Mercatus Center
By Mercatus Center
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Podcast Description
Bringing you events, lectures, and interviews from the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
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1 |
Taxes: Fooling Ourselves and Fooling the Voters | nbsp;The tax code is complicated, making it difficult for all but a few to understand the impact it has on our day-to-day lives. While most taxes are enacted for innocent reasons such as raising funds for a devastated community after a natural disaster, these taxes and others have unintended consequences that fool voters and create a more shrouded tax system. Furthermore, Congress constantly deals with phantom assumptions about the tax code, which lead it to pass taxes that do not achieve their desired goal. These issues will be addressed by Prof. Antony Davies, Associate Professor of Economics at Duquesne University, who will answer important questions such as:nbsp;Are temporary taxes truly temporary?How do withholdings in taxes affect voters’ thinking about their money?When figuring out who paid what, which are better; marginal or average tax rates?How accurate are CBO projections with the assumptions they are given by Congress?How much does the Federal revenue change in relation to GDP when taxes are high or low?What happens to tax revenue per capita as taxes rise and fall?Can the government control who pays taxes?nbsp;The tax code is complicated, making it difficult for all but a few to understand the impact it has on our day-to-day lives. While most taxes are enacted for innocent reasons such as raising funds for a devastated community after a natural disaster, these taxes and others have unintended consequences that fool voters and create a more shrouded tax system. Furthermore, Congress constantly deals with phantom assumptions about the tax code, which lead it to pass taxes that do not achieve their desired goal. These issues are addressed by Prof. Antony Davies, Associate Professor of Economics at Duquesne University.Are temporary taxes truly temporary?How do withholdings in taxes affect voters’ thinking about their money?When figuring out who paid what, which are better; marginal or average tax rates?How accurate are CBO projections with the assumptions they are given by Congress?How much does the Federal revenue change in relation to GDP when taxes are high or low?What happens to tax revenue per capita as taxes rise and fall?Can the government control who pays taxes?nbsp; | 5/16/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Looking Back to See Forward: The Need For Regulatory Retrospective Review | Several key debates this year will focus on the economic impact of federal regulations. The Mercatus Center at George Mason University is pleased to offer a series of courses designed to help congressional staff better understand the regulatory process by providing the concepts and skills necessary to conduct informed regulatory oversight.This seminar will examine the current state of regulatory retrospective review, how it can be improved, and how Congress can use the findings of retrospective review for regulatory oversight and legislative planning. Our discussion panel includes Mercatus scholar Jerry Ellig, Resources for the Future scholar Randy Lutter, and the Honorable Maurice McTigue, former cabinet minister and member of the New Zealand Parliament. The panel will address:Current retrospective review practices and why agencies do not make retrospective review of regulation a priorityOptions for making retrospective review robust and usefulLessons on regulatory and legislative management that Congress can learn from New ZealandSeveral key debates this year will focus on the economic impact of federal regulations. The Mercatus Center at George Mason University is pleased to offer a series of courses designed to help congressional staff better understand the regulatory process by providing the concepts and skills necessary to conduct informed regulatory oversight.This seminar examines the current state of regulatory retrospective review, how it can be improved, and how Congress can use the findings of retrospective review for regulatory oversight and legislative planning. Our discussion panel includes Mercatus scholar Jerry Ellig, Resources for the Future scholar Randy Lutter, and the Honorable Maurice McTigue, former cabinet minister and member of the New Zealand Parliament. The panel will address:Current retrospective review practices and why agencies do not make retrospective review of regulation a priorityOptions for making retrospective review robust and usefulLessons on regulatory and legislative management that Congress can learn from New Zealandnbsp; | 5/10/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Destination Unknown: The Future of GSEs In America | Mercatus Center financial services experts Anthony Sanders, Arnold Kling, and Lawrence J. White discuss the future of GSEs, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and the government's role in the U.S. housing market. | 5/1/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Search for Solutions: Looking Beyond Prescriptive Regulation | nbsp;This seminar reviews the menu of options available for solving regulatory problems, and how to recognize factors that indicate whether an agency has adequately identified and evaluated options relevant to a specific problem and the intended outcomes.Our discussion panel includes Jerry Brito and J.W. Verret, Mercatus scholars and professors at George Mason University School of Law, and Henry Butler, Executive Director of the Law and Economics Center at George Mason University School of Law. The panel will address these issues from the perspective of three major policy areas:Technology – Is regulation necessary to ensure cybersecurity? What should we know about market responses to cyber threats before we select a course of action?nbsp;Health Care – What is the market failure in health care? What roles do the federal and state governments have in finding solutions?nbsp;Financial Markets – When does federal pre-emption produce bad outcomes in financial regulation? How to recognize a regulatory failure and what to do about it.nbsp;nbsp;This seminar reviews the menu of options available for solving regulatory problems, and how to recognize factors that indicate whether an agency has adequately identified and evaluated options relevant to a specific problem and the intended outcomes.The discussion panel includes Jerry Brito and J.W. Verret, Mercatus scholars and professors at George Mason University School of Law, and Henry Butler, Executive Director of the Law and Economics Center at George Mason University School of Law. The panel will address these issues from the perspective of three major policy areas:Technology – Is regulation necessary to ensure cybersecurity? What should we know about market responses to cyber threats before we select a course of action?Health Care – What is the market failure in health care? What roles do the federal and state governments have in finding solutions?Financial Markets – When does federal pre-emption produce bad outcomes in financial regulation? How to recognize a regulatory failure and what to do about it.nbsp; | 4/30/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Naomi Cahn on the digital afterlife | Naomi Cahn, John Theodore Fey Research Professor of Law at George Washington University, discusses her new paper entitled, “Postmortem Life Online.” Cahn first discusses what could happen to online accounts like Facebook once a person dies. According to Cahn, technology is outpacing the law in this area and it isn’t very clear what can happen to an online presence once the account holder passes away. She discusses the various problems family members face when trying to access a deceased loved one’s account, and also the problems online companies face in trying to balance the deceased’s privacy rights with the need to settle an estate. Cahn claims that terms of service often dictate what will happen to an online account after death, but these terms may not be in line with account holder wishes. She then suggests some steps to take in making sure online accounts are taken care of after death, including taking inventory of all online accounts and determining who should have access to those accounts after death. | 4/23/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Hackers, Terrorists, and Rogue States: What Do They Mean for American Cybersecurity? | What exactly does cybersecurity entail? An issue this large encompasses many elements: what is the real threat? What is its scope? Who is at risk? Who is the most suited to defend against the threat? Professor Jerry Brito and Eli Dourado address these questions. | 4/11/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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An Update on the Fiscal Survey of the States with Scott Pattison | Scott Pattison discusses what some states are doing to deal with the increasing costs of healthcare and pension liabilities and what challenges lie ahead. | 4/5/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Who Regulates the Regulators? | nbsp;Speaking to an audience of primarily Congressional staffers, Tpdd Zywicki examines the degree to which executive branch and independent agencies are subject to checks and balances on their regulatory authority. Topics include why it is necessary to regulate regulators, the factors that strength or weaken regulatory accountability, and what Nixon-era bureaucracy and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have in common.nbsp;Speaking to an audience of primarily Congressional staffers, Todd Zywicki examines the degree to which executive branch and independent agencies are subject to checks and balances on their regulatory authority. Topics include:nbsp;Why it is necessary to regulate regulatorsFactors that strength or weaken regulatory accountabilityWhat Nixon-era bureaucracy and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have in commonnbsp; | 4/2/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Political Economy of Medicaid Reform by Scott Beaulier | Economist Scott Beaulier tackles a number of topics including the differences between Medicare and Medicaid, the perverse incentives states face with regards to health care, and how Medicaid will affect state and federal budgets going forward. | 3/12/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Gabriella Coleman on Anonymous and LulzSec | Gabriella Coleman, anthropologist and the Wolfe Chair in Scientific and Technological Literacy in the Department of Art History amp; Communication Studies at McGill University, discusses hacktivist group Anonymous. Coleman begins with an overview of Anonymous originating with online pranks that eventually evolved into political activism. The group, according to Coleman, began seeking “lulz” on the message board 4chan. The pranks consisted of Internet memes and practical Internet jokes called trolling. She then discusses how the group moved into activism using denial of services attacks to shut down websites and how it issued a series of videos against the Church of Scientology. The discussion then turns to the recent arrest of several LulzSec members, including Sabu, the hacker turned FBI informant. | 3/12/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Rebecca MacKinnon on Internet freedom | Rebecca MacKinnon, a former CNN correspondent and now Senior Fellow at the New America Foundation, discusses her new book, “Consent of the Networked: The Worldwide Struggle for Internet Freedom.” MacKinnon begins by discussing “Net Freedom,” which she describes as a structure that respects rights, freedoms, and accountability. She discusses how some governments, like China, use coercion to make private companies act a as subcontractors for censorship and manipulation. She goes on to discuss a project she launched called Global Network Initiative, where she urges companies like Google and Facebook to be more socially responsible. MacKinnon believes technology needs to be compatible with political freedoms, and she issues a call to action for Internet users to demand policies that are compatible with Internet freedoms. | 3/5/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Getting the Job Done Right: Essential Skills for Regulatory Oversight | Several key debates this year will focus on the economic impact of federal regulations. The Mercatus Center at George Mason University is pleased to offer a series of courses designed to help congressional staff better understand the regulatory process. The first course uses examples from newly-minted financial markets regulations to review: The stages involved in developing and finalizing a regulationHow to find and use information about a regulationThe best tools to help policy makers make the case for or against a change in regulation | 2/29/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clay Johnson on information consumption | Clay Johnson, co-founder of Blue State Digital and former director of Sunlight Labs at the Sunlight Foundation, discusses his new book, The Information Diet. According to Johnson, America’s diet of mass-produced unhealthy food has resulted in an obesity epidemic and we may be seeing the same thing when it comes to our media diet. He believes the problem is not too much information, rather it is the quality of information that people choose to consume. Johnson encourages more responsibility in choosing information intake, similar to what is required to make healthy food choices. He ends by outlining a plan of action and offers tips on consuming “healthy” information. | 2/29/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Jonathan Coulton on music piracy | Jonathan Coulton, a musician, singer-songwriter, and geek icon, discusses his thoughts on piracy from an artist’s point of view. Coulton talks about quitting his day job so he could focus on his music. He bypassed the traditional route of becoming a musician, which usually means signing to a record label, and began releasing one song per week on his website. This lead to eventual success, according to Coulton, who now makes his living as a full-time musician by touring and selling his music on his website.nbsp; | 2/13/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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What Can Government Do To Create Jobs? | In his testimony before the House Committee on Education and Labor, Matt Mitchell said there is substantial disagreement among economists about whether stimulus spending can revive a struggling economy.To read the transcript and charts associated that accompany this talk, click here. | 1/31/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Reuben Grinberg on the legality of Bitcoin | Reuben Grinberg, a recent Yale Law School graduate now in private practice in New York City, discusses his paper, published in the Hastings Science amp; Technology Law Journal entitled, Bitcoin: An Innovative Alternative Digital Currency. Grinberg first gives a brief overview of Bitcoin, the decentralized, digital currency. According to Grinberg, Bitcoin can maintain sustainability, even though it is not backed by an institution or commodity, but it must overcome several hurdles. Grinberg then discusses the potential security problems and legal issues Bitcoin faces. He also describes some of the unique qualities of Bitcoin, including the ability to conduct transactions anonymously. Grinberg ends the discussion with his thoughts on what Bitcoin could potentially become. | 1/30/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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How Likely is a Sovereign Debt Crisis? | Arnold Kling and Nick Schulz speak with Joseph Minarik and Peter Wallison about the likelihood of a sovereign debt crisis occurring in the United States. Their discussion is based on a recent symposium hosted by Econ Journal Watch and Mercatus. | 1/26/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The 100th Episode | Celebrate 100 episodes of Surprisingly Free with a selection of some of the best clips from the last 99 shows, featuring some incredible thinkers and doers at the intersection of technology, policy and economics. | 1/23/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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What Would a U.S. Sovereign Debt Crisis Look Like? | Arnold Kling, Garett Jones, and Reihan Salam discuss the possible outcomes of a sovereign debt crisis in the United States. Their conversation is based upon a symposium by Econ Journal Watch and Mercatus on the same topic. | 1/21/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Creating a Shovel-Ready Economy: Lessons from the Recovery Act | In this presentation, Mercatus Senior Scholar Garett Jones provides a useful framework for promoting economic growth. Professor Jones's presentation examines the state of the economy today, why short-term policies do not necessarily provide the biggest bang for the buck, and what Congress can do to get the economy going both in the short-term and long-term. | 1/16/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Michael Weinberg on 3D Printing | Michael Weinberg, staff attorney with Public Knowledge, discusses his white paper entitled,nbsp;It Will Be Awesome If They Don’t Screw This Up: 3D Printing, Intellectual Property, and the Fight Over the Next Great Disruptive Technology. The discussion begins with Weinberg describing 3D printing: the process of printing three dimensional objects layer-by-layer from a digital file on a computer. According to Weinberg the design method used for printing includes programs like AutoCad and 3D scanners that can scan existing objects, making it possible to print a 3D replica. He goes on to explain why he thinks 3D printing, coupled with the Internet, is a disruptive technology. Finally, Weinberg discusses the thesis of his paper, where he anticipates industries affected by potential disruption will not compete with or adapt to this technology, but rather, will seek legal protection through IP law to preemptively regulate 3D printing. | 1/16/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Devaluing the Think Tank | Arnold Kling and Nick Schulz interview Tevi Troy, who argues that think tanks are on a path to becoming more conventional and less valuable. | 1/11/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Andrew McAfee on Digital Innovation, Employment and Productivity | Andrew McAfee, Principal Research Scientist at MIT’s Center for Digital Business, discusses his new book, co-authored with Erik Brynjolfsson, entitled, Race Against the Machine: How the Digital Revolution is Accelerating Innovation, Driving Productivity, and Irreversibly Transforming Employment and the Economy. The book looks at the interplay between unemployment and fast-paced technological innovation. In the book, McAfee and Brynjolfsson propose that technology is outpacing humans, and they discuss whether humans can keep up. According to McAfee, technology is encroaching on skills that once belonged exclusively to humans. He believes that entrepreneurial thinking, different institutions, and new organizational structures can prevent humans from being left behind by the machines. | 1/9/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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12 Great Economic Policy Ideas for 2012 | Arnold Kling and Nick Schulz speak with James Pethokoukis about his 12 suggestions for policies that might improve the United States' economic condition. | 1/5/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Obama acts alone in picking head of consumer protection bureau | Todd Zywicki discusses the legality of the Cordray appointment to the Consumer Financial Protection Board. | 1/3/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Jason Fichtner: Payroll Tax Talks Put Us In Bizarro World | Mercatus Center scholar Jason Fichtner is a former deputy commissioner of Social Security and a former senior economist with the Joint Economic Committee of the United States Congress who says we've entered bizarro world in the discussions over extension of the payroll tax cut. He explains why and discusses the policy implications of what is taking place. None of them are good. | 12/21/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Russ Roberts Delivers Keynote Address at the Mercatus Center Holiday Dinner | Russ Roberts explores how complexity pervades economics in a keynote address that touches on the battle of ideas between Keynes and Hayek, the difficulty of making macroeconomic predictions, and the influence of bias and ideology on economics. | 12/6/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Michael Froomkin on the future of anonymity | Michael Froomkin, the Laurie Silvers amp; Mitchell Rubenstein Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Miami, discusses his new paper prepared for the Oxford Internet Institute entitled, Lessons Learned Too Well: The Evolution of Internet Regulation. Froomkin begins by talking about anonymity, why it is important, and the different political and social components involved. The discussion then turns to Froomkin’s categorization of Internet regulation, how it can be seen in three different waves, and how it relates to anonymity. He ends the discussion by talking about the third wave of Internet regulation, and he predicts that online anonymity will become practically impossible. Froomkin also discusses the constitutional implications of a complete ban on online anonymity, as well as what he would deem an ideal balance between the right to anonymous speech and protection from online crimes like fraud and security breeches. | 12/5/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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danah boyd on How Parents Help Kids Lie to Get on Facebook | danah boyd,nbsp;Senior Researcher at Microsoft Research, and Assistant Professor in Media, Culture, and Communication at New York University, discusses her recent article in First Monday with Ester Hargitai, Jason Schultz, and John Palfrey. It’s entitled, “Why parents help their children lie to Facebook about age: Unintended consequences of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.” boyd discusses COPPA as it applies to Facebook, namely that children under 13 are not allowed to use the site. She then talks about her research, which looks at whether this restriction is helping parents protect their children’s privacy, and whether it is meeting COPPA’s ultimate goals. boyd discusses her findings, which indicate parents are allowing their children to lie about their age to obtain a Facebook account. According to boyd, parents want guidelines when it comes to data protection, but they do not necessarily want strict requirements. boyd feels that COPPA is not achieving its goal of privacy protection and should be evaluated with more transparency so parents and the public in general know how to protect their privacy. | 11/28/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Joseph Flatley on the new breed of survivalists | Joseph Flatley, Features Editor with The Verge, discusses his recent article entitled, “Condo at the End of the World.” Flatley first gives an overview of The Verge, a new website dedicated to in-depth reporting usually seen in traditional media such as newspapers and magazines. He describes The Verge as a website dedicated not only to what technology means, but also to how it affects our lives. The discussion then turns to Flately’s article on survival condos, which have attracted the attention of wealthy citizens concerned about end of the world calamity and economic collapse. According to Flatley, the interest in survival condos has increased after 9/11, and after the recent economic downturn. The “condos” are