them out here!
After more than a year of debating federal tax cuts, a return to trillion dollar deficits, and the fiscal condition of the federal government, you might think there’s not much more to say about fiscal solvency in the US. Of course, for those who follow state policy issues, there is still plenty to discuss spread out among 50 state government budgets.
In fact, the Mercatus Center just released its fifth and final study of the fiscal condition of all 50 states. The study ranks each state according to fiscal health and discusses trends from a decade’s worth of data.
Here to dive into that data, what it means for states, and what a path forward might look like are the study’s authors:
- Eileen Norcross, Vice President of Policy Research here at Mercatus, and an expert on state policy issues.
- Co-author, Olivia Gonzalez is a Research Associate at Mercatus, and is the author of an ongoing series of articles diving into some of the interesting stories she discovered while conducting this research.
Click here to learn more about the Fiscal Rankings study and where your state stands.
To follow Olivia's essay series on the study, visit The Bridge.
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Join us for #econoween this fall by carving a pumpkin with your favorite econ stencil and enter it in our contest. Tweet us @mercatus using the hashtag #econoween to submit your pumpkin carving masterpiece. The winner will receive a prize of over $100 worth of free books! You can find the stencils and contest details here.
Interested in Tyler Cowen's new book Stubborn Attachments? It's available for purchase here from Stripe Press.
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Today's What's on Tap beverage comes to us from DuClaw Brewing in Baltimore, Maryland.
A little over a year and a half ago, President Trump issued his 7th Executive Order. Titled “Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs,” Executive Order 13771 is better known in regulatory policy circles as the “1-in-2-out” rule. The general idea is that if you have too many regulations, one way to fix the problem is by requiring that regulatory agencies eliminate 2 rules for each new one they implement.
Longtime listeners will recall back in May when we discussed the issue briefly, but now that we’ve had a little more time to see the rule in action, we thought the time was right to revisit the issue to see what was working, and where there might be room for improvement in the regulatory reform process.
To do that, we’re lucky enough to have Laura Jones back on the show. Laura is a visiting research fellow at Mercatus, and the executive vice president and chief strategic officer of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.
We also have James Broughel in studio. James is a research fellow here at Mercatus and an adjunct professor of law at the Antonin Scalia Law School. Much of James’ work lately has focused on quantifying and understanding state-level regulation.
Questions, comments, episode ideas?
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Today's What's on Tap beer is from Two Roads Brewing Co. Check out their Ok2berfest here!
Over the past two years, Illinois has taken multiple steps to reform how it regulates occupational and professional licenses.
Illinois’ reform efforts are part of a broader national movement reexamining the ways in which we license certain professions. In other words, how state governments decide who’s allowed to work in what jobs.
Here to do that, we have the perfect panel for today’s topic:
- Secretary Bryan Schneider from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation
- From the same Department, we’re also joined by the Director of the Professional Regulation Division, Jessica Baer
- Matt Mitchell, who directs our research program on government granted privilege here at Mercatus
Want to get your hands on a signed copy of Tyler Cowen's new book Stubborn Attachments before it hits bookstores on October 16th? Rate and review your favorite Mercatus podcast, including the Mercatus Policy Download, Conversations with Tyler, the Hayek Program Podcast, or Macro Musings on Apple Podcasts and you'll be entered to win!
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Today's What's on Tap beer is from Manor Hill Brewing in Ellicott City, Maryland. Check out their selection of beers here!
As our guests noted in the show, you can learn more about state occupational licensing reform efforts by visiting the National Conference of State Legislatures' Occupational Licensing Project, or the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation Facebook page.
Last month, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady released what he’s calling a “listening session framework” for a second bite at the tax reform apple. While many thought that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed last December would be the last we’d hear about tax reform for at least a few years, Brady’s framework gives us the outline for what’s been dubbed “Tax Reform 2.0.”
The plan includes permanent tax cuts, new savings vehicles for families, retirees, and students, and reforms aimed at removing, quote, “barriers to growth.”
