Mercatus Policy Download

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-snapRead 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 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 webinar, 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 outreach@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 outreach@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 outreach@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 outreach@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 outreach@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 outreach@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 outreach@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. Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadMReese. Check out the Bridge for all Mercatus research, all the time. Love the show? Give us a rating on Apple Podcasts! It helps other podcasts listeners find the show. 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. Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadMReese. 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   Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadMReese. Love the show? Give us a rating on Apple Podcasts! Today's What's on Tap beverage is Budweiser's Copper Lager.