abandoned missile silos that date back to the cold war. Flatley describes his interviews with different people who are carving out a market for high-end survival real estate, turning these abandoned missile silos into luxury living. He describes how survivalists might live in an end of the world scenario, including what they will eat and how they will stay properly hydrated. | 11/21/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Laura Heymann on reputation | Laura Heymann, Professor of Law at William amp; Mary Law School, discusses her recent article in the Boston College Law Review entitled, The Law of Reputation and the Interest of the Audience. Heymann proposes viewing the concept of reputation as something formed by a community rather than something owned by an individual. Reputation, according to Heymann, is valuable because of the way a community uses it. She then discusses how thinking of reputation differently leads to thinking about different remedies for reputation-based harms. Heymann thinks current remedies for damage to one’s reputation do not focus enough on the affect it has on the community and proposes remedies for emotional injuries be separate from remedies for damages to the reputation. She then discusses how the Internet affects reputation, including how it enlarges communities, and how it intersects with privacy. | 11/14/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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A New Framework for Broadband and the FCC | Broadband policy continues to be a contentious subject of debate with many policymakers and advocates suggesting that a new framework might be needed to foster increased competition, innovation, higher speeds, greater coverage, and lower prices. Meanwhile, there’s talk in Washington once again of reforming the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to bring the agency into the information age. These issues are explored in new studies by Raymond Gifford, a Partner at the law firm of Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP, and by Jeffrey Eisenach, a Managing Director and Principal at Navigant Economics and an Adjunct Professor at George Mason University Law School. In a new Mercatus Center working paper, Gifford outlines what substantive FCC reform would entail and considers what antitrust agencies and enforcement can teach us about the way the FCC should work going forward.nbsp;nbsp;In a similar vein, Eisenach’s new study considers how competition oversight of broadband markets could be modeled after modern antitrust principles. Gifford and Eisenach will outline these alternative approaches to broadband policy and FCC reform in a Mercatus Center event on Wednesday, November 9thnbsp;at 10:00am at the Reserve Officers Association. Also joining us for the discussion will be Howard Shelanski, Professor of Law at Georgetown Law School who previously served as Chief Economist for the Federal Communications Commission and as a Senior Economist for the President’s Council of Economic Advisers at the White House. | 11/8/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Benefits, Costs, and Other Important Stuff - Demystifying Regulatory Analysis | Regulation is a high priority in Congress as committees conduct regulatory oversight hearings and members introduce legislation focused on regulatory reform. Assessing the pros and cons of any regulation or regulatory-reform proposal requires some basic familiarity with the terms and techniques of regulatory analysis.In this podcast, Jerry Ellig explains the economic concepts behind the basic buzzwords of regulatory analysis—such as “benefits,” “costs,” “market failure,” and “cost-effectiveness”—and why they matter. Concepts are illustrated through examples from actual regulatory analyses conducted by federal agencies and university scholars.The course answers key questions such as:Why should regulatory agencies define the problem they’re trying to solve?Why is regulatory analysis more than an exercise in math?Are jobs a benefit of regulation, a cost of regulation, or something else?What the heck are “transfers?” And how are they different from costs or benefits?Does regulatory analysis tell us what the “right” decision is? | 11/8/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Johnny Ryan on the the history of the Internet and its future | Johnny Ryan, Senior Researcher at the Institute of International and European Affairs, discusses his recent book, “A History of the Internet and the Digital Future.” The book is a comprehensive overview of the Internet and where it came from. Ryan discusses some of the core concepts, including what made the Internet revolutionary, and how many of these ideas came from RAND Corporation researcher Paul Baran. He explains that the initial concept for packet switching did come from the need to build a communications system to withstand nuclear attack. The discussion then turns to the advent of communication between computers, which sprang from a group of graduate students who used a collaborative process to create the network. Finally, Ryan discusses Web 2.0, and how technologies like cloud computing and 3-D printing will disrupt industries in the future. | 11/7/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Alisdair Gillespie on restricting access to the Internet | Alisdair Gillespie, Professor of Criminal Law and Justice at De Montfort University in Leicester UK, discusses his new paper in the International Journal of Law and Information Technology, Restricting Access to the Internet by Sex Offenders. Gillespie discusses whether access to the Internet is a human right, and if so, when that right can be curtailed. He establishes that access to the Internet could be a negative right, then turns to how Internet access can be restricted in the case of sex offenders. Gillespie talks about different ways to prevent these offenders from using the Internet for ill, including complete restriction as well as technological tools similar to parental control software, and the difficulties that arise when trying to implement any one of these schemes. | 10/31/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Adam Thierer on Internet sales tax | Adam Thierer discusses his new paper, co-authored with Veronique de Rugy, The Internet, Sales Tax, and Tax Competition. With several states in the midst of budget crunches, states and localities struggle to find a way to generate revenue, which, according to Thierer, leads to an aggressive attempt to collect online sales tax. He discusses some of these attempts, like the multi-state compact, that seeks taxation of remote online vendors. | 10/24/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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A Sustainable Approach to Entitlement Reform | Any credible plan to significantly improve the nation’s fiscal outlook must address the greatest drivers of future debt: Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. But while the need for entitlement reform is no longer in question, policy makers are far from consensus on how, or even when, to begin. This event featured both public trustees for social security and medicare, Charles Blahous and Robert Reischauer. It also featured Alice M. Rivlin, the founding director of the CBO as well as Mercatus' own Jason Fichtner.Any credible plan to significantly improve the nation’s fiscal outlook must address the greatest drivers of future debt: Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. But while the need for entitlement reform is no longer in question, policy makers are far from consensus on how, or even when, to begin. This event featured both public trustees for social security and medicare, Charles Blahous and Robert Reischauer. It also featured Alice M. Rivlin, the founding director of the CBO as well as Mercatus' own Jason Fichtner. | 10/19/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Simon Chesterman on electronic intelligence surveillance | Simon Chesterman discusses his new book, One Nation Under Surveillance: A New Social Contract to Defend Freedom Without Sacrificing Liberty. The discussion begins with a brief overview of the NSA and how it garnered the attention of Americans after 9/11. Chesterman discusses the agency’s powers and the problems the NSA encounters, including how to sort through large amounts of data. The discussion then turns to how these powers can become exceptions to constitutional protections, and how such exceptional circumstances can be accommodated. | 10/17/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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David Robinson on rogue websites and domain seizures | David Robinson discusses his new paper, Following the Money: A Better Way Forward on the PROTECT IP Act. The bill, now being considered by Congress, targets “rouge” websites. Robinson discusses the different ways these websites host infringing content and sell counterfeit goods, as well as the remedies proposed in the bill. Robinson discusses why he thinks the Act will better serve IP law if the flow of money is restricted, and not the flow of information. | 10/10/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Changing the Budget Process to Promote Fiscal Responsibility | Many point to the past months’ rancorous debates and subsequent credit downgrade as an indication the federal budget process is “broken.” But if its principle aim is to control spending, has it ever really worked?The discussion focuses on the following questions:What are the key weaknesses of the current federal budget process?nbsp;How and why have most past process reforms failed, and how should new budget rules be designed and enforced to ensure effectiveness?nbsp;What reforms could be immediately enacted to direct real near-term spending reform?nbsp; What is necessary to ensure medium and long-term spending reforms actually materialize? | 10/5/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Derek Bambauer on censorship | Derek Bambuer says that America has begun to censor the Internet, and he distinguishes two forms of censorship: hard and soft. He defines hard censorship as open and transparent, and where the government directly controls what information can and cannot be transmitted. Soft censorship, says Bambauer, is indirect, where government tells third parties to prevent users from accessing information, and it’s not clear what is being censored. He submits that if America is going to censor the Internet, it should do so through hard censorship. Indirect censorship strategies, he writes, are less legitimate than direct regulation. | 10/3/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Sonia Arrison on technology and longevity | Sonia Arrison discusses her new book entitled 100+: How the Coming of Age of Longevity Will Change Everything from Careers and Relationships to Family and Faith. She discusses the different types of technology, including tissue engineering and gene therapy, which are poised to change numerous aspects of human life by improving health and increasing lifespan to 150 years and beyond. | 9/26/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Annemarie Bridy on scaling copyright enforcement | Annemarie Bridy look at how the designers of P2P networks created a problem of scale in the form of “massive infringement.” Bridy discusses how to to approach solving that new problem of scale–massive infringement. She argues that the DMCA has proven to be remarkably scalable for enforcing copyrights in hosted content but has altogether failed to scale in the context of P2P file sharing, leading to the dysfunctional workaround of mass John Doe litigation. She discusses alternatives to mass litigation, including dispute resolution systems and “three strikes” proposals. | 9/19/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Garett Jones on Stimulus | Garett Jones of George Mason University talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the workers who were hired with money from the 2009 American Recovery and Re-investment Act--the stimulus package. Jones (with co-author Daniel Rothschild) recently completed two studies based on surveys and interviews with firms who received stimulus funds and workers who work at those firms. They found that 42% of workers hired had been unemployed. The remainder came from other jobs or from outside the labor force such as retirement or school. Is 42% a big number or a small number? | 9/18/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Practical Lessons in Budget Reform | Economists’ research of other nations’ experiences provides insight on the most effective way to deal with unsustainable debt. There is also much to be learned from our own past attempts — successful or not — to meaningfully reform the budget.This discussion will focus on the following questions:Which fundamental spending, tax, and budget process reforms have proven most effective in reducing debt? nbsp;Is there an ideal combination of budgetary reforms for reducing debt? nbsp;What about the economy? Can we improve our fiscal situation without making our economic situation even worse?How can we avoid repeating our own past failures in addressing unsustainable debt? | 9/15/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Michael Nelson on digital preservation | In the past, archiving history involved collecting tangible things such as letters and newspapers. Michael Nelson, Associate Professor at Old Dominion University, points out that the web has become a primary medium with no serious preservation system in place. He discusses how the web is stuck in the perpetual now, making it difficult to view past information. | 9/5/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Gerald Faulhaber on the economics of net neutrality | Gerald Faulhaber, Professor Emeritus at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and Penn Law School, delves into the network neutrality debate noting that consumers do not want complete neutrality since they approve of ISPs blocking content such as child pornography or malware. He explains that there is little evidence that violations of net neutrality have actually occurred, so that consumers today getting as much neutrality as they want. | 8/29/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Are Corporations People Too? | Earlier this month, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said, Corporations are a lot like you and me. Beltway pundits are calling it a campaign gaffe. But what was Romney actually getting at? Are corporations people? Steve Horwitz and other discuss. | 8/24/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Adam Thierer on children’s privacy online | Websites that track a child’s online activity can raise privacy concerns. A number of well-intentioned lawmakers are introducing regulatory measures that aim to expand the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Adam Thierer discusses the unintended consequences that could result from regulations, like mandatory age verification and an Internet “eraser button.” | 8/22/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Ryan Calo on personal robots | Ryan Calo discusses his new article in the Maryland Law Review entitled “Open Robotics.” Robots are frequently used in war, manufacturing, warehouse management, and even in surgery. Now, personal robots are poised to be the new explosive technology, and Calo anticipates their social effect to be on par with that of the personal computer. | 8/15/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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David Brin on transparency and accountability | The government continues to increase its ability to look in on citizens, creating an Orwellian-like society that people may find alarming. According to David Brin, a physicist and award-winning science fiction writer, reciprocal accountability, which is the ability for people to look back at the government and hold it accountable, is key to minimizing undesirable effects and behaviors. | 8/8/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Credit Downgrade Should Serve As A Wake-Up Call | Just before Standard and Poor's downgraded U.S. debt, Tyler Cowen warned it would be a distraction to slam the ratings agency. Many analysts and economists doubt Samp;P, but Cowen argues that there are some real lessons to learn. | 8/7/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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At Issue with Ben Morens: The Debt Ceiling Debate | Matt Mitchell appeared on Wisconsin Public Radio for a pro/con discussion regarding the debt ceiling. | 8/3/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Kembrew McLeod on copyright and hip-hop sampling | Kimbrew McLeod demonstrates that artists are hesitant to use samples of music in their songs because they fear potential legal consequences, and as a result, a lot of musical creations that use sampling may never reach our ears. | 8/1/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Woodrow Hartzog on clickwrap and browsewrap agreements | By simply browsing the internet, one can be obligated by a “terms of use” agreement displayed on a website. These agreements, according to Woodrow Hartzog, aren’t always displayed where a user can immediately read them, and they often contain complicated legalese. | 7/25/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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New nominee for consumer finance protection | Todd Zywicki explains that the consumer financial protection committee should be run by a bipartisan committee, not a single person. | 7/24/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Tim Harford on adapting and prospering in a complex world | Tim Harford, economist and senior columnist for the Financial Times, discusses hisnbsp;new book, Adapt: Why Success Starts With Failure. He argues that people and organizations have a poor record of getting things right the first time; therefore, the evolutionary process of trial and error is a difficult yet necessary process needed to solve problems in our complex world. | 7/11/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Daniel Solove on the tradeoff between privacy and security | Daniel Solove, professor at the George Washington University Law School, suggests that developments in technology do not create a mutually exclusive relationship between privacy and national security. | 7/4/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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When Will State Budget Stallers Step Into Line? | Matt Mitchell was a guest on The Takeaway radio show discussing why some states are struggling to finalize a budget on time.The states that tend to weather recessions the best are states that have fundamentally stronger economies. They haven’t increased spending [at as] rapid a pace as the other states, and they also haven’t obliged themselves to huge entitlement spending through Medicaid or other programs. | 6/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Pamela Samuelson on Codifying the Google Books Settlement | Pamela Samuelson, the Richard M. Sherman Distinguished Professor of Law at Berkeley Law School, discusses her new article in the Columbia Journal of Law amp; the Arts entitled, Legislative Alternatives to the Google Book Settlement.nbsp; Samuelson discussesnbsp;the settlement, which was ultimately rejected, and highlights what she deems to be positive aspects. One aspect includes making out-of-print works available to a broad audience while keeping transaction costs low. Samuelson suggests encompassing these aspects into legislative reform.nbsp;The goal of such reform would strike a balance that benefits rights holders, as well as the general public, while generating competition through implementation of a licensing scheme. | 6/27/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Ronald Rychlak on Online Gambling Laws | Ronald Rychlak, Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association Professor of Law and Associate Dean at the University of Mississippi School of Law, discusses his new article in the Mississipi Law Journal entitled, The Legal Answer to Cyber-Gambling. Rychlak briefly comments on the history of gambling in the United States and the reasons usually given to prohibit or regulate gambling activity. He then talks about why it’s so difficult to regulate internet gambling and gives examples of how regulators have tried to enforce online gambling laws, which often involves deputizing middlemen — financial institutions. Rychlak also discusses his legal proposal: create an official framework to endorse, regulate, and tax online gambling entities. | 6/20/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Steven Levy on How Google Works | Steven Levy, a columnist for Wired and author of the tech classic Hackers, among many other books, discusses his latest book, In The Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives. Levy talks about Googliness, the attribute of silliness and dedication embodied by Google employees, and whether it’s diminishing. He discusses Google’s privacy council, which discusses and manages the company’s privacy issues, and the evolution of how the company has dealt with issues like scanning Gmail users’ emails, scanning books for the Google Books project, and deciding whether to incorporate facial recognition technology in Google Goggles. Levy also talks about prospects for a Google antitrust suit and the future of Google’s relationship with China. | 6/13/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Larry Downes on IP Enforcement Online | Larry Downes, who writes for CNet, blogs at Forbes.com and the Technology Liberation Front, and is the author of several books, including most recently, The Laws of Disruption, discusses enforcement of intellectual property rights online. Downes talks about the Protect IP Act, a bill recently introduced into Congress that aims to curtail infringement of intellectual property rights online by so-called rogue websites. Downes argues that forcing intermediaries to blacklist domain names has the potential to “break the internet.” He discusses how the rogue website problem could better be addressed and how the proposed bill could be improved. | 6/7/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Konstantinos Stylianou on Technological Determinism and Privacy | Konstantinos Stylianou, a former Fulbright Scholar now working on a PhD in law at Penn Law School, and author of the provocative new essay, “Hasta La Vista Privacy, or How Technology Terminated Privacy,” discusses technological determinism and privacy. Stylianou’s thesis is that the evolution of technology is eliminating privacy; therefore, lawmakers should switch emphasis from regulating the collection of information, which he claims is inevitable, to regulating the use of that information. Stylianou discusses why digital networks specifically make it difficult to keep information private, differences between hard and soft technological determinism, and when he thinks people will realize about their private information what the recording industry has finally realized about digital music. | 5/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Micah Sifry on Government Transparency and WikiLeaks | Micah Sifry, co-founder of the Personal Democracy Forum, editor of techPresident.com, and author of the new book, Wikileaks and the Age of Transparency, discusses government transparency. Sifry talks about the various purposes of government transparency, technology’s effect on it, and bi-partisan competition that can promote it. He also discusses Bradley Manning’s case, the evolution of WikiLeaks, and the transparency, or lack thereof, within the WikiLeaks organization. | 5/23/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Future of Internet Privacy Regulation | The Internet has