Since this comes right in the midst of ongoing fallout from Tax Reform 1.0, specifically states adjusting to changes to state and local deductions, it’s the perfect time to pause and reflect on where tax policy is now, and what it might look like if 2.0 becomes a reality.
Here to talk about all things tax, we’ve got an all-star panel lined-up:
- Bernie Becker, tax reporter for Politico, known to many of you as the brains behind the “Morning Tax” tipsheet
- Veronique de Rugy, senior research fellow here at Mercatus. Veronique is an economist and nationally syndicated columnist whose research focuses on the US economy, the federal budget, homeland security, tax issues, and financial privacy
- Michael Farren, research fellow here at Mercatus, focusing on the effects of government favoritism as well as labor and economic development and transportation issues
Questions, comments, episode ideas?
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This week's beer is brought to you by Commonwealth Brewing Co. Check them out here!
For most of us, terms like “3, 4, and 5G” may not mean much more than an indicator that we can use our smartphones, or that it’s time to upgrade them to a newer model. They are simply markers of each new generation in wireless technology.
But for telecommunications policy experts, 5G really matters. Some have predicted that exciting new technologies like driverless cars can only become a reality with the speed and reliability that 5G will provide. Futuristic smart-homes that rely on a variety of different internet-connected devices may need the flexibility that 5G offers, and Virtual Reality may only be convincing in a 5G world.
But if 5G is really that different from 4G, it’s fair to ask if we’re prepared for the change. Today, we’re going to talk about what needs to happen, particularly in the policymaking world, in order to capture the full benefits of the next generation of telecommunications technology.
Here to do that, we're joined by two guests:
- Federal Communications Commissioner Michael O’Rielly, prior to his time as Commissioner, worked for years on Capitol Hill on banking, technology, transportation, trade, and commerce issues
- Brent Skorup, Senior Research Fellow here at Mercatus, where he focuses on wireless policy, new media regulation, telecommunications, and transportation technology
Questions, comments, episode ideas?
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This week's beer is from Tröegs Independent Brewing. Check out their IPA's and other tasty beers here!
Sports are often a great unifier for society. They give us arbitrary, even petty rivalries that we can lean into without taking too seriously at the same time that they bring people together.
But sports, particularly at the professional level, can be expensive. Even ignoring things like player salaries, equipment, and an extensive staff, every sports team needs a place to call home, and stadium costs can easily run in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
That’s not really something most folks worry about as long as wealthy sports team owners are paying for their own stadiums, but city and state governments increasingly view stadium construction as a form of economic stimulus. As a result, there’s a strong temptation to funnel public funds towards these projects, either in the form of direct subsidies, or by giving teams a tax break.
Here to talk about how all of this works, including the pros and cons of this kind of development strategy, we have some guests who have spent a lot of time following the issue:
- Marc Fisher, senior editor with the Washington Post who covers a range of topics, including some of the economic effects of the Washington Nationals ballpark, joins us on the phone
- Michael Farren, research fellow here at the Mercatus Center and repeat guest on the show
- Anne Philpot, research assistant here at Mercatus who has spent a lot of time tracking stadium financing and its effects on local economies
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This week's featured beer is from Salty Turtle in Surf City, North Carolina!
“How many people are unemployed” sounds like a simple question with a straightforward answer: just go around and find out how many people don’t have jobs and you’re done!
However, as economists who study the issue will tell you, it’s not that easy. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, a government agency charged with collecting data, has six separate measures of unemployment. And just in case you think we’re splitting hairs, those different measures ranged from as low as 1.7 to as high as 8.5% last year.
Since the way unemployment is measured and talked about can influence stock prices, elections, and how people generally feel about the economy on a day to day basis, it’s important to understand what these different numbers mean.