revolutionized the way we live, work, and play. It's evolved, with relatively little oversight, to be an enormously powerful tool and a major factor in the world economy. But it has a seedier side. Large companies collect an enormous amount of data about Internet and gadget users and recent news has been filled with high profile breeches of private information. | 5/18/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Joseph Menn on the Hunt for Internet Crime Lords | Joseph Menn, a Financial Times technology reporter and the author of Fatal System Error: The Hunt for the New Crime Lords Who Are Bringing Down The Internet, discusses cyber crime. Menn says that one of the main challenges of cybersecurity is that the internet was never intended for many of the things it’s used for today, like e-commerce or critical infrastructure management. He talks about the implications of the internet still being in beta form and comments on the recent Sony data breach and other similar cyber attacks. Menn also discusses his book, telling a few anecdotes about the people who go beyond computer screens in pursuit of internet crime lords. | 5/16/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Julian Sanchez on Electronic Surveillance | Julian Sanchez, a research fellow at the Cato Institue who focuses on issues related to technology, privacy, and civil liberties, discusses electronic communications. Sanchez talks about changes in surveillance of electronic communications since 9/11, highlighting the large number of cases in which the FBI has gathered phone, internet, and banking information without judicial oversight. He then discusses the legal framework around electronic communications, which he says was built for a very different set of assumptions than we have today. Sanchez also gives a few recommendations for how to disentangle the convoluted legal standards related to electronic communications. | 5/9/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Jessica Litman on Reclaiming Copyright for Readers | Jessica Litman, professor of law at the University of Michigan Law School and one of the country’s foremost experts on copyright, discusses her new essay, Reader’s Copyright. Litman talks about the origins of copyright protection and explains why the importance of readers’, viewers’, and listeners’ interests have diminished over time. She points out that copyright would be pointless without readers and claims that the system is not designed to serve creators or potential creators exclusively. Litman also discusses differences in public and private protections and talks about rights that should be made more explicit regarding copyright. | 5/2/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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What Is a Regulatory Report Card? | Each year federal regulations produce billions of dollars worth of impact on the economy. What kind of analysis goes into crafting these regulations? How often do rulemakers understand the problem they're tasked with solving? What best practices exist in the government for making effective and efficient rules?nbsp;Join host Aaron Merrill and the Mercatus Center's Dr. Jerry Ellig to discuss the intricate complexity of federal regulation, and the Regulatory Report Card. | 4/28/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Reforming GSE's - Fannie, Freddie, and the Future | Dr. Arnold Klingnbsp;discusses two ways to look at GSE’s. One approach, the “devil you know” strategy, would restore the status quo ante, meaning that Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae would be returned to the investing public as private corporations with government backing, able to purchase loans for securities and able to hold securities in portfolio, subject to limits on loan amounts and subject to safety-and-soundness regulation. The other approach, the “Jimmy Stewart banker” strategy, would get the government out of the mortgage-guarantee business and let the mortgage market evolve in a decentralized way. In this system, mortgage lending would return to local banks, which would retain the loans that they originate.Dr. Anthony Sandersnbsp;asks “can the private sector offer a less costly alternative to Fannie and Freddie, with far less government involvement in the housing and mortgage market?” What is unique about Fannie/Freddie that the private sector could not provide? Both Fannie/Freddie and the private sector have loan-underwriting models; both can purchase loans and create mortgage-backed securities (MBS); both the private and public sector can offer mortgage insurance.The one thing that Fannie and Freddie have that the private sector does not is an explicit guarantee from the federal government. If the private sector can replicate Fannie and Freddie’s only defining “virtue”—a federal-government guarantee—then there is no justification for keeping Fannie and Freddie around either in conservatorship or in their pre-conservatorship forms. Is that possible? What are the potential consequences? | 4/25/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Jane Yakowitz on Tragedy of the Data Commons | Jane Yakowitz, a visiting assistant professor at Brooklyn Law School, discusses her new paper about data anonymization and privacy regulation, Tragedy of the Data Commons. Citing privacy concerns, legal scholars and privacy advocates have recently called for tighter restrictions on the collection and dissemination of public research data. Yakowitz first explains why these concerns are overblown, arguing that scholars have misinterpreted the risks of anonymized data sets. She then discusses the social value of the data commons, noting the many useful studies that likely wouldn’t have been possible without a data commons. She finally suggests why the data commons is undervalued, citing disparate reactions to similar statistical releases by OkCupid and Facebook, and offers a few policy recommendations for the data commons. | 4/25/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Regulatory Oversight Toolkit with Dr. Jerry Ellig | There are thousands of people working hard in the Federal bueracracy to make effective and efficient rules and regulations, to carry out congressional policy. Unfortunately, much of this work goes without serious oversight to make sure it's based in sound premises, or is achieving the desired results. Dr. Jerry Ellig, Mercatus Senior Research Fellow, joins host Aaron Merrill to discuss the new Regulatory Oversight Toolkit, which provides policy makers and staff with both background to the regulatory regime, and advanced ways to judge whether a regulation is working. Crucial for effective government, efficient regulation can advance policy goals, but only if done right. | 4/19/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Principles of Tax Reform | The U.S. tax code is almost 17,000 pages long. It’s dense, technical, and complex. The U.S. tax code is, in a word, broken. However, reform is easier than one might think. There are simple, clear, and non-partisan principles for tax reform. This incredibly complex system doesn’t need to remain a weight around our economy’s neck. Dr. Fichtner walks through the principles of a sound tax system, and provides an easily workable framework for evaluating the various taxation proposals. Mercatus Tax LectureView more presentations from Mercatus. | 4/18/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Gavin Andresen on Bitcoin | Gavin Andresen, project lead of the open source, decentralized, and anonymous virtual currency project Bitcoin, talks about the project. Andresen explains how the peer-to-peer currency functions and talks about what allows Bitcoin to operate without a central bank, why it doesn’t have to rely on intermediaries, and how it overcomes the double-spending problem. He also discusses the project’s implications for government regulation, what attracted him to the project, and Bitcoin inventor Satoshi Nakomoto’s motivation for creating the currency. | 4/18/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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How to structure a state streamlining commission with Dan Rothschild | State legislatures around the country are looking to cut costs, maintain services, and eliminate waste in their budgets. One tool, state streamlining commissions, have proven effective in Louisianna and Virginia. Mercatus' own Daniel Rothschild, Managing Director of the State and Local Policy Project, joins host Jim Musser to talk about the lessons he's learned from being closely invovled with both commissions.nbsp; | 4/12/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Rob Carlson on Biological Technology | Rob Carlson, principal at Biodesic, an engineering, consulting, and design firm in Seattle, and author of the book, Biology is Technology: the promise, peril, and new business of engineering life, discusses his book. Carlson explains what he means by “biology is technology” and gives a few examples of how humans have been using biology as technology for thousands of years. He then discusses a few modern biotechnology applications, like antibiotics, biologics, genetically modified organisms, fuels, and plastics. Carlson also talks about why more biotech garage innovators are needed, what the industry might be able to learn from open source software and hardware, and how legal and regulatory barriers to innovation in biotechnology might be minimized. | 4/12/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Facts & Myths of the Debt Ceiling | Mercatus Senior Research Fellow Dr. Jason Fichtner addresses misconceptions in the debate surrounding our national debt limit. He walks through the purpose and process of debt, the impacts action or inaction might have on the financial markets, and says we shouldn't panic ... yet. | 4/6/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Kevin Poulsen on cyber crime | Kevin Poulsen, a senior editor at Wired News, former hacker, and author of Kingpin: How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cybercrime Underground, discusses his new book. Poulsen first talks about how he became interested in hacking and why he was eventually sent to prison for it. He then discusses his book, a true crime account of Max Butler, a white hat hacker turned black hat who went from security innovator to for-profit cyber criminal to hacker of other hackers, eventually taking over the cyber crime underground. Poulsen finally comments on cyber security policy, noting that while many security vulnerabilities exist today, he suspects that legislation is not the answer. | 4/4/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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State Streamlining Commissions: The What, Why, and How | The Honorable Maurice McTigue joined the Mercatus Center in 1997 as a distinguished visiting scholar following an illustrious career as a New Zealand Member of Parliament, Cabinet Minister and Ambassador.nbsp;In 1991, Mr. McTigue accepted the positions of Minister of State Owned Enterprises, Minister of Railways, and Minister of Works and Development, and assumed Chairmanship of the Cabinet's powerful Expenditure Control Committee.nbsp; In each ministry, he applied results-based criteria to help clarify the organization's mission, analyze performance, and prioritize activities accordingly. In 1993, Mr. McTigue was appointed Minister of Labour and Minister of Immigration, continuing the application of results-based principles to employment law, occupational safety and health regulations, and immigration.nbsp; In April 1994, he moved to Canada as New Zealand’s Ambassador.As director of the Government Accountability Project at Mercatus, Mr. McTigue is sharing the lessons of his practical experience with policy makers in the United States.nbsp; He works with officials in the Administration, members of Congress, officials from over 23 federal agencies and state governments on applying the principles of transparency and accountability in the public sector.Today he joins host Jim Musser to discuss the need for making state goverments cost effective, while still providing citizens with needed services. Streamlining commissions provide a uniqe way for legislators to excercise oversight and restraint, without compromising state governments.nbsp; | 3/28/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Mark Stevenson on his tour of the future | Mark Stevenson, writer, comedian, and author of the new book An Optimist’s Tour of the Future: One Curious Man Sets Out to Answer “What’s Next?”, discusses his book. Stevenson calls An Optimist’s Tour of the Future a travelogue about science written for non-scientists, and he talks about why he traveled the world to try to draw conclusions about where human innovation is headed. He discusses his investigation of nanotechnology and the industrial revolution 2.0, transhumanism, information and communication technologies, and the ultimate frontier: space. Stevenson also discusses why he’s hopeful about the future and why he wants to encourage others to have optimism about the future. | 3/28/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Patri Friedman on seasteading | Patri Friedman, executive director and chairman of the board of The Seasteading Institute, discusses seasteading. Friedman discusses how and why his organization works to enable floating ocean cities that will allow people to test new ideas for government. He talks about advantages of starting new systems of governments in lieu of trying to change existing ones, comparing seasteading to tech start-ups that are ideally positioned to challenge entrenched companies. Friedman also suggests when such experimental communities might become viable and talks about a few inspirations behind his “vision of multiple floating Hong Kongs”: intentional communities, Burning Man, and Ephemerisle. | 3/21/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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How Tax and Expenditure Limitations Affect State Budgets | In 1976, New Jersey became the first state in the Union to enact a tax or expenditure limitation (TEL). It was a statutory limit on state spending that forbade legislators from growing expenditures faster than state income growth. Though legislators let it expire just six years later, the New Jersey statute kicked off a new experiment in constitutionally limited government. Many states have attempted to slow state and local government spending by adopting tax or expenditure limitations. As states face hard choices and a need to balance their budgets, are TELs the answer?nbsp; Join us to discuss these questions:Do TELs Limit Budget Growth?What do states need to know before implementing a TEL?How would a TEL affect your state?Our panel will feature:Matthew Mitchell, Research Fellow, Mercatus Center at George Mason UniversityMicah Kellner, Assembly Member, New York 65thnbsp;DistrictNick Kasprak, Programmer and Analyst, Tax Foundation | 3/17/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Joseph Hall on e-voting | Joseph Hall, a postdoctoral researcher at the UC Berkeley School of Information and a visiting postdoctoral fellow at the Princeton Center for Information Technology Policy, discusses e-voting. Hall explains the often muddled differences between electronic and internet voting, and talks about security concerns of each. He also talks about benefits and costs of different voting systems, limits to having meaningful recounts with digital voting systems, why internet voting can be a bad idea, and the future of voting. | 3/14/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Siva Vaidhyanathan on why we should worry about Google | Siva Vaidhyanathan, professor of media studies at the University of Virginia, discusses his new book, The Googlization of Everything: (And Why We Should Worry). Vaidhyanathan talks about why he thinks many people have “blind faith” in Google, why we should worry about it, and why he doesn’t think it’s likely that a genuine Google competitor will emerge. He also discusses potential roles of government, calling search neutrality a “nonstarter,” but proposing the idea of a commission to monitor online search. He also talks about a “Human Knowledge Project,” an idea for a global digital library, and why a potential monopoly on information by such a project doesn’t worry him the way that Google does. | 3/7/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Political and Economic Change in Egypt and the Middle East | With the current turmoil in the Middle East and shifting political tides, it is difficult to predict the changes that will result from today's events. To discuss the current situation, the Mercatus Center and the George Mason University Economics Society brought together a panel of academics and development experts to discuss the political and economic change that the Middle East is experiencing.nbsp;Our diverse panel of experts included:S. Ramachandran, former World Bank Economist and Country Specialist for EgyptChristopher Coyne, Professor of Economics at George Mason UniversityPeshwaz Faizulla, Persian and Kurdish editor at the Atlas Economic Research FoundationJack Goldstone, Professor of Public Policy at George Mason University | 3/2/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Regulation in a 21st Century Economy - Session 3 | In January, President Obama announced his regulatory agenda in a new executive order, Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review. The order and the President's agenda emphasize a better balance between the costs of regulation and protecting consumers, workers, and the environment, for as President Obama wrote in his explanatory op-ed in the Wall Street Journal,Sometimes, those rules have gotten out of balance, placing unreasonable burdens on business—burdens that have stifled innovation and have had a chilling effect on growth and jobs.0 The President's proposal for reform raises difficult questions. What steps are necessary to achieve real reform? What approach should policy makers take to implement regulatory reform? How will regulatory reform affect economic growth? At this half-day conference, policy makers, prominent regulatory scholars, and former regulators discussed these questions from the perspective of the economic impact of regulation—from the national level to the costs regulations impose on average people. After outlining the challenges of working within the current regulatory apparatus, they laid out actionable plans that establish that key balance between public well-being and economic competitiveness. | 3/1/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Regulation in a 21st Century Economy - Session 2 | In January, President Obama announced his regulatory agenda in a new executive order, Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review. The order and the President's agenda emphasize a better balance between the costs of regulation and protecting consumers, workers, and the environment, for as President Obama wrote in his explanatory op-ed in the Wall Street Journal,Sometimes, those rules have gotten out of balance, placing unreasonable burdens on business—burdens that have stifled innovation and have had a chilling effect on growth and jobs. The President's proposal for reform raises difficult questions. What steps are necessary to achieve real reform? What approach should policy makers take to implement regulatory reform? How will regulatory reform affect economic growth? At this half-day conference, policy makers, prominent regulatory scholars, and former regulators discussed these questions from the perspective of the economic impact of regulation—from the national level to the costs regulations impose on average people. After outlining the challenges of working within the current regulatory apparatus, they laid out actionable plans that establish that key balance between public well-being and economic competitiveness. | 3/1/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Regulation in a 21st Century Economy - Session 1 | In January, President Obama announced his regulatory agenda in a new executive order, Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review. The order and the President's agenda emphasize a better balance between the costs of regulation and protecting consumers, workers, and the environment, for as President Obama wrote in his explanatory op-ed in the Wall Street Journal,Sometimes, those rules have gotten out of balance, placing unreasonable burdens on business—burdens that have stifled innovation and have had a chilling effect on growth and jobs.The President's proposal for reform raises difficult questions. What steps are necessary to achieve real reform? What approach should policy makers take to implement regulatory reform? How will regulatory reform affect economic growth? At this half-day conference, policy makers, prominent regulatory scholars, and former regulators discussed these questions from the perspective of the economic impact of regulation—from the national level to the costs regulations impose on average people. After outlining the challenges of working within the current regulatory apparatus, they laid out actionable plans that establish that key balance between public well-being and economic competitiveness. | 3/1/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Jim Harper on identification systems | Jim Harper, director of information policy studies at the Cato Institute, discusses identification systems. He talks about REAL ID, a national uniform ID law passed in 2005 that states have contested, and NSTIC, a more recent government proposal to create an online identification “ecosystem.” Harper discusses some of the hidden costs of establishing national identification systems and why doing so is not a proper role of government. He also comments on the reasoning behind national ID proposals and talks about practical, beneficial limits to transparency. | 2/28/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Elias Aboujaoude on our e-personalities’ offline effects | Elias Aboujaoude, a psychiatrist and author based at Stanford University, discusses his new book, Virtually You: The Dangerous Powers of the E-Personality. Aboujaoude says that the internet has positive effects, but he’s worried that most of our day-to-day online activities are negatively affecting us. He explains how, in his view, behaviors like compulsive online shopping and angry commenting on blogs is seeping into our offline lives, with profound negative effects. He also talks about why he thinks the internet is different from previous technologies that caused techno-fear, why he thinks it’s often difficult for online norms to develop, and what he thinks proper roles are for medicine, psychiatry, and government in the online sphere. | 2/21/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Jaron Lanier on technology and humanity | Jaron Lanier, pioneering computer scientist, musician, visual artist, and author, discusses his book, You Are Not a Gadget: A Manifesto. Lanier discusses effects of the web becoming “regularized” and dangers he sees with “hive mind” production, which he claims leads to “crummy design.” He also explains why he thinks advertising is a misnomer, contending that modern advertising is more about access to potential consumers than expressive or creative form. Lanier also advocates for more peer-to-peer rather than hub-and-spoke transactions, discusses why he’s worried about the disappearance of the middle class, claims that “free” isn’t really free, talks about libertarian ideals, and explains why he’s ultimately hopeful about the future. | 2/14/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Quarterly Economic Update February 2011 | In December 2010, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported there were 131 million working Americans. Some 14.5 million Americans were counted as unemployed. Of those, 6.4 million had been without work for 27 weeks or more. Job prospects were, and remain, bleak. There was a small silver lining in the dark announcement: the BLS noted that some 1.1 million private-sector jobs were added in 2010. Job availability, according to the Gallup organization, was the number one worry plaguing the U.S. population in January 2011. So where do jobs come from? Real jobs that can be sustained by normal economic activity? Is there a role for government in the process? How do government policies enhance or reduce the long-run pace of job creation? Dr. Bruce Yandle explores these questions, and gives an update on recent economic activity. He discusses his recent paper Jobs, Jobs, Jobs: Where do Jobs Come From? and examines the decision making process made by employers engaged in adding workers to their payrolls and incentives faced by employers and employees. | 2/9/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Deirdre McCloskey on Bourgeois Dignity | Deirdre McCloskey, distinguished Professor of Economics, History, English, and Communication at the University of Illinois, Chicago delivers a lecture on the second volume of her six part series on the bourgeoisie, “Bourgeois Dignity: Why Economics Can't Explain the Modern World.” According to McCloskey, our modern world was not the product of new markets and innovations, but rather the result of shifting opinions about them. During this time, talk of private property, commerce, and even the bourgeoisie itself radically altered, becoming far more approving and flying in the face of prejudices several millennia old. The wealth of nations, then, didn’t grow so dramatically because of economic factors: it grew because rhetoric about markets and free enterprise finally became enthusiastic and encouraging of their inherent dignity. | 2/8/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Susan Maushart on pulling the plug | Susan Maushart, a columnist, author and social commentator, discusses her new book, The Winter of our Disconnect. Maushart talks about her experience unplugging herself, and her three teenagers, from most screen-based technologies for 6 months. She discusses how she got her kids to go along with the plan, how she found support in Thoreau’s Walden, what boredom is, and whether she found balance through the experience. Maushart also talks about limits to allowing your children the luxury of choice, commenting on Amy Chua’s Tiger Mother philosophy. | 2/7/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Joseph Reagle on the culture of Wikipedia | Joseph Reagle, a fellow at Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society, discusses his recent book, Good Faith Collaboration: The Culture of Wikipedia. Reagle talks about early attempts to create online encyclopedias, the happy accident that preceded Wikipedia, and challenges that the venture has overcome. He also discusses the average Wikipedian, minority and gender gaps in contributors, Wikipedia’s three norms that allow for its success, and co-founder Jimmy Wales’ role with the organization. | 1/31/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Sean Lawson tempers cyber doom | Sean Lawson, an assistant professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Utah and a contributor to the Forbes.com security blog, The Firewall, discusses his new Mercatus Center working paper, Beyond Cyber-Doom: Cyberattack Scenarios and the Evidence of History. Cyber security may be the new black, but it’s been a significant policy issue since the 1980s. Lawson talks about the current cyber security discourse, addressing conflation of diverse threats, overemphasis on hypothetical doom scenarios, and the resulting effects on policy proposals. He then looks to the history of disasters, including blackouts, the attacks of 9/11, and Hurricane Katrina, to help estimate impacts from potential cyber disasters. Lawson also discusses incorrect doomsday predictions about WWII aerial bombardment, and he offers a few conclusions and policy recommendations based on his research. | 1/24/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Eleven Ideas for States in 2011 | State budgets are in trouble across the country. What can policy-makers do to reform their processes and reduce their spending and deficits? Mercatus’s Daniel Rothschild joins us to discuss his new Mercatus On Policy, Eleven Ideas for State Legislatures in 2011, and details the most important reforms states should consider. Daniel Rothschild is the managing director of the Mercatus Center’s State and Local Policy Project, where he coordinates Mercatus’s research on state and local economic policy and directs the Gulf Coast Recovery Project. State budgets are in trouble across the country. What can policy-makers do to reform their processes and reduce their spending and deficits? Mercatus’s Daniel Rothschild joins us to discuss his new Mercatus On Policy, Eleven Ideas for State Legislatures in 2011, and details the most important reforms states should consider. Daniel Rothschild is the managing director of the Mercatus Center’s State and Local Policy Project, where he coordinates Mercatus’s research on state and local economic policy and directs the Gulf Coast Recovery Project. | 1/24/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Don Norman on living with complexity | Don Norman, a former Apple vice-president, co-founder of the Nielsen Norman Group, and one of the world’s most influential designers, discusses his new book, Living With Complexity. Norman talks about differences between complexity, something being complicated, and simplicity, and suggests that people who bemoan “technology” don’t actually seek simplicity. He also discusses differences between designing a product and designing a system, using examples of iPods and iTunes, the Amazon Kindle, and BMW’s Mini Cooper — products whose success depended upon the success of larger systems. Norman also notes the difference between a forcing function and a nudge, explains how complicated rules can weaken security, and comments on sociable design in realspace and on the internet. | 1/17/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Getting it Right: State Pension Liabilities | State governments have reported unfunded pension liabilities of $452 billion as of June 2009. Recognizing the unsustainable future of current public pension plans, many state legislatures are considering pension reform. Unfortunately, most proposed reforms are insufficient to fill the funding gap because government accounting standards continue to underestimate the true debt. To measure pension obligations accurately, state and local governments must institutionalize the correct measurement of pension liabilities. Joining us today to explain how to accurately access pension liabilities is Eileen Norcross. Norcross is a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and the lead scholar on the Mercatus Center’s State and Local Policy Project. nbsp;She blogs on state and local issues at Neighborhood Effects. State governments have reported unfunded pension liabilities of $452 billion as of June 2009. Recognizing the unsustainable future of current public pension plans, many state legislatures are considering pension reform. Unfortunately, most proposed reforms are insufficient to fill the funding gap because government accounting standards continue to underestimate the true debt. To measure pension obligations accurately, state and local governments must institutionalize the correct measurement of pension liabilities. Joining us today to explain how to accurately access pension liabilities is Eileen Norcross. Norcross is a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and the lead scholar on the Mercatus Center’s State and Local Policy Project. nbsp;She blogs on state and local issues at Neighborhood Effects. | 1/12/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Declan McCullagh on WikiLeaks | Declan McCullagh, chief political correspondent for CNET and former Washington bureau chief for Wired News, discusses WikiLeaks. McCullagh gives a quick recap of the WikiLeaks saga so far, comments on the consequences of the leaks themselves, and talks about the broader significance of the affair. He also offers a few insights into Julian Assange’s ideology based on his interactions with Assange in early ’90s “cypherpunk” circles. Lastly, McCullagh discusses the future of diplomacy and the chance that Assange will be indicted in the United States | 1/10/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Evgeny Morozov on the dark side of internet freedom | Evgeny Morozov, a visiting scholar at Stanford University, a fellow at the New America Foundation, and a contributor to Foreign Policy, the Boston Review, and the Wall Street Journal, talks about his new book, The Net Delusion: The Dark Side of Internet Freedom. Morozov first discusses misperceptions about the effectiveness of American broadcasts and pamphlets to promote democracy and liberty during the Cold War. He then suggests consequences of bringing such historical baggage to internet policymaking, pointing out that many people today have faulty assumptions about the power of internet freedom to effect change in places like China, Russia, and Iran. | 1/3/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Deficit Commission Report: An Analysis | This week we welcome Mercatus Senior Research Fellow Jason Fichtner to discuss the highly anticipated. Deficit Commission Report and its proposals. In this podcast Jason discusses the recommendations of the report, if these recommendations will actually help reduce the deficit, and possible outcomes if these policy recommendations are implemented. Jason notes that, although it failed to pass, it won’t be the last we see of these types of recommendations. Topics of discussion include: social security reform, tax reform, and entitlement reforms. Jason J. Fichtner is Senior Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center. Previously, he served in several positions at the Social Security Administration (SSA) including Deputy Commissioner of Social Security (Acting), Chief Economist and Associate Commissioner for Retirement Policy. Prior to the Social Security Administration, Dr. Fichtner was a Senior Economist with the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) of the United States Congress. Dr. Fichtner’s primary research interests are Social Security, federal tax policy, budget issues, as well as policy proposals to increase saving and investment. This week we welcome Mercatus Senior Research Fellow Jason Fichtner to discuss the highly anticipated Deficit Commission Report and its proposals. In this podcast Jason discusses the recommendations of the report, if these recommendations will actually help reduce the deficit, and possible outcomes if these policy recommendations are implemented. Jason notes that, although it failed to pass, it won’t be the last we see of these types of recommendations. Topics of discussion include: social security reform, tax reform, and entitlement reforms. Jason J. Fichtner is Senior Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center. Previously, he served in several positions at the Social Security Administration (SSA) including Deputy Commissioner of Social Security (Acting), Chief Economist and Associate Commissioner for Retirement Policy. Prior to the Social Security Administration, Dr. Fichtner was a Senior Economist with the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) of the United States Congress. Dr. Fichtner’s primary research interests are Social Security, federal tax policy, budget issues, as well as policy proposals to increase saving and investment. | 12/19/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Adam Thierer reviews the year in technology policy | Adam Thierer, senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University in the Technology Policy Program, reviews the past year in technology policy and looks ahead to next year. Thierer first weighs in on net neutrality and upcoming FCC deliberations could that hatch a new regulatory regime for the internet. He then talks Google and antitrust, the proposed Comcast-NBC merger, and disputes between broadcasters and content providers. He also suggests that two issues — privacy and cyber security — will be at the forefront of tech policy debates in the coming year, pointing to support for do-not-track rules and to recent WikiLeaks and state secrets drama as momentum behind the respective issues. | 12/13/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Taking Institutions Seriously: The Real Lessons of New Institutional Economics for Development | Are we all institutionalists now? What should development agencies really learn from the New Institutional Economics? Nye discusses the impediments to growth in underdeveloped countries and explains why most reform attempts ignore the most important distortions in poorly functioning economies and misunderstand the incentives facing both donors and recipients. | 12/7/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Milton Mueller on internet governance | Milton Mueller, Professor and Director of the Telecommunications Network Management Program at the Syracuse University School of Information Studies, discusses his new book, Networks and States: The Global Politics of Internet Governance. Mueller begins by talking about Wikileaks’ recent leak of diplomatic cables, using the incident to elaborate on the meaning of internet governance. He notes the distinction between traditional centralized systems of authority and peer-produced, distributed governance that rules much of cyberspace. He also discusses global democracy, contradictions in cyber libertarian views, judicial checks and balances on the internet, and future issues in internet governance. | 12/6/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Practical Lessons in Budget Cuts: The WWII and Canadian Experiences | According to some polls, more than 70 percent of Americans believe the stimulus is not working. They worry that Washington isn’t offering effective solutions to our persistent economic malaise. Instead of the endless – and useless -- debate over whether stimulus theory works, are there concrete examples of how countries can escape a debt crisis?nbsp;Cutting spending is the recipe for economic growth. Several historical examples make this clear. How can we learn from the lessons of the past, and the example of our neighbors?After World War II, Keynesian economists predicted that 10 million service men suddenly joining the labor market, at the same time the government stopped spending money on war, would result in “the greatest period of unemployment… ever faced.”Fortunately, they were dead wrong. The economy’s ability to absorb 10 million new workers (as well as keeping half the “Rosies” in the workforce) as government slashed spending shows that people can shift quickly to productive private-sector employment, if investors have a high degree of certainty about property rights and the rules of the game.In Canada, a left-wing government turned a federal debt of 70 percent of GDP to 29 percent and a surplus of 1.8 percent GDP in 10 years – without raising individual income taxes or losing control of the parliament.nbsp;Reforms came more than 85 percent from spending cuts, the remainder in closing tax loopholes or limiting growth in spending.The architect of the budget reform, Paul Martin, issued a specific plan for how to make cuts both for the first year and then how to make other cutting decisions in the future, creating a standard to judge politicians’ performance.Martin was consistently re-elected for nearly 10 years and was later elevated to Prime Minister.Join the Mercatus Center and Professor David Henderson as he explains how these concrete examples of spending contraction helped the economy grow, and what lessons we can draw.This course is free and open to all full-time Congressional and Agency staff. Due to space constraints, please no interns without prior approval. For more information, please contact Aaron Merrill, Program Manager for Outreach, at 703.993.7729 or amerril2@gmu.edu. | 12/5/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Peter Thiel on the stagnation of technological innovation | Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal, early investor in Facebook, and president of Clarium Capital, discusses the stagnation of technological innovation. Thiel gives reasons why innovation has slowed recently — offering examples of stalled sectors such as space exploration, transportation, energy, and biotechnology — while pointing out that growth in internet-based technologies is a notable exception. He aslo comments on political undercurrents of Silicon Valley, government regulation, privacy and Facebook, and his new fellowship program that will pay potential entrepreneurs to “stop out” of school for two years. | 11/29/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Tyler Cowen answers your questions | Tyler Cowen, professor of economics at George Mason University, general director of the Mercatus Center, and founder of the popular economics blog Marginal Revolution, answers questions from Surprisingly Free listeners and Marginal Revolution readers. Cowen discusses why people will be appalled that we ever questioned intrusive searches by TSA, what should have been done to minimize unemployment and other harm from the financial crisis, how the “famous American formula” for good government is broken, what might force us to sit around opening cans of dog food with our teeth, and which global sites should be connected by Stargate portals to create the most value. He also asks, “Why read books?”, speculates about the value of his blog, addresses price discrimination of chicken McNuggets, talks about a modern day Athens in Asia with good food, suggests that internet comments are a relatively harmless form of stupidity, and opines about the best thing that government does. | 11/22/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Duncan Hollis on cyber security | Duncan Hollis, professor of law and associate dean at Temple University Beasely School of Law, discusses cyber security and his recommendation to counter cyber exploits — an electronic SOS. Hollis gives a brief history of online threats, notes the difference between cyber attack and cyber espionage, discusses the difficulty of deterring online exploits due to the anonymity of the internet, and talks about how governments and individuals have responded to cyber threats. He then outlines his proposal — a duty to assist others when they are under duress online — which was inspired by laws of the sea and an episode in which a U.S. Navy warship aided a North Korean vessel that was under attack by Somali pirates. | 11/15/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Visions of History: Ways of Seeing the Past | The way we think about and understand the past shapes the way we view both the present and the future - Orwell's famous slogan from 1984 captures this. Most of us without realising it have a unique vision of the past, a way of thinking about it that predisposes us to look at current events in a particular way. In general, we focus on power and its workings while overlooking other aspects of human existence such as voluntary exchange, cooperative interaction, innovation, and discovery. When these are brought to the foreground, a different kind of historical narrative emerges and transforms our ideas of important dates and significant figures in history. | 11/14/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Effects of Intergovernmental Grants on State Taxes | The Mercatus Center is hosting a breakfast roundtable discussion with Dr. Russell Sobel of West Virginia University and the Mercatus Center on his recent paper, “Do Intergovernmental Grants Create Ratchet Effects in State and Local Taxes?” This paper addresses the question of whether federal funding in a given year results in states beginning new spending programs that then in the future require own-source revenue through state taxes to continue to fund them. | 11/11/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Unleashing Capitalism | The video is from the Workshop in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, a weekly meeting held at the Fairfax Campus of George Mason University. It was established to encourage and explore the latest research at the intersection of these three disciplines by scholars from across the social sciences and humanities. Dr. Russell Sobel presented on his research from West Virginia and South Carolina, titled “Unleashing Capitalism.” The research reviews the scientific evidence on which policies best promote growth and concludes that a policy climate consistent with capitalism, or ‘economic freedom,’ is the best way to accomplish growth and increases in living standards. These policies work because they result in increased capital formation, higher labor productivity, reduced levels of wasteful rent-seeking and lobbying activity, and investment being better channeled to the most productive uses. | 11/10/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Joseph Isenbergh on open versus closed systems | Joseph Isenbergh, a professor at the University of Chicago Law School, discusses his new essay about open versus closed operating systems, their respective marketing strategies, and their influence on the smartphone market. Isenbergh talks about early competition between Macintosh, with its closed operating system integrated with its PC hardware, and Microsoft, with its openly-licensed operating system that could be installed on any PC. He discusses the trade-off between open platforms that offer lots of consumer choice and the ostensible enhanced user experience created by bundling software with hardware. Isenbergh speculates about the future of the smartphone market, Apple’s iOS, and Google’s Android. He also comments on VHS versus Sony Betamax recording systems, tie-in strategies in wine-selling, and Blu-ray versus HD-DVD formats. | 11/8/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Tim Wu on innovation, creative destruction, and government interference | Tim Wu, a professor at Columbia Law School, the chair of media reform group Free Press, and a writer for Slate, discusses his new book, The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires. Wu’s book documents the history of media industries in the United States and speculates on what that history teaches us about the future. On the podcast, he discusses Austrian economist Joseph Schumpeter’s theory of innovation, cycles of open and closed competition within industries, the history of government-backed monopolies in telephone and radio, and his thoughts on the future of information empires, the internet, and regulation. | 11/1/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Alternative Futures: Hilton Root on the Waning of Liberal Internationalism and the Resurgence of Global Governance Diversity | The present institutional structure of the international system does not provide sufficient stimulus for transition to republican democracy as liberal optimists hope. Neither does liberal internationalism provide a coherent historical sociology for the spread of liberal democracy. A new theoretical framework of social relations is needed. Professor Root will explain why this is so and describe the sort of features a new set of institutions will require. | 10/26/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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William Powers on taking control of our technology | William Powers, a writer who has been a columnist and media critic for such publications as The Washington Post, The New Republic, and National Journal, discusses his new book, Hamlet’s BlackBerry: A Practical Philosophy for Building a Good Life in the Digital