Luckily, we’re joined by some folks who spend their time thinking about this stuff so you don’t have to:
- Eric Morath, labor economics and policy reporter for the Wall Street Journal
- Michael Farren, economist with the Mercatus Center who specializes in labor, economic development, and transportation issues
- Kate De Lanoy, director of Media Relations at Mercatus
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Today we have a special bonus episode for you, giving you a look inside the Mercatus Center’s newest project. Those of you who have followed our work over the past year or so may have noticed an increased attention to the idea of policy moonshots: high-risk, high-reward efforts aimed at dramatically improving the world.
Today, we’re taking our own advice. This fall, the Mercatus Center will launch “Emergent Ventures,” an incubator designed to fund and support dynamic and promising ideas with the potential to improve society.
To talk more about Emergent Ventures, we have a special guest, Tyler Cowen.
Tyler is the General Director of the Mercatus Center, and the Holbert Harris Chair of Economics at George Mason University. He is the coauthor of the popular economics blog Marginal Revolution, cofounder of the online educational platform Marginal Revolution University, and host of the podcast Conversations with Tyler.
To learn more about the project, check out Emergent Ventures.
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How to regulate consumer financial products and services has remained one of the most contentious issues in Washington since the financial crisis. Congress created a new agency aimed at dealing with the issue in the wake of the crisis, but nearly 7 years after that agency first opened its doors, the issue remains as relevant as ever.
In fact, experts are even divided on what to call the agency. For some, it’s the “Consumer Financial Protection Bureau,” or CFPB. For others, including Acting Director Mick Mulvaney, it’s the “Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection,” or the BCFP.
Today, we're going to try and just call it “The Bureau,” and ask our guests to talk a little about the recent nomination of Kathleen Kraninger to direct the agency. More importantly, however, we’ll talk about the future of consumer credit regulation regardless of who runs the Bureau, or what it’s called:
- Justin Schardin, a fellow with the Bipartisan Policy Center, and the former director of their Financial Regulatory Reform Initiative.
- Brian Knight, director of the financial regulatory program here at the Mercatus Center.
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Everyone seems to agree that America is a nation of immigrants. Beyond that, however, actual immigration policy remains a contentious and often partisan topic. From insistence on a border wall between the United States and Mexico to growing calls for the abolition of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, common ground hasn’t been easy to find lately.
That may be because, as the Mercatus Center’s general director Tyler Cowen recently put it, “Immigration is hard,” and “it’s worth thinking about why immigration policy poses such tough dilemmas and how to fix them.”
Here to do just that, we have two top immigration policy experts:
- Kristie de Pena, director of immigration policy and senior counsel at the Niskanen Center
- Dan Griswold, director of the program on the American economy and globalization here at the Mercatus Center
Questions, comments, suggestions?
Email Chad at creese@mercatus.gmu.edu or find him on Twitter @ChadMReese.
Inflation, rate hikes, hawks, doves, and yes, even dual-mandates. We’re diving into the exciting and, at times, intractable world of the Federal Reserve today to talk about new-ish Fed Chair Jay Powell and the Fed’s recent announcement that it’s increasing its interest rate target now and in the near future.
That makes this the perfect time to talk about the direction the Fed may be heading under Powell’s leadership.
Here to answer that question, we have an all-star panel of Fed watchers:
- Jeanna Smialek, data, demographics, and monetary policy reporter for Bloomberg
- Joseph Gagnon, international macroeconomist at the Peterson Institute for international economics
- David Beckworth, economist, scholar with our Program for Monetary Policy here at Mercatus, and host of the podcast Macro Musings
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Depending on who you ask, Initial Coin Offerings, or ICOs, are a scam, a brilliant new way for cryptocurrency companies to raise startup money, a sneaky way to get around securities regulations, or some combination of the above.
What we do know for sure is that ICOs are garnering a lot of attention these days. China outright banned them last year, and the SEC recently launched its own “HowieCoin,” a fake ICO meant to steer potential investors away from scams.