Age. In the book, Powers writes, “You can allow yourself to be led around by technology, or you can take control of your consciousness and thereby your life.” On the podcast, he discusses historical philosophers’ ideas that can offer shelter from our present deluge of connectedness, how to create gaps that allow for currently elusive depth and inward reflection, and strategies that help him and his family regain control over their technology. | 10/25/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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A New Role for FDA to Make Food Safer | Over its 104-year history in managing food safety, FDA has been using the same tools, regulation, and inspection to make food safer. While there were some early achievements, these tools are no longer effective at making food quality reliable. Recommendations are advanced that would make FDA more of a scientific problem solver, rather than a policy enforcer. Dr. Williams’ talk, “A New Role for FDA to Make Food Safer,” was presented for the first time on September 27, 2010, at the Agricultural amp; Applied Economics Association’s “Economics of Improved Safety Practices” in Monterey, California. | 10/25/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Kevin Kelly on technology evolving beyond us | Kevin Kelly, a founding editor of Wired magazine, a former editor and publisher of the Whole Earth Catalog, and one of the most compelling thinkers about technology today, talks about his new book, What Technology Wants. Make no mistake: the singularity is near. Kelly discusses the technium–a broad term that encompasses all of technology and culture–and its characteristics, including its autonomy and sense of bias, its interdependency, and how it evolves and self-replicates. He also talks about humans as the first domesticated animals; extropy and rising order; the inevitability of humans and complex technologies; the Amish as technology testers, selecters, and slow-adopters; the sentient technium; and technology as wilderness. | 10/18/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Continuing Legal Education: Privileges or Immunities Clause in McDonald v. City of Chicago | This course examines the role of the Privileges or Immunities Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment in the protection of individual rights and its application to state-imposed limits on the Second Amendment right to bear arms in McDonald v. City of Chicago. The Privileges or Immunities Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment has long been relegated to the backstage of constitutional jurisprudence. Justice Thomas’s concurring opinion in McDonald v. City of Chicago, however, brings the Privileges or Immunities Clause to center stage. Is this simply a brief appearance for the constitutional clause or something more? Professor Eric Claeys considers the role of the Privileges or Immunities Clause in the protection of individual rights, and reviews three leading theories on the interpretation of the Privileges or Immunities Clause. Professor Joyce Malcolm provides a brief history of Second Amendment law, a critique of the Supreme Court opinions District of Columbia v. Heller and McDonald v. City of Chicago, and a discussion about the competing standards for incorporation as well as Justice Thomas’s effort to return the Privileges or Immunities Clause to its original purpose. | 10/13/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Don Tapscott on mass collaboration | Don Tapscott, writer, consultant, and speaker on business strategy and organizational transformation, and co-author of the bestseller Wikinomics, discusses his new book, Macrowikinomics: Rebooting Business and the World. In the book, Tapscott and his co-author, Anthony Williams, document how businesses, governments, nonprofits, and individuals are using mass collaboration to change how we work, live, learn, create, and govern. On the podcast, he discusses an Iraq veteran whose start-up car company is “staffed” by over 45,000 competing designers and supplied by microfactories around the country. He also talks about how companies are using competitions for Ramp;D, and how mass collaboration can improve government regulation and universities. | 10/11/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Bruce Yandle on Housing Markets, the Stimulus, and Recovery | Inside State and Local Policy regular, Dr. Bruce Yandle of Clemson University, joins us to give an economic update. In this podcast he discusses how things are looking for the United States economy, housing markets, outcomes of the stimulus, and the road to recovery. Dr. Bruce Yandle is a Professor Emeritus and the BBamp;T Scholar at Clemson University, where he has been a faculty member since 1969. From 1976 to 1978, he was a senior economist on the staff of the President’s Council on Wage and Price Stability, where he reviewed and analyzed newly proposed regulations. In addition, Dr. Yandle was executive director of the Federal Trade Commission and is the author or co-author of numerous books and articlInside State and Local Policy regular, Dr. Bruce Yandle of Clemson University, joins us to give an economic update. nbsp;In this podcast he discusses how things are looking for the United States economy, housing markets, outcomes of the stimulus, and the road to recovery. Dr. Bruce Yandle is a Professor Emeritus and the BBamp;T Scholar at Clemson University, where he has been a faculty member since 1969. From 1976 to 1978, he was a senior economist on the staff of the President’s Council on Wage and Price Stability, where he reviewed and analyzed newly proposed regulations. In addition, Dr. Yandle was executive director of the Federal Trade Commission and is the author or co-author of numerous books and articles. | 10/11/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Joanne McNeil on online introversion and curation | Joanne McNeil, a science and technology writer living in Brooklyn, New York, and curator of Tomorrow Museum, a collection of images and speculative essays exploring how technology, science, and economics are affecting the fine arts, discusses online introversion and curation. McNeil discusses realspace introverts turned online extroverts, explains the lack of social media presence of many extroverts and celebrities, and parses the distinction between shyness and introversion. She also talks about Hanoi Wi-Fi and other technology encountered on her recent trip to Southeast Asia and addresses online curation, link blogs, and Tumblr. | 10/3/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Privatizing Alcohol Sales in the States | As states face one of the longest recessions in the history of the United States, some are looking to privatize state run liquor sales for additional revenue. nbsp;Joining us to discuss these issues is Dr. Antony Davies. nbsp;In this episode, Davies addresses his research on the social impact of privatization, the potential economic benefits, and his recommendations on how states should go about implementing these reforms. Dr. Antony Davies is currently an associate professor of economics at Duquesne University where he teaches undergraduate, graduate, and PhD level classes. His research has appeared in the Journal of Econometrics, the Journal of Consumer Psychology, the Journal of Economic Psychology, the International Journal of Forecasting, Clinical Cancer Research, Applied Economics, the Journal of Socioeconomics, and Analysis of Panels and Limited Dependent Variable Models (published by Cambridge University Press). Most recently, his research has focused on the potential outcomes privatizing state-run liquor sales for the states. As states face one of the longest recessions in the history of the United States, some are looking to privatize state run liquor sales for additional revenue. Joining us to discuss these issues is Dr. Antony Davies. nbsp;In this episode, Davies addresses his research on the social impact of privatization, the potential economic benefits, and his recommendations on how states should go about implementing these reforms. Dr. Antony Davies nbsp;is currently an associate professor of economics at Duquesne University where he teaches undergraduate, graduate, and PhD level classes. His research has appeared in the Journal of Econometrics, the Journal of Consumer Psychology, the Journal of Economic Psychology, the International Journal of Forecasting, Clinical Cancer Research, Applied Economics, the Journal of Socioeconomics, and Analysis of Panels and Limited Dependent Variable Models (published by Cambridge University Press). Most recently, his research has focused nbsp;on the potential outcomes privatizing state-run liquor sales for the states. | 9/30/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Quarterly Economic Update September 2010 | Reviewing the last quarter of economic activity, Dr. Bruce Yandle notes that in many ways, we have a tale of two economies. There are important distinctions between the stimulus targets and the broader economy, and the most recent quarter of data paints a confusing, sometimes contradictory story. Unraveling the narrative, what questions will carry weight beyond the end of fiscal 2010? Has the stimulus worked? Has it benefited any particular groups? Who is paying for it? What does the growth (or contraction) in various sectors indicate for the next quarter in fiscal 2011? Are we going to see a bumpy recovery? Should we worry about a double-dip? Dr. Yandle’s quarterly Economic Situtation Report takes a snapshot of where we are, and offers hints as to where we might be heading. | 9/28/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Nick Bilton on how technology creatively disrupts society | Nick Bilton, Lead Technology Writer for The New York Times Bits blog and a reporter for the paper, discusses his new book, I Live in the Future amp; Here’s How It Works. In the book, Bilton examines how technology is creatively disrupting society, business, and our brains. On the podcast, he talks about neuroplasticity and reading, a debate with George Packer about Twitter, innovators’ dilemmas in the porn industry, why many CEOs and movie producers bristle at how the future works, and “ricochet working.” He also discusses effects of combining human curation with computer algorithms, hyperpersonalization, informational veggies, and serendipity. He concludes with his theory about today’s news (and the reason he doesn’t worry about missing tweets): “If it’s important, it will find me.” | 9/26/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Managing the Crisis in Public Pensions | States have promised public workers a secure retirement, but recent events and new studies have shined light on an acute crisis. Public pensions are radically underfunded and fundamental reform is no longer an option but a necessity. State policy makers can no longer avoid addressing this shortfall with many public employees approaching retirement. The future fiscal stability of states is inextricably intertwined with the retirement security of public employees. This panel will address what steps policy makers must consider, and what pitfalls to avoid on the road to reform.In this panel discussion we will address the following questions: What is the current state of public pensions around the country? Who is doing well, and which states are in the most critical need of reform to their public pension systems? Where have reforms already been made in public sector public pension plans, both domestically and globally? What reforms have been successful? What are the first steps states that facing severely underfunded public sector pension programs should take? Speakers:Eileen Norcross, Senior Research Fellow, Mercatus Center at George Mason University Andrew Biggs, PhD, Resident Scholar, American Enterprise InstituteSenator Dan Liljenquist, Utah State SenateScott Pattison,nbsp;Executive Director,nbsp;National Association of State Budget Officers | 9/23/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Kevin King on federalism, internet gambling, and geolocation | Kevin King, a recent law school graduate now clerking for a federal court of appeals, discusses his recent paper, Geolocation and Federalism on the Internet: Cutting Internet Gambling’s Gordian Knot. In his paper King uses the online gambling industry to examine conflict between federalism and the internet — the borderless nature of the internet eschews traditional models of state jurisdiction. He discusses previous attempts to regulate online gambling, conflict between internet gambling providers and the Kentucky horse betting sector, Congress’ current online gambling bill, and a solution that utilizes geolocation technology. | 9/22/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Continuing Legal Education: Legal Challenges in African Development and Their Impact on U.S. Policies to Promote Trade and Huma | Over the past decade a number of African countries have made important strides in improving their economies. nbsp;Higher rates of economic growth are contributing to poverty alleviation in this poorest region of the world.nbsp; Increased regional and global integration, coupled with reduced levels of conflict, are making sub-Saharan Africa a more appealing venue for foreign investment. A number of serious legal and institutional barriers, however, continue to deter economic development and the advancement of human rights in sub-Saharan Africa.nbsp; Insecure property and tenure rights drive conflict, contribute to human rights violations, stifle agricultural productivity, and lead to environmental degradation.nbsp; In addition, government corruption deters economic investment and growth and perpetuates human rights abuses | 9/20/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Kimberley Isbell on news aggregators | Kimberley Isbell, a fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society working as a staff attorney with the Citizen Media Law Project, discusses legal implications of news aggregators. The rise of aggregators amid the transformation of news and journalism spurred Rupert Murdoch to label news aggregation “theft.” In her recent paper, Isbell classifies various types of news aggregators and examines their roles in light of copyright, fair use, and hot news misappropriation doctrines. She notes that courts have yet to decide key aspects of the issue, but legal rules that promote flexibility and free access to information are needed to ensure a productive and innovative future for news. | 9/19/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Peter Sunde on Flattr | Peter Sunde, co-founder of BitTorrent tracker The Pirate Bay and creator of Flattr, a new online social micropayments system, discusses Flattr. Sunde explains the Flattr concept, how it differs from previous micropayment platforms, and why it’s more meaningful than the Facebook “like” button. He also briefly discusses progress of the Pirate Bay case. | 9/15/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Caren Myers Morrison on Jury 2.0 | Caren Myers Morrison, assistant professor at Georgia State University College of Law, discusses how internet tools are affecting our jury system, which she details in her new paper, Jury 2.0. She cites examples of jurors using the internet to seek information about cases, Facebook-friending witnesses and defendants, and even blogging about trials on which they are deliberating. She also expounds upon jury tradition in America, the evolution of impartiality’s definition, jury secrecy and integrity, ramifications of jurors’ internet activities, and the future of the jury — Jury 2.0 | 9/12/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Can New Jersey Reverse Course? | The Mercatus Center at George Mason University recently released the study,nbsp;“Institutions Matter: Can New Jersey Reverse Course?”nbsp;by Eileen Norcross and Frederic Sautet. They examine the current dire strait of the Garden State’s public finances and discuss how the state created its fiscal crisis. The study includes an examination of over 30 years of public policy decisions that led to the state’s large budget deficit. The paper recommends specific reforms to help the state right its fiscal ship, including legislating better constitutional rules to constrain spending, simplifying and flattening the tax system, and reducing budget gimmickry. Joining us is one of the author’s of this study, Eileen Norcross. Eileen is a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and the lead scholar on the Mercatus Center’s State and Local Policy Project. She blogs on state and local issues at Neighborhood Effects. During this episode she talks to us about how New Jersey got to this point and offers state policy makers a roadmap of what not to do. | 9/9/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Birgitta Jónsdóttir on the Icelandic Modern Media Initiative | Birgitta Jónsdóttir, Member of the Icelandic Parliament for the Movement party, and one of the chief sponsors of the Icelandic Modern Media Initiative, discusses the initiative. She explains how it was crafted, who it would protect and how, and Wikileaks’ influence on it. Jónsdóttir specifically discusses the proposal’s impact on journalists, sources, whistleblowers, libel tourism, superinjunctions, freedom of information, prior restraint, and government transparency. She also talks about the inspiration behind the initiative, which stems partly from her background as a writer and activist, and her path to the Icelandic Parliament. | 9/8/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Danny Sullivan on search neutrality | Danny Sullivan, an expert on the internet search industry and editor-in-chief of Search Engine Land, discusses search neutrality. He explains the concept of search neutrality and discusses a recent New York Times editorial suggesting Google’s search algorithm should be subject to government oversight or regulation. Sullivan points out flaws inherent to the notion of search neutrality and discusses competition in the search engine industry. He also imagines what it might take to topple Google from its perch atop internet search. | 9/5/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Tim Lee on net neutrality, spectrum policy, and software patents | Timothy B. Lee, PhD candidate in computer science at Princeton University and fellow at Princeton’s Center for Information Technology Policy, discusses a variety of issues. Lee parses new net neutrality nuances, addressing recent debate over prioritization of internet services. He also discusses wireless spectrum policy, comparing and contrasting a strict property rights model to a commons one. Lee concludes by weighing in on potential software patent reform, referencing Paul Allen’s wide-ranging patent-infringement lawsuits and the Oracle-Google tiff over Java patents. | 9/5/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Gilbert Wondracek on the economics of online porn | Gilbert Wondracek, research fellow at the International Secure Systems Lab and postdoctoral fellow at the Vienna University of Technology, discusses his research on the online porn industry. He addresses various economic roles of online porn providers and the industry’s connections to malware and cybercrime. Wondracek also explains how he investigated the industry, how he set up adult websites to assess user vulnerabilities and examine traffic, what he learned, and how he got approval for the project. | 9/1/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Post-Disaster Recovery: An Institutional and Cultural Perspective on the Reconstruction of the Gulf Coast | The Social Change Project at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University presents a lecture by Emily Chamlee-Wright, Senior Scholar at the Mercatus Center and Nona Martin, Affiliated Senior Scholar at the Mercatus Center. After an introduction by Peter Boettke, Dr. Chamlee-Wright discusses her recent work on both the nature of post-disaster recovery and the nature of the social order itself – how societies are able to achieve a level of complex social coordination that far exceeds our ability to design. The talk is based on her recent book, The Cultural and Political Economy of Recovery: Social Learning in a Post-Disaster Environment. | 8/31/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Path Not Taken: State Spending Restraint | Once the recession hit, nearly every state encountered significant a budget gap. Though falling revenue and rising costs were the proximate cause of these shortfalls, the fiscal problems were years in the making. They were the result of decades of unsustainable spending growth. Today on the podcast we discuss the question: What is it that makes a state more or less likely to face a budget gap? Joining us to discuss his recent research on state budgets and spending is Dr. Matthew Mitchell. Mitchell is a research fellow with the State and Local Policy Project at the Mercatus Center. His research focuses on spending and budget issues, particularly the ways in which government policy is developed and how it impacts various measure of well-being. Mitchell received his Ph.D. in Economics from George Mason University and a B.A. in political science and B.S. in economics from Arizona State University. Once the recession hit, nearly every state encountered significant a budget gap. Though falling revenue and rising costs were the proximate cause of these shortfalls, the fiscal problems were years in the making. They were the result of decades of unsustainable spending growth. Today on the podcast we discuss the question: What is it that makes a state more or less likely to face a budget gap? Joining us to discuss his recent research on state budgets and spending is Dr. Matthew Mitchell. Mitchell is a research fellow with the State and Local Policy Project at the Mercatus Center. His research focuses on spending and budget issues, particularly the ways in which government policy is developed and how it impacts various measure of well-being. Mitchell received his Ph.D. in Economics from George Mason University and a B.A. in political science and B.S. in economics from Arizona State University | 8/16/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Paved With Good Intentions - When Federal Spending Hurts State Budgets | Since 2000, the Federal government has sent a tidal wave of money to state and local governments. Federal grants to states and localities increased by 73% in the past decade and will reach roughly $439 billion this year alone. Designed to aid states struggling with budget shortfalls and to promote particular federal policy objectives, this flood of cash is widely seen as an unqualified good by both Federal and State legislators. Mercatus Senior Research Fellow Eileen Norcross and Mercatus Research Fellow Matt Mitchell lay out the many ways that well-intentioned federal grants to state and local governments contributes to skyrocketing state budget shortfalls, and how the interplay of state and federal budgeting rules promotes a cycle of pernicious deficits. | 8/16/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Tim Stevens on cyber war | Tim Stevens, PhD candidate in the Dept. of War Studies, King’s College London, where he researches the politics of cybersecurity and cyberwarfare, and regular contributor to The Guardian, Forbes’ cybersecurity blog The Firewall, and Current Intelligence discusses cyberwar. Stevens talks about the current cybersecurity climate; nuances between cyberespionage, cybercrime, and cyberwar; the balance between roles of government and private sector; and differences in cybersecurity attitudes in the U.K. and the U.S. | 7/27/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Perry Chen on Kickstarter | Perry Chen, co-founder and CEO ofnbsp;Kickstarter, an online platform for funding creative projects, discusses the enterprise. nbsp;Chen talks about the inspiration behind Kickstarter and its business model, how project creators convince backers (not investors) to fund them, funding success rates, and the most interesting projects funded so far. | 7/25/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Cutting Spending the BRAC Way | Federal spending, debt, and deficits are at record highs. Both parties acknowledge the need for spending cuts. However, reform is easier said than done. Independent commissions are often suggested as a way to tackle such intractable political problems, but not all commissions are the same. The Base Realignment and Closing (BRAC) commission of the late 1980’s and early 1990’s proved an exemplary solution to such public choice problems. In the 1980’s, we faced a similar deficit, debt, and spending problem. What lessons can we learn from BRAC? What made it special? What made it successful? Can those lessons be implemented to curb spending now? | 7/20/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Everyman’s Deficit | March 2010, the total federal debt stood at almost $14 trillion. In a recent Mercatus study, “Everyman’s Deficit” by Dr. Bruce Yandle, finds each American citizen’s share of the debt now about $40,000. What’s worse, this $40,000 does not include fiscal exposure, like the unfunded liabilities (Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, etc.) that taxpayers would have to pay. Thus, the debt and the deficit now belong to families like the Everymans. In this podcast we discuss the consequences of the growing debt, what the United State’s debt means for its citizens, and recommendations for the first steps to mitigating the size of our debt. Joining us is the author of the special study, Dr. Bruce Yandle. Dr. Bruce Yandle is a Professor Emeritus and the BBamp;T Scholar at Clemson University, where he has been a faculty member since 1969. From 1976 to 1978, he was a senior economist on the staff of the President’s Council on Wage and Price Stability, where he reviewed and analyzed newly proposed regulations. In addition, Dr. Yandle was executive director of the Federal Trade Commission and is the author or co-author of numerous books and articles. He received his Ph.D. and M.B.A. from Georgia State University and his A.B. degree from Mercer University. In March 2010, the total federal debt stood at almost $14 trillion. In a recent Mercatus study, “Everyman’s Deficit” by Dr. Bruce Yandle, finds each American citizen’s share of the debt now about $40,000. What’s worse, this $40,000 does not include fiscal exposure, like the unfunded liabilities (Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, etc.) that taxpayers would have to pay. Thus, the debt and the deficit now belong to families like the Everymans. In this podcast we discuss the consequences of the growing debt, what the United State’s debt means for its citizens, and recommendations for the first steps to mitigating the size of our debt. Joining us is the author of the special study, Dr. Bruce Yandle. Dr. Bruce Yandle is a Professor Emeritus and the BBamp;T Scholar at Clemson University, where he has been a faculty member since 1969. From 1976 to 1978, he was a senior economist on the staff of the President’s Council on Wage and Price Stability, where he reviewed and analyzed newly proposed regulations. In addition, Dr. Yandle was executive director of the Federal Trade Commission and is the author or co-author of numerous books and articles. He received his Ph.D. and M.B.A. from Georgia State University and his A.B. degree from Mercer University. | 7/20/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Will the Financial Regulatory Reform Bill Prevent Another Crisis? | Please join the Mercatus Center on Wednesday, July 21 for a live and interactive webcast with Garett Jones, assistant professor of economics at George Mason University, as we discuss what regulators can do to prevent another financial crisis. Jones will share his research showing that regulations should include guidelines for how to enable politicians to stand up to big banks before the crisis affects the entire financial system. The financial regulatory reform bill has fallen under recent criticism for not addressing the root causes of the financial crisis. How will this bill affect the current financial regulatory environment? How can Congress make this bill work to address the underlying issues of the current crisis? Garett Jones will address these issues and respond to your questions in this hour-long discussion and live webcast | 7/20/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Debt and Deficits: Implications for US and Global Economic Recovery | Politicians and some economists say that debts and deficits don't matter. Do they? Is the sky really falling or are those who worry about U.S. debt overreacting? What are the costs of debt? What are the lost opportunities? | 7/19/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Challenges to Corporate Governance: Policy and Ethical Considerations in a Time of Change | This Continuing Legal Education course examines the interplay of federal and state common law with an emphasis on the impact of changes in federal law upon common law fiduciary duties in corporate governance. | 7/14/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Catherine White on the Noisy Idiot Dilemma | Catherine White, graduate student at New York University’s Interactive Telecommunications Program, where she is researching productive participatory discussion, talks about her thesis on the Noisy Idiot Dilemma. White explains the dilemma — how to foster productive online conversation when certain speakers exhibit noisy, unproductive, or unhelpful behavior — and discusses her research on various online forums, weblog comments, effects of humor, anonymity, and empathy online, and characteristics of elastic, oily conversation. | 7/11/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Eric Frank on openly-licensed textbooks | Eric Frank, Co-Founder and President ofnbsp;Flat World Knowledge, the leading publisher of commercial, openly licensed college textbooks, discusses the company and its business model, which he compares to that of Red Hat. In the podcast Frank addresses moral hazards of the traditional college textbook publishing model, the company’s genesis, products and services it offers, how it makes money, and why it appeals to students, professors, and authors. | 7/4/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Blueprint for Reform for New Jersey’s Public Pensions | New Jersey’s public sector defined benefit pension systems are underfunded by more than $170 billion according to a new study, “The Crisis in Public Sector Pension Plans: A Blueprint for Reform in New Jersey” by Eileen Norcross of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and Andrew Biggs of the American Enterprise Institute. This is not a sustainable path, and in order to avert a fiscal crisis and ensure that future state employees have dependable retirement savings, Norcross and Biggs offer recommendations for state policy makers to reform the public pension system. Joining us for the podcast is one of the author’s of this study, Eileen Norcross. Eileen is a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. She blogs on state and local issues at Neighborhood Effects. New Jersey’s public sector defined benefit pension systems are underfunded by more than $170 billion according to a new study, “The Crisis in Public Sector Pension Plans: A Blueprint for Reform in New Jersey” by Eileen Norcross of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and Andrew Biggs of the American Enterprise Institute. This is not a sustainable path, and in order to avert a fiscal crisis and ensure that future state employees have dependable retirement savings, Norcross and Biggs offer recommendations for state policy makers to reform the public pension system. Joining us for the podcast is one of the author’s of this study, Eileen Norcross. Eileen is a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. She blogs on state and local issues at Neighborhood Effects. | 6/28/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Adrian Johns on Piracy | Adrian Johns, professor in the Department of History at the University of Chicago, expert on the history of science and the history of the book, and author of the new book, Piracy: The Intellectual Property Wars from Guttenberg to Gates, discusses the history of intellectual property and piracy. He discusses origins of copyright law in London, the first pirates, and today’s digital piracy. He also addresses the future of books and potential tipping points that could prompt changes in copyright law, citing the Google Books project and pharmaceuticals in the developing world. | 6/20/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Clay Shirky on Cognitive Surplus | Clay Shirky, adjunct professor at New York University’s Interactive Telecommunications Program, discusses his new book, Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age. Shirky talks about social and economic effects of Internet technologies and interrelated effects of social and technological networks. In this podcast he discusses social production, open source software, Wikipedia, defaults, Facebook, and more. | 6/13/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Payment Card Interchange Fees: Economics & The Limits of Regulation | Todd Zywicki, Mercatus Center Senior Scholar and Professor at the George Mason University Law School, discuss the the economics of payment card interchange fees and the limits of regulation. This talk was given at The Economics and Regulation of Payment Card Interchange Fees an event co-hosted by the The International Center for Law and Economics and the Mercatus Center at George Mason University held at the Willard InterContinental Hotel on June 9, 2010. | 6/8/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Payment Card Interchange Fees: Introduction | Mercatus Center COO Brian Hooks welcomes attendees and Tim Muris, former Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission introduces the day's topic. | 6/8/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Payment Card Interchange Fees: Updates on the Economic Literature | A discussion of the economic literature concerning payment card interchange fees. | 6/8/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Nicholas Carr on what the internet is doing to our brains | Nicholas Carr, bestselling author who writes on the social, economic, and business implications of technology, discusses his new book, The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains. Carr posits that the internet is changing not only they way we consume information but also the biological and neurological workings of our brains. He addresses the internet’s effect on attention span and the ability to think deeply, neuroplasticity, multitasking, reading books v. snippets, Google, commonplaces, and much more. | 6/6/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Are You Dying to Pay Taxes? | In January the federal estate tax, sometimes called the “death tax”, completed a ten-year phase out and expired. nbsp;However, the estate tax will return with a top rate of 55% on January 1, 2011 when the Bush tax cuts expire. In this podcast we discuss who the estate tax affects, the effects of inheritance taxes in the states, how the estate tax affects the everyday American and policy recommendations concerning the estate tax. Joining us to discuss these issues is Dr. Antony Davies. nbsp;Davies is currently an associate professor of economics at Duquesne University who has published a study on estate taxes and written extensively about the issue. In January the federal estate tax, sometimes called the “death tax”, completed a ten-year phase out and expired. However, the estate tax will return with a top rate of 55% on January 1, 2011 when the Bush tax cuts expire. In this podcast we discuss who the estate tax affects, the effects of inheritance taxes in the states, how the estate tax affects the everyday American and policy recommendations concerning the estate tax. Joining us to discuss these issues is Dr. Antony Davies. Davies is currently an associate professor of economics at Duquesne University who has published a study on estate taxes and written extensively about the issue. | 5/25/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Adam Thierer on the future of media | Adam Thierer, president of The Progress amp; Freedom Foundation and the Director of its Center for Digital Media Freedom, discusses the future of media. He explains recent proposals to subsidize journalists and media companies. Thierer outlines problems with the proposals, such as threats to free speech and separation of press and state. He also addresses newspapers as non-profits, shared experiences vs. diversity, and journalism ethics in the context of the recently scooped iPhone. | 5/23/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves | Matt Ridley, bestselling author of The Red Queen, Nature via Nurture, and other books, tells the story of human cultural and economic evolution in his latest work, The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves. Combining the best of economics and biology, he explains both the how and why of the amazing (and recent) explosion in worldwide human well-being. Against the pessimism of many of today's intellectuals and commentators, Ridley presents a compelling case for why progress will continue, but only if cultural evolution is allowed to develop in the direction of more contact, trade, and openness between people.Join the Mercatus Center as Matt Ridley discusses his book and answers questions from the audience. Lunch will be provided.To learn more or to RSVP, please contact Megan Gandee. | 5/20/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Economics of Wine in Grocery Stores | There are several states that do not allow grocery stores to sell wine in grocery stores. However, in the midst of dealing with budget woes and shrinking revenues many states are considering changing existing laws to now allow the sell of wine in grocery stores as a means to increase revenue for the state. On this podcast, we provide an overview of current existing policy in several states, the affect on consumers in maintaining laws that prohibit the sale of wine in grocery stores, and what role the sale of wine in grocery stores plays on states’ economies. Joining us this week is Dr. Jerry Ellig, a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Jerry is back on the podcast to talk about new developments in regulation of wine, specifically the sale of wine in grocery stores. Between 2001 and 2003, he served as deputy director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Office of Policy Planning and coauthored the FTC staff study on direct wine shipment. There are several states that do not allow grocery stores to sell wine in grocery stores. However, in the midst of dealing with budget woes and shrinking revenues many states are considering changing existing laws to now allow the sell of wine in grocery stores as a means to increase revenue for the state. On this podcast, we provide an overview of current existing policy in several states, the affect on consumers in maintaining laws that prohibit the sale of wine in grocery stores, and what role the sale of wine in grocery stores plays on states’ economies. Joining us this week is Dr. Jerry Ellig, a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Jerry is back on the podcast to talk about new developments in regulation of wine, specifically the sale of wine in grocery stores. Between 2001 and 2003, he served as deputy director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Office of Policy Planning and coauthored the FTC staff study on direct wine shipment | 5/16/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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David Post on the state of the internet | David Post, the I. Herman Stern Professor of Law at the Beasley School of Law at Temple University and author of In Search of Jefferson’s Moose: Notes on the State of Cyberspace, discusses the general state of the internet. He contrasts a decentralized Jeffersonian approach to the internet with a more centralized Hamiltonian one and also addresses netizenship, open vs. closed source, and online global relations. | 5/14/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Gina Trapani and Anil Dash on Expert Labs and ThinkTank | Gina Trapani, blogger, author, software developer, and creator of ThinkTank, and Anil Dash, director of Expert Labs and blogging pioneer, talk about Expert Labs, an organization that seeks to improve government by letting policy makers tap into the collective wisdom of the public, and ThinkTank, an open source tool that the White House is using to crowdsource and sort policy ideas, insights, and recommendations offered through social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. | 5/13/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Streamlining State Governments | States are facing tough decisions. Spending cuts, restructuring programs, and re-thinking the role of state government is being taken up across the country by “streamlining commissions” where a blend of private and public sector representatives offer recommendations how making state governments more effective and efficient. Over past year the Mercatus Center has been advising the Louisiana Streamlining Commission. Joining us to discuss streamlining state government commissions regarding their experience with the Louisiana Streamlining Commission is Maurice McTigue and Daniel Rothschild. McTigue is the Vice President, Director of the Mercatus Center’s Government Accountability Project and served New Zealand as a Cabinet Minister, Ambassador, and member of Parliament. Most recently, he was appointed to Virginia’s Governor McDonnell’s Commission on Government Reform and Restructuring. Daniel Rothschild is the Managing Director of the State and Local Policy Project for the Mercatus Center. States are facing tough decisions. Spending cuts, restructuring programs, and re-thinking the role of state government is being taken up across the country by “streamlining commissions” where a blend of private and public sector representatives offer recommendations how making state governments more effective and efficient. Over past year the Mercatus Center has been advising the Louisiana Streamlining Commission. Joining us to discuss streamlining state government commissions regarding their experience with the Louisiana Streamlining Commission is Maurice McTigue and Daniel Rothschild. McTigue is the Vice President, Director of the Mercatus Center’s Government Accountability Project and served New Zealand as a Cabinet Minister, Ambassador, and member of Parliament. Most recently, he was appointed to Virginia’s Governor McDonnell’s Commission on Government Reform and Restructuring. Daniel Rothschild is the Managing Director of the State and Local Policy Project for the Mercatus Center. | 5/10/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Tyler Cowen on how the internet changes everything | Tyler Cowen, professor of economics at George Mason University, general director of the Mercatus Center, and founder of the popular economics blog Marginal Revolution, discusses how the internet influences and changes practically everything. The conversation broadly centers on how the web allows us to find, distill, and sort information as never before, which has profoundly affected people’s consumption of culture and creation of their own economies. During the podcast Cowen touches on Lost and Battlestar Gallactica, the iPad, books, the future of the publishing industry, old and new media, Facebook, Twitter, ChatRoulette, and his favorite things on the internet. | 5/9/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Wendy Seltzer on delegated censorship, copyright, and the DMCA | Wendy Seltzer, a fellow at the Silicon Flatirons Center for Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship at the University of Colorado and at the Berkman Center for Internet amp; Society at Harvard Law School discusses copyright infringement and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. She also addresses the relationship between copyright law and free speech protected by the First Amendment. | 5/2/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Rapping about Economics with Russ Roberts | Complex ideas can be communicated in different ways, so why not a rap? On the podcast we are joined by Dr. Russ Roberts. Roberts is the Smith Scholar at the Mercatus Center and a Professor of Economics at George Mason University. Along with his popular blog Café Hayek and famed podcast Econ Talk, Dr. Roberts the co-creator with filmmaker John Papola of the rap video “Fear the Boom and Bust”. nbsp;In this economic rap video, John Maynard Keynes and F. A. Hayek, two of the great economists of the 20th century, come back to life to attend an economics conference on the economic crisis. Before the conference begins, and at the insistence of Lord Keynes, they go out for a night on the town and sing about why there’s a “boom and bust” cycle in modern economies and good reason to fear it. On the podcast, Roberts discusses how they came up with the idea for a rap about economics, what audiences they are reaching, and the economic implications of some of the Keynesian based policies implemented to deal with the current deficit. Also, tune into hear what more to expect from Papola and Roberts at Econstories.tv in the future. Complex ideas can be communicated in different ways, so why not a rap? On the podcast we are joined by Dr. Russ Roberts. Roberts is the Smith Scholar at the Mercatus Center and a Professor of Economics at George Mason University. Along with his popular blog Café Hayek and famed podcast Econ Talk, Dr. Roberts the co-creator with filmmaker John Papola of the rap video “Fear the Boom and Bust”. nbsp;In this economic rap video, John Maynard Keynes and F. A. Hayek, two of the great economists of the 20th century, come back to life to attend an economics conference on the economic crisis. Before the conference begins, and at the insistence of Lord Keynes, they go out for a night on the town and sing about why there’s a “boom and bust” cycle in modern economies and good reason to fear it. On the podcast, Roberts discusses how they came up with the idea for a rap about economics, what audiences they are reaching, and the economic implications of some of the Keynesian based policies implemented to deal with the current deficit. nbsp;Also, tune into hear what more to expect from Papola and Roberts at Econstories.tv in the future. | 5/2/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Jerry Ellig on the National Broadband Plan | Jerry Ellig, a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and contributor to the Surprisingly Free blog, talks about the National Broadband Plan. He also discusses network economics, railroads, and electricity distribution. | 4/25/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Bruce Yandle on the rise of national TV and the spread of social regulation | Bruce Yandle, Dean Emeritus at Clemson College of Business and Behavioral Sciences and Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Economics for the Mercatus Center’s Capital Hill Campus, discusses the rise of national TV broadcasting and the spread of health, safety, and environmental regulation in mid-20th century America. The discussion also turns to the history of regulation in the United States, the decline of common law and the growth of code law, and the death (and return) of good beer in America. | 4/18/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Economic Impact of Taxes | To help staffers on Capitol Hill better understand the economics of taxation and our current tax