To talk about what these things actually are and what they mean for the future of capital markets, we’re joined by three of the best in the field:
- Brian Knight is the director of the Mercatus Center’s program on financial regulation, and a Mercatus Policy Download veteran
- Chris Brummer is a Georgetown Law professor, and a leading academic in the financial technology space
- Lydia Beyoud is a fintech reporter for Bloomberg Law, where she covers the latest market and regulator activity on ICOs and a host of other issues
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On May 16th, the US Senate voted to repeal a Federal Communications Commission rule that was itself a repeal of the FCC’s 2015 rule intended to change the way the internet is regulated. The double repeal is now awaiting sign off from the House and the President, neither of which seem likely to support it.
Still, the legislation has renewed the debate over ‘net neutrality,’ and how policymakers should regulate the internet.
Here to unpack those issues are three experts on internet policy issues:
- Brent Skorup, Senior Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center, specializing in technology policy
- Roslyn Layton, Visiting Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, who focuses on telecommunications, internet regulation, and privacy issues
- Brendan Bordelon, tech and cybersecurity reporter at the National Journal
Download this episode and subscribe to the Mercatus Policy Download on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.
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Privacy and social media have always had a complicated relationship. On the one hand, users of sites like Facebook often voice concerns when they find out how much of their personal information ends up with advertisers. On the other hand, the roughly 2 billion active users of Facebook continue to provide that data voluntarily in exchange for free use of the platform.
Add political advertising to that mix, and you have the ingredients for intense Congressional hearings featuring Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and a national conversation about whether or not the federal government should take a larger role in social media regulation.
Here to address some of those challenges are three experts in the field:
- Adam Thierer, Mercatus Center Senior Research Fellow
- Ashkhen Kazaryan, Legal Fellow with TechFreedom
- Will Rinehart, American Action Forum’s Director of Technology and Innovation Policy
Download this episode and subscribe to the Mercatus Policy Download on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadMReese.
The word “regulation” can be a pretty loaded one in the world of public policy. To some, it means health and safety protections necessary for a well-functioning economy and society. To others, it means unnecessary bureaucratic restrictions that kill jobs and favor large, established businesses.
What just about everyone can agree on, however, is that there’s room for improvement in the existing regulatory system. Today, we’re talking about the idea of “win-win” regulatory reform. Or, put differently, how policymakers can approach improving the regulatory system to make sure it works better for everyone.
To do that, we asked our distinguished panel of regulatory experts to discuss what to do with the long laundry list of unnecessary or outdated rules:
- Laura Jones, Executive Vice-President and Chief Strategic Officer of the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses and a regulatory economist who has written for the Mercatus Center.
- Kevin Falcon, Former Minister of Finance and Deputy Premier for British Columbia, who has worked in the trenches as a policymaker on regulatory reform efforts in Canada.
- Patrick McLaughlin, Director of the Mercatus Center’s Program for Economic Research on Regulation, and former Senior Economist at the Department of Transportation.
Download this episode and subscribe to the Mercatus Policy Download on iTunes or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.
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Just about everyone who lives in a metropolitan coastal area understands the value of affordable housing. It's a given that if you want the benefits that come with living near lots of people and businesses, you're going to have to pay more for your mortgage or rent.
That might be most obviously true of California, where growing demand and stagnant supply have produced 10 of the 11 most expensive metropolitan areas in the country. The state is aware of the problem and at least one potential response, California Senate Bill 827, would address it by limiting the ability of local governments to restrict housing supply.
This expert panel will get us started by talking about California and SB 827 and then they’ll try to unpack what this means for the rest of the country:
- Matthew Yglesias, Vox.com Senior Correspondent and author of "The Rent Is Too Damn High”
- Emily Hamilton, Mercatus Center State and Local Policy Research Fellow
- Salim Furth, Mercatus Center Senior Research Fellow
Check out Salim's newest paper on California's density deficit and the likely impact of SB 827 here.
Download this episode and subscribe to the Mercatus Policy Download on iTunes or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadMReese.