options, the Mercatus Center hosted this lecture by Dr. Garett Jones, Assistant Professor of Economics at George Mason University. In his talk, Dr. Jones provides a fundamental overview of taxation and explores how shifts in tax policy affect individual behavior and the economy as a whole. Dr. Jones discusses such questions as: How do taxes affect the incentives of individuals and firms?What are the economic and social trade-offs of different types of taxes and taxation systems?If we had to raise taxes, which tax would have the least effect on economic activity?What are the implications of a Value Added Tax (VAT)? | 4/14/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Evgeny Morozov on democracy, the limits of social networks, and cybersecurity | Evgeny Morozov, Yahoo! Fellow at the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University and contributing editor for Foreign Policy, discusses the limits of social networks in promoting democracy. The discussion also turns to Morozov’s experience as a promoter of online freedom in Eastern Europe and cybersecurity. | 4/11/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Can Freedom and Knowledge Economy Indexes Explain Go-Getter Migration Patterns? | What explains the migration decisions of young adults in the prime years of their working lives, people 25-39 years old, the builders of future economies? Are they driven to find emerging knowledge economies where returns to their investment in human capital may be highest? Or are they more oriented toward avoiding high taxes and onerous regulation and finding greater personal freedom? Do people migrating within the United States behave like foreigners migrating to the United States? Does protection of personal freedom matter? In short, what are the knowledge and freedom determinants of migration? These questions are discussed in this podcast with returning guest, Dr. Bruce Yandle. Dr. Bruce Yandle is a Professor Emeritus and the BBamp;T Scholar at Clemson University, where he has been a faculty member since 1969. From 1976 to 1978, he was a senior economist on the staff of the President’s Council on Wage and Price Stability, where he reviewed and analyzed newly proposed regulations. In addition, Dr. Yandle was executive director of the Federal Trade Commission and is the author or co-author of numerous books and articles. He received his Ph.D. and M.B.A. from Georgia State University and his A.B. degree from Mercer University. What explains the migration decisions of young adults in the prime years of their working lives, people 25-39 years old, the builders of future economies? Are they driven to find emerging knowledge economies where returns to their investment in human capital may be highest? Or are they more oriented toward avoiding high taxes and onerous regulation and finding greater personal freedom? Do people migrating within the United States behave like foreigners migrating to the United States? Does protection of personal freedom matter? In short, what are the knowledge and freedom determinants of migration? These questions are discussed in this podcast with returning guest, Dr. Bruce Yandle. Dr. Bruce Yandle is a Professor Emeritus and the BBamp;T Scholar at Clemson University, where he has been a faculty member since 1969. From 1976 to 1978, he was a senior economist on the staff of the President’s Council on Wage and Price Stability, where he reviewed and analyzed newly proposed regulations. In addition, Dr. Yandle was executive director of the Federal Trade Commission and is the author or co-author of numerous books and articles. He received his Ph.D. and M.B.A. from Georgia State University and his A.B. degree from Mercer University. | 4/5/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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James Grimmelmann on harassment, anonymity, and the Google Books settlement | James Grimmelmann, Associate Professor of Law at the New York Law School and faculty member of the Institute for Information Law and Policy, discusses online harassment and anonymity. The discussion also turns to a new proposal to combat online harassment and the Google Books settlement. | 4/4/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Michael Geist on ACTA | Michael Geist, Law Professor and Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law at the University of Ottawa, discusses the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, better known as ACTA. The discussion also turns to secrecy and transparency issues with ACTA and recent efforts to shed light on the text of the treaty. | 3/28/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Quarterly Economic Update March 2010 | Are we finally on the road to recovery or is there more economic turmoil to come? With markets staying reasonably high but unemployment also remaining high, policymakers, employers, and economists are uncertain about the days to come.nbsp; Positive signs, such as 2009 finishing with a GDP of 5.9%, higher than expected, raised a little more confidence in our current situation. Though a major budget crisis is upon us and there is a fear that higher interest rates are just around the corner. To keep Congressional staffers up to date on the current economic situation, the Mercatus Center hosts quarterly briefings that survey the current economic scene. Special attention is paid to inflation, GDP, unemployment, and interest rates. Hosted by Dr. Bruce Yandle, one of our most popular speakers, these quarterly briefings are free of charge and open to all congressional staffers. In this quarterly update, Dr. Yandle addresses these questions: Are we on the road to recovery, or is there more economic turmoil to come?What sectors of the economy are bouncing back and which ones are lagging behind?Do we need to worry about inflation?What does unemployment look like and should we expect it to improve?What are the states’ economic outlooks and are some states recovering faster than others? Learn more by downloading Dr. Yandle’s most recent Economic Situation Report. | 3/28/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Nathaniel Gleicher on the Stored Communications Act and the need for reform | Nathaniel Gleicher, Affiliated Fellow at the Yale Information Society Project and a Henry Luce Scholar advising the technology regulator in Korea for the year, discusses the Stored Communications Act and the need to reform it. The discussion also turns to online privacy, the lack of 4th Amendment protection on the Internet, and how users are tracked as they browse the web. | 3/21/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Thomas Hazlett on telecommunications policy and economics | Thomas Hazlett, Professor of Law amp; Economics and Director of the Information Economy Project at George Mason University School of Law, discusses telecommunications policy and economics. The discussion also turns to the history of spectrum regulation, ongoing inefficiencies in the current system, and suggestions for possible improvements. | 3/14/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Freedom in the 50 States | The current outlook for states is dire. nbsp;In recent reports, states are expected to face a cumulative budget shortfall of $193 billion for fiscal year 2010. Federal bailouts, increased taxes, and budget gimmicks are emerging as solutions to fill budget gaps. nbsp;It is critical that states employ policies and practices that enhance economic competition. Joining us today to discuss just where your state ranks and how states can avoid losing that competitive edge is Professors William Ruger of Texas State University and Jason Sorens of the University of Buffalo. They are the authors of the Mercatus Center’s “Freedom in the 50 States” that ranks each state on economic, personal and regulatory freedoms. The current outlook for states is dire. In recent reports, states are expected to face a cumulative budget shortfall of $193 billion for fiscal year 2010. Federal bailouts, increased taxes, and budget gimmicks are emerging as solutions to fill budget gaps. It is critical that states employ policies and practices that enhance economic competition. Joining us today to discuss just where your state ranks and how states can avoid losing that competitive edge are Professors William Ruger of Texas State University and Jason Sorens of the University of Buffalo. They are the authors of the Mercatus Center’s “Freedom in the 50 States” that ranks each state on economic, personal and regulatory freedoms. | 3/14/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Ethan Zuckerman on internet censorship and the limits of circumvention | Ethan Zuckerman, Senior Researcher at Harvard University’s Berkman Center for Internet amp; Society, discusses internet censorship and the limits of circumvention technology. The discussion also turns to censorship in China and other countries, Twitter’s role in last year’s disputed Iranian elections, and online public spaces. | 3/7/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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State Attorneys General and Federalism | There is an emerging trend of state attorney generals serving as enforcement arm of the federal government by issue of federal law. On the podcast this week we discuss how the role of the state attorney general has changed through history, and how this current trend effects federalism. Joining us to discuss these issues is Rob Raffety, the Associate Director of the Regulatory Studies Program and the Government Accountability Project at the Mercatus Center. In this capacity, Rob manages research for a wide network of economic, legal, and public policy scholars. nbsp; Aside from his duties at Mercatus, Rob is an adjunct professor of law and public administration for the GMU School of Law and the Department of Public and International Affairs and teaches a seminar on attorney generals. There is an emerging trend of state attorneys general serving as enforcement arm of the federal government by issue of federal law. On the podcast this week we discuss how the role of the state attorney general has changed through history, and how this current trend effects federalism. Joining us to discuss these issues is Rob Raffety, the Associate Director of the Regulatory Studies Program and the Government Accountability Project at the Mercatus Center. In this capacity, Rob manages research for a wide network of economic, legal, and public policy scholars. Aside from his duties at Mercatus, Rob is an adjunct professor of law and public administration for the GMU School of Law and the Department of Public and International Affairs and teaches a seminar on attorney generals. | 3/2/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Locating Ourselves Historically: Why We Are Not Living in Western Civilization | A crucial part of the self-consciousness of individuals and the way they define themselves socially is a perception of their location in a historical narrative, however vague. For most people in North America and Europe the narrative in question is that of 'Western Civilization' - this is true for all parts of the political spectrum and includes those who see this narrative as one of triumphant success and others who perceive it as a much darker story. | 3/2/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Rob Frieden on internet applications, content providers, and net neutrality | Rob Frieden, Pioneers Chair and Professor of Telecommunication and Law at Penn State University, discusses internet applications, content providers, and net neutrality. The discussion also turns to the history of telecom regulation, the Comcast/BitTorrent controversy, and the limits of the FCC’s regulatory authority. | 2/28/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Daniel H. Kahn on social intermediaries, identity, and code-backed norms | Daniel H. Kahn, a recent Harvard School of Law graduate and clerk on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, discusses his new article forthcoming in the Columbia Science and Technology Law Review on social intermediaries and their potential to radically improve the social life of the Web. The discussion also turns to portable identities, code-backed norms, and trolling. | 2/21/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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An Overview of the President’s Budget | Our nation is facing a budget crisis at both the state and federal levels. The federal government’s budget deficit reached $389 billion through the first three months of fiscal 2010 and states are expected to face cumulative budget shortfalls of $193 billion for fiscal year 2010. In light of this critical situation, what steps should Congress and the President take to restore common sense budgeting practices and rein in federal spending?nbsp; Join us as three veteran budget experts provide an overview of the President’s FY 2011 Budget Proposal, and discuss ways to reform the federal budget process to restore confidence in federal budgeting practices. Dr. Veronique de Rugy is a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center.nbsp; Her research interests include the federal budget, homeland security, and tax issues. Dr. Donald Marron is a visiting professor at the Georgetown Public Policy Institute in Washington, DC, where he teaches microeconomics and public finance.nbsp; From 2002-2009, he served as a Member of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers, Acting Director of the Congressional Budget Office, and Executive Director of the Congressional Joint Economic Committee. Dr. Maya MacGuineas is President of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget at the New America Foundation.nbsp; She is an expert on the budget process, and served as a Social Security advisor to the McCain 2000 campaign and has also worked at the Brookings Institution, the Concord Coalition and on Wall Street. For more information and research on spending and budget issues, please visit the Mercatus Center’s new Spending and Budget Initiative website. | 2/17/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Jim Harper and Berin Szoka on privacy and Google Buzz | Jim Harper, Director of Information Policy Studies at the Cato Institute, and Berin Szoka, Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Internet Freedom at the Progress and Freedom Foundation, discuss privacy and Google Buzz. | 2/15/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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A Conversation with a Nobel Laureate | The Mercatus Center at George Mason University recently played host to Mercatus Affiliated Scholar and 2009 Nobel Prize Winner in Economics, Elinor Ostrom. She joined the Mercatus Center to discuss the unique research agenda of the Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis at the Bloomington School. During her visit, Dr. Ostrom sat down with the host of Inside State and Local Policy, Jim Musser, to discuss her pioneering work in economics, her fascinating field work and the tradition that has become known as the Bloomington School of Economics. The Mercatus Center at George Mason University recently played host to Mercatus Affiliated Scholar and 2009 Nobel Prize Winner in Economics, Elinor Ostrom. She joined the Mercatus Center to discuss the unique research agenda of the Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis at the Bloomington School. During her visit, Dr. Ostrom sat down with the host of Inside State and Local Policy, Jim Musser, to discuss her pioneering work in economics, her fascinating field work and the tradition that has become known as the Bloomington School of Economics. | 2/10/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Johannes Bauer on economic incentives and cyber security | Johannes Bauer, Professor of Telecommunication, Information Studies, and Media at Michigan State University and director of Special Programs at the Quello Center for Telecommunication Management and Law, discusses economic incentives facing Internet users and providers in addressing cybersecurity risks. The discussion also turns to the differences between cybercrime and cyberwarfare and recent examples of cyberattacks. | 2/7/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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2010 Economic Update | Dr. Yandle joins us again to discuss the latest news in the economy as 2010 kicks-off and trends happening in the states. As the economy continues to give mixed signs of recovery, Dr. Yandle discusses the role of the states in this recovery and the top significant economic trends. Dr. Bruce Yandle is a Professor Emeritus and the BBamp;T Scholar at Clemson University, where he has been a faculty member since 1969. From 1976 to 1978, he was a senior economist on the staff of the President’s Council on Wage and Price Stability, where he reviewed and analyzed newly proposed regulations. In addition, Dr. Yandle was executive director of the Federal Trade Commission and is the author or co-author of numerous books and articles. He received his Ph.D. and M.B.A. from Georgia State University and his A.B. degree from Mercer University. Dr. Yandle joins us again to discuss the latest news in the economy as 2010 kicks-off and trends happening in the states. As the economy continues to give mixed signs of recovery, Dr. Yandle discusses the role of the states in this recovery and the top significant economic trends. Dr. Bruce Yandle is a Professor Emeritus and the BBamp;T Scholar at Clemson University, where he has been a faculty member since 1969. From 1976 to 1978, he was a senior economist on the staff of the President’s Council on Wage and Price Stability, where he reviewed and analyzed newly proposed regulations. In addition, Dr. Yandle was executive director of the Federal Trade Commission and is the author or co-author of numerous books and articles. He received his Ph.D. and M.B.A. from Georgia State University and his A.B. degree from Mercer University. | 2/3/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Edmund J. Walsh and Andrew J. Tibbetts on the benefits and risks of Open Source software | Edmund J. Walsh, shareholder in the electrical and computer technologies group at Wolf Greenfield, and Andrew J. Tibbetts, patent agent assisting the electrical and computer technologies group at Wolf Greenfield, discuss the benefits and costs faced by businesses when they incorporate Open Source software into their products. | 1/31/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Shadow Budget | Massachusetts like most states grappled with a significant decline in revenue (2.5 billion in MA) in 2009. Despite efforts by way of nbsp;spending cuts and tax increases to create a sustainable 2010 budget in Massachusetts, there is still a 600 billion gap. nbsp;In reaction to this volatile cycle, the Beacon Hill Institute has put forth recommendations in their recent publication “Massachusetts Fiscal Policy: The Legend v. the Facts” on how states can move away from relying on forecasting tax revenues, which are unstable in recessions and economic downturns, and enact reforms to eliminate a structural deficit. Joining us to talk about this project is Paul Bachman, Director of Research for the Beacon Hill Institute. Mr. Bachman shares how the Institute conducted this research project and offers specific recommendations that all states can enact to cure these budget woes. Massachusetts like most states grappled with a significant decline in revenue (2.5 billion in MA) in 2009. Despite efforts by way of nbsp;spending cuts and tax increases to create a sustainable 2010 budget in Massachusetts, there is still a 600 billion gap. nbsp;In reaction to this volatile cycle, the Beacon Hill Institute has put forth recommendations in their recent publication “Massachusetts Fiscal Policy: The Legend v. the Facts” on how states can move away from relying on forecasting tax revenues, which are unstable in recessions and economic downturns, and enact reforms to eliminate a structural deficit. Joining us to talk about this project is Paul Bachman, Director of Research for the Beacon Hill Institute. Mr. Bachman shares how the Institute conducted this research project and offers specific recommendations that all states can enact to cure these budget woes. | 1/26/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Quarterly Economic Update January 2010 | The economy continues to give mixed signs of recovery. While manufacturing in the U.S. has expanded for the fourth month, the U.S. jobless rate jumped up 0.4 percentage point to 10.2% in October. However the latest preliminary unemployment report indicates the rate dipped to 10% in November. To keep Congressional staffers up to date on the current economic situation, the Mercatus Center at George Mason University hosts quarterly briefings that survey the economic scene. Specific attention is paid to GDP data, employment, inflation, and interest rates, all conveyed in a way that is understandable to the economist and non-economist alike. This “birds-eye-view” of the economy will be valuable to staffers interested in promoting policies intended to aid economic performance.Topics to be discussed shall include: • How has the economy fared overall in the past quarter and what can we expect from the economy in the next quarter? • How has the labor market changed across states and who is the best and the worst off? • What has the weakening dollar meant for the economic outlook? Hosted by Dr. Bruce Yandle, one of our most popular speakers, these quarterly briefings are free of charge and open to all senior congressional staffers. Bruce Yandle is a Professor Emeritus and the BBamp;T Scholar at Clemson University, where he has been a faculty member since 1969. From 1976 to 1978, he was a senior economist on the staff of the President’s Council on Wage and Price Stability, where he reviewed and analyzed newly proposed regulations. In addition, Dr. Yandle was executive director of the Federal Trade Commission and is the author or co-author of numerous books and articles. He received his Ph.D. and M.B.A. from Georgia State University and his A.B. degree from Mercer University. | 1/21/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Tax Outlook in the States | Several states are facing huge structural budget deficits as they come back to their state capitols this month. In the past year several states raised taxes to deal with budget gaps. These taxes were generally on minority groups such as high-income earners, smokers, out-of-state business transactions, or other targeted groups. In this podcast we discuss some of the trends in taxation from 2009, what to expect in state taxes in 2010 and what are sustainable options for states to balance their budget with declining revenues due to the economic downturn. Joining the podcast to discuss these issues is Joe Henchman of the Tax Foundation. Mr. Henchman, is the Tax Counsel and Director of State Projects at the Tax Foundation in Washington DC. Several states are facing huge structural budget deficits as they come back to their state capitols this month. In the past year several states raised taxes to deal with budget gaps. These taxes were generally on minority groups such as high-income earners, smokers, out-of-state business transactions, or other targeted groups. In this podcast we discuss some of the trends in taxation from 2009, what to expect in state taxes in 2010 and what are sustainable options for states to balance their budget with declining revenues due to the economic downturn. Joining the podcast to discuss these issues is Joe Henchman of the Tax Foundation. Mr. Henchman, is the Tax Counsel and Director of State Projects at the Tax Foundation in Washington DC. | 1/13/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Where the Stimulus Money is Going in Your State, StimulusWatch 2.0 | StimulusWatch.org, the