What do felt hats, flamethrowers, soybeans, and aluminum all have in common? They're all potential targets for new tariffs in the escalating trade dispute between the United States and China.
For some time, the US has been trending towards freer and more open trade, culminating the North American Free Trade Agreement and efforts to finalize the Trans‑Pacific Partnership. But that trend may have come to an abrupt halt under an administration that has famously said, "Trade wars are good and easy to win."
Here to explain whether or not we're in a trade war already, what that means for the US and China, and what US policy makers should do going forward, are three experts in the field:
- Caroline Baum, regular contributor to Market Watch
- Dan Griswold, and Don Boudreaux, co-directors of the Mercatus Center's Program on the American Economy and Globalization
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Many US companies need to move data across borders, and it’s not just the ones you think. In addition to social media and tech firms, traditional companies like payment processors, logistics companies, and physical manufacturers also provide digital services across countries. This makes them subject to data localization requirements, one of the key emerging issues in trade and trade agreements. Getting these requirements right will position countries to benefit from the increasingly vital benefits of the digital economy. Get them wrong, and countries will be shut out of this growth. In the case of data localization, the rules of the road are being written as we're driving on it. Thankfully our panel today has some ideas to keep us on the right path, with the US keeping to a principled approach that favors openness while safeguarding security and privacy.
Guests:
- Christine McDaniel, a Mercatus scholar specializing in trade issues.
- Joshua Meltzer, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution
- Brian Larkin, the Internet Association's Director for Cloud Policy
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While the US health care debate focuses on insurance and funding, many people struggle to schedule a doctor visit in timely manner. In rural areas, simply finding a doctor nearby can be a challenge. Nationwide there could be a shortage of somewhere between 40,800 and 104,900 physicians by 2030. Access to health care, in other words, means more than having insurance.
How to address this doctor shortage? Dr. Jeffrey Flier, former Dean of Harvard's Faculty of Medicine, has some ideas:
- Reform outdated accreditation practices. Remove barriers to creating new accredited US schools and training positions for physicians. This includes developing shorter and less expensive training paths.
- Allow more foreign-trained physicians. Provide paths to licensure that do not require retraining for qualified international medical graduates who have completed advanced clinical training in their home countries. These physicians are substantially more likely to practice in rural and poorer communities and in much-needed primary care specialties.
- Expand the type of care that can be provided by (less costly) physician assistants and nurse practitioners, who perform many primary care services as safely and effectively as physicians. This can help mitigate physician shortages in underserved parts of the country.
- Embrace new medical technology, such as the use of telemedicine, physiologic sensors, mobile health apps, and other potential “force multipliers”—for both medical education and practice. This can increase the number of health providers, raise their productivity, and offer greater convenience to patients.
Guests:
- Jeffrey S. Flier, former Dean of Harvard's Faculty of Medicine. @jflier
- Leck Shannon, manager of the healthcare research portfolio at Mercatus. lshannon@mercatus.gmu.edu
Links:
- Dr. Flier’s new paper
- His Stat article
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Congress is attempting small reforms to Dodd‑Frank. Once the dust settles on the Crapo bill, it's going to be awhile before we hear from them again on the matter.
The future of financial regulator policy now lies with the agencies. So what should be on the agenda?
Highlights:
- A new idea for CFPB reform. The table agrees the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is the place to watch. And J.W. Verret gives us a sneak peek of his best idea for reforming it: regulatory contracts.
- A better way forward for fintech regulation. Brian Knight note that financial regulators should carefully consider the risks associated with regulating via broad discretionary powers rather than via traditional rulemaking, and discussed a federal charter and state regulatory sandboxes as potential policy reform options for emerging fintech firms.
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What's Project Catalyst all about? No one knows.
The conversation also covered the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Volcker Rule.
Today's guests:
- Mercatus scholar, Brian Knight
- Former senior affiliated Mercatus scholar, J.W. Verret
- American Banker reporter, Rachel Witkowski
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