website that has attracted over 3 million visitors, has recently re-launched. While the original site featured proposed stimulus projects taken from the U.S. Conference of Mayors survey, the new version contains actual stimulus spending in your neighborhood from the information recently released by recovery.gov. In this podcast we discuss: how to find stimulus projects in your community, phantom districts, and interesting ways to use the data provided on the site. Joining us to discuss this innovative website is one of the creators, Jerry Brito. Brito is a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, and director of its Technology Policy Program. He also serves as adjunct professor of law at George Mason University. His research focuses on technology and telecommunications policy, government transparency and accountability, and the regulatory process. Jerry is the also creator of OpenRegs.com, an alternative interface to the federal government’s regulatory docketing system. Please visit www.stimluswatch.org and comment on projects in your neighborhood! | 12/8/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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John Wonderlich on government transparency and accountability | John Wonderlich, the Policy Director at the Sunlight Foundation, discusses the government transparency movement. The discussion also turns to the work of the Sunlight Foundation and Lawrence Lessig’s recent article on “naked transparency.” | 11/16/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Rise of Sub-Local Governance | Sub-local forms of governments (private community associations, business improvement districts, etc) have been on the rise throughout America the past thirty years. Sub-local governments can specialize and otherwise more effectively address urban problems that have defied the efforts of conventional city governments. Professor Nelson joins us on the podcast to discuss what the rise in more localized systems means for city and urban governance and the provision of public goods at various levels of government. Robert Nelson is a Professor at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy and a Senior Scholar at the Mercatus Center. Prior to joining the University of Maryland, Dr. Nelson worked in a variety of government posts addressing public policy in the areas of the environment, industry, and land use policy. | 11/11/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Exploring TABOR | TABOR (the Taxpayers Bill of Rights) is on the ballot in two states (Maine and Washington) this week for the first time since it was enacted in 1992 in Colorado by voters. TABOR limits state spending from increasing faster than the growth of state population plus inflation in any given year. On this podcast we discuss the orgins of TABOR in California in the 1970s, where Colorado is now after 20 years of TABOR, and what the passage of TABOR in one or both of these states will mean for nation. Joining us to discuss TABOR is Jonathan Williams, Director of the Tax and Fiscal Policy task force for the American Legislative Exchange Council and a co-author of Rich States, Poor States. Mr. Williams has been working in both Maine and Washington to discuss the benefits of TABOR. | 11/1/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Post Apartheid: The South African Election and Development Policy | The Mercatus Center at George Mason University is proud to present a lecture by Karol Boudreaux. Ms. Boudreaux is a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center; lead researcher for Enterprise Africa!, a research project that investigates, analyzes, and reports on enterprise-based solutions to poverty in Africa; and a member of the Working Group on Property Rights of the U.N.'s Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor. | 10/31/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Spending Addiction | Over the last 10 years spending has gone up dramatically at both the federal and state level. The progression of spending as a percentage of GDP over the last decade has risen from 18% to over 26%. This trend is not only true for the federal government, but also in many states. In this episode, Dr. Veronique de Rugy, a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center, joins us to discuss the dangers of the spending addiction, fiscal federalism, unfunded mandates to the states, and provides recommendations to state policy makers on unique ways to gain revenue. Dr. de Rugy’s research interests include tax competition, financial privacy, spending, and fiscal sovereignty issues. She holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Paris-Sorbonne. | 10/14/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Michael S. Sawyer on user-generated content, fair use, and the DMCA | Michael S. Sawyer, a fellow at the Berkeley Center for Law and Technology, discusses the impact of the DMCA on user-generated content. The discussion also turns to the principle of fair use and competing solutions for dealing with copyright infringements on user-generated content sites. | 10/12/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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How’s Business? Find Out Where Your State Ranks | This week we talk with the Tax Foundation to discuss their interesting and telling new publication the “2010 State Business Tax Climate Index.” TheIndexmeasures the competitiveness of the 50 states’ tax systems and ranks them accordingly based on the taxes that matter most to businesses and business investment: corporate income, individual income, sales, property and unemployment insurance taxes. Tune in to find out which states come out on top and bottom, and what policy makers can do to boost their ranking. Joining us to discuss the findings of the Index is author Dr. Kail Padgitt. Dr. Padgitt holds a Ph.D and Master’s degree in economics from George Mason University concentrating on the areas of Public Economics, Industrial Organization and Experimental Economics. Kail has taught Public Choice and International Economics at George Mason University. | 10/4/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Tim Lee on bottom-up processes, innovation, and the future of news | Tim Lee, a graduate student in computer science at Princeton and adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute, discusses bottom-up processes, the theme of his new blog. The discussion also turns to the innovators dilemma, the link economy, and the future of newspapers. | 9/25/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Economic Update – Trends in the States | Dr. Bruce Yandle joins us from Capitol Hill to discuss the latest news in the economy and trends happening in the states as a result of the recession. In this podcast we discuss: signs of the recession ending, unemployment outlook in the US, what states will be the leaders in pulling us out of recession, explanation of the knowledge economy, and migration trends between states. Dr. Bruce Yandle is a Professor Emeritus and the BBamp;T Scholar at Clemson University, where he has been a faculty member since 1969. From 1976 to 1978, he was a senior economist on the staff of the President’s Council on Wage and Price Stability, where he reviewed and analyzed newly proposed regulations. In addition, Dr. Yandle was executive director of the Federal Trade Commission and is the author or co-author of numerous books and articles. He received his Ph.D. and M.B.A. from Georgia State University and his A.B. degree from Mercer University. | 9/23/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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One Year In: What Do We Know About the Financial Crisis? | Twelve months after the failure of Lehman Brothers, introduction of TARP, a freeze-up of interbank lending, and the beginning of a stock market roller coaster ride, what do we know about what really happened? What really caused the housing bubble and how did that lead to the crisis? If the crisis was the result of many mistakes, how should we go about thinking about what kinds of mistakes were made and who is really at fault?Russ Roberts, PhD and Arnold Kling, PhD present the findings of their in-depth investigations of the causes and nature of this unique economic event. | 9/14/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Quarterly Economic Update September 2009 | With unemployment slightly declining and GDP expected to rise, Americans are beginning to hope that the economy is on the mend. In July, the unemployment rate came in at 9.4%, a tenth of a percent lower than the previous month while the Dow Jones average moved above 9,000. These positive changes signal an improvement however economists and policymakers still fear another downturn. To keep Congressional staffers up to date on the current economic situation, the Mercatus Center at George Mason University hosts quarterly briefings that survey the economic scene. Specific attention is paid to GDP data, employment, inflation, and interest rates, all conveyed in a way that is understandable to the economist and non-economist alike. This “birds-eye-view” of the economy will be valuable to staffers interested in promoting policies intended to aid economic performance. Topics to be discussed will include: Have we hit the bottom of the recession?Will unemployment continue to improve? How do each of the 50 states compare in this tough economic climate?Which states are leading the charge and which states lag behind?What can we expect from the American Economy in the third quarter of 2009? Hosted by Dr. Bruce Yandle , one of our most popular speakers, these quarterly briefings are free of charge and open to all senior congressional staffers. Bruce Yandle is a Professor Emeritus and the BBamp;T Scholar at Clemson University, where he has been a faculty member since 1969. From 1976 to 1978, he was a senior economist on the staff of the President’s Council on Wage and Price Stability, where he reviewed and analyzed newly proposed regulations. In addition, Dr. Yandle was executive director of the Federal Trade Commission and is the author or co-author of numerous books and articles. He received his Ph.D. and M.B.A. from Georgia State University and his A.B. degree from Mercer University. | 9/10/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Taxing Sin, A Look Into Excise Taxes | With state revenues dwindling many states turned to excise taxes to decrease budget gaps. Close to a dozen states increased their cigarette taxes. According to Stateline.org, “New York, New Jersey and North Carolina raised both tobacco and alcohol taxes. Kentucky and Massachusetts ended the sales tax exemption of alcoholic beverages, while Colorado ended its sales tax break on cigarettes.” Often sin taxes on certain sugary products are used to help fight obesity as well. Joining us this week to talk about Excise Taxes is Dr. Richard Williams. Dr. Williams is the managing director of the Regulatory Studies Program and the Government Accountability Project. Prior to joining the Mercatus Center, he served as the director for social sciences at the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition in the Food and Drug Administration for 27 years. He also served as an advisor to the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis and taught economics at Washington and Lee University. | 8/27/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Russ Roberts on Trade | For years, Russ Roberts has led a seminar on the fundamentals of trade, taking the lessons from basic economics and applying them to our economic situation. In this revised seminar, Roberts adds new insights that will help participants understand just what’s at stake with trade policy and how traditional models of trade can mislead. Join us we address such questions as: How does trade create prosperity?What is at stake when we alter our trade policy? Why is trade policy more volatile during a recession?What’s wrong with Buy American or Buy Local? Who wins and loses when trade is restricted? | 8/26/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Resources at Your Fingertips, State Policy Network | As the old saying goes, knowledge is power. States are often the breeding ground for innovation when it comes to developing new ideas for public policy. Local think-tanks are an important piece of the puzzle. Established in 1992, the State Policy Network is a network of state-based public policy think tanks throughout the country that now has an established member in every state of the union. Their membership works daily to develop on developing research and insight into the issues facing their respective states. This week we welcome, Jennifer Butler, the Executive Vice President of the State Policy Network. During this episode Jennifer tell us more about the resources policy makers have through economic think tanks in their state and how those resources can be tapped into by state policy makers. To find the local policy think tank in your state, please visit www.spn.org. | 8/19/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Red, Red Wine: Interstate Wine Shipping | Many states are still revising their wine shipping laws in 2009 to conform to a 2005 Supreme Court ruling that said states cannot discriminate against out-of-state sellers when regulating direct-to-consumer wine shipment. This podcast discusses some of the changes states have seen since the 2005 decision, the economics behind wine e-commerce, how direct wine shipment regulation affects the consumer and the benefits of a permit system. This week we welcome Dr. Jerry Ellig, a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Between 2001 and 2003, he served as deputy director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Office of Policy Planning and coauthored the FTC staff study on direct wine shipment. Since his time there he has remained interested in interstate wine shipments between states. | 8/11/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Homeland Security & Federalism | Local governments have historically played a key role in homeland security that most of us living in the early 21st century wouldn’t recognize. In this episode we discuss where and how we draw the line between homeland security functions and which are the responsibility of the federal governments and and the responsibility of state governments. Joining us to discuss these issues is Matt Mayer, CEO of Provisum Strategies and Adjunct Professor at The Ohio State University. Matt served as the head of the Office of State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness within the US Department of Homeland Security, and now works to help policy makers better understand how federalism is a key component of an effective homeland security strategy. In this episode, Mayer discusses his new book, “Homeland Security and Federalism: Protecting America from Outside the Beltway“, which was released earlier this month and is available at Amazon.com and other book retailers. | 8/4/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Tracking the Stimulus | On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, one of the largest government spending projects since the Great Depression. When the $789 billion plan was passed, the Obama Administration made a pledge “to spend wisely, reform bad habits and do their business in the light of day.” To follow through on that commitment, the government created the website, recovery.gov which enables every citizen to monitor the progress of the recovery. Almost five months have gone by since the bill was passed.nbsp; As Congress’s August recess approaches, policy makers are preparing to return to their districts where their constituents will hold them accountable.nbsp; Even with recovery.gov up and running, the stimulus and its transparency remains a subject of debate. To help congressional staffers better understand the current status of the Stimulus and Stimulus Transparency, the Mercatus Center at George Mason University will host a panel with Eileen Norcross and Jerry Brito, co-creators of StimulusWatch.org and Senior Research Fellows at the Mercatus Center.nbsp; Join us as we address such questions as: What is the current status of the Stimulus Plan? What portion of the money has been spent or committed?What does stimulus transparency mean for members of congress and their constituents? What are the current activities of the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board?How can citizens track the stimulus? What is being done with regards to the Recovery.gov effort? | 7/22/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Budget Tools & Best Practices, What Every State Legislator Should Know | Several states passed their state budgets in June only to come up against revenue gaps later in the summer and projected for the rest of the year. In one of the worst economic downturns since the Great Depression many states keep cutting spending only to have revenues still fall short of keeping the budget balanced. We asked state budget expert Scott Pattison, Executive Director of the National Association of State Budget Officers, his take on the state budget crises and what his recommendations are for states to avoid such large gaps in the future. Scott Pattison is the Executive Director of the National Association of Budget Officers(NASBO) and former Budget Director for the commonwealth of Virginia. NASBO which has worked with state finance officers to advance state budget practices for the last sixty years. In this podcast Mr. Pattison communicates effective ideas for addressing budget crises and up-to-date information on the status of state budgets throughout the country. Also, Pattison addresses what is in store for 2010 and gives recommendations how to avoid such large budget gaps during hard economic times. | 7/19/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The New Zealand Way | As states face budget crises and deficits, many state policy makers are looking at what reforms can be put into place to boost a stagnant economy. In this episode we discuss the process and steps New Zealand and other governments took to boost their economy, create effective reforms in balancing the budget and general best practices for good governance. This week we have The Honorable Maurice McTigue with us. McTigue is the Director of the Mercatus Center’s Government Accountability Project and served New Zealand as a Cabinet Minister, Ambassador, and member of Parliament. Prior to his arrival in the United States in 1997, McTigue led an ambitious and extremely successful effort to restructure New Zealand’s public sector and to revitalize its stagnant economy in the 1984-94 period and reform the education system. | 7/7/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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When Disaster Strikes | In 2005 the Mercatus Center launched a five-year project to follow the long-term redevelopment of the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina. Our inquiry seeks to determine the roles that public, commercial, and non-profit sectors play in rebuilding communities affected by large scale catastrophes. So far our research has focused on insurance, infrastructure, natural resilience within communities, recovery policy, and social capital studies. | 6/30/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Cost of Online Sites | To date, approximately twenty states have passed legislation or adopted executive orders creating some type of online fiscal database. As other legislatures around the country have followed suite and begun to propose spending-transparency Web sites the most effective argument against these efforts is the potential high cost of such Web sites. | 6/22/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Uninsured in America | In most current public opinion polls, health care, and specifically concern over the uninsured, ranks as one of the top issues facing our country. For decades, Congress had considered a variety of solutions to cure this problem, but the complex nature of the issue has proven difficult to overcome. In this lecture, Dr. David Hyman will break down both the problems facing the uninsured and the challenges facing the differentnbsp;solutions that have been proposed. He will address the following four key issues: What demographic groups make up the majority of America’s uninsured? How is the 45.7 million uninsured figure calculated?Does expanding access guarantee patients will receive high quality care?Who pays for employment based coverage?Will current policy proposals be able to solve the cost problems of American health care? | 4/29/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Foreigners Welcome? The Economics Of High-Skilled Immigration | Although the United States is in the midst of a financial crisis and an economic recession, immigrants keep coming, but who is coming?nbsp; Immigration is often categorized into various distinctions; legal vs. illegal, low-skilled vs. high-skilled.nbsp; Within the political debate a significant amount of emphasis is placed on low-skilled illegal workers, but what about the high-skilled immigrants? How do they impact our country?Each year companies from around the United States are able to temporarily employee foreign workers in specialty occupations. These occupations include and are not limited to positions in architecture, medicine, engineering, mathematics, and education.nbsp; For these workers to legally reside in the country, the federal government issues them an H-1B visa which is meant only for high-skilled foreigners.Now that our economy has weakened and many people are unemployed, the debate around immigration may shift towards these H-1B visas and if foreigners should be able to enter the country for jobs that could otherwise be employing Americans. To address the issue of high-skilled immigrants, the Mercatus Center at George Mason University is proud to present a lecture by Dr. Antony Davies, Associate Professor of Economics at Duquesne University.nbsp; Dr. Davies presents the latest research on high-skilled immigration and its impact on the American Economy. | 3/30/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Economics of Taxation | Taxation has always been a major part of American politics and continues to be a focus for debate and discussion.nbsp; Policymakers aim to create a tax system that meets the government’s needs and goals yet does not hinder the individual or corporation to a significant extent.nbsp; To better understand the economics of taxation and our current tax system, the Mercatus Center at George Mason University is pleased to present a two-day course on the American Tax System.As April 15th approaches and families and corporations start filing tax returns, the affect of taxes becomes more apparent.nbsp; How will taxes influence firms’ and people’s actions and how will it affect the economy as a whole?nbsp; To better understand the economics of taxation, Dr. Garett Jones of George Mason University will provide a fundamental overview and explore how shifts in tax policy affect individual behavior and the economy as a whole.Join us as we examine such questions as:What factors do economists consider when studying tax policy?How do taxes affect the incentives of individuals and firms?What are the economic and social trade-offs of different types of taxes and taxation systems?What does the demographic breakdown of our American tax burden look like?How will tax cuts change where our federal revenue comes from? | 3/2/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Where Are Our Cars Produced? | When the top executives from the “Big Three” auto manufacturers came to Washington to seek aid from the federal government they claimed that the domestic auto industry was vital to the overall U.S. economy.nbsp; Certainly, it has been key to Michigan’s economy for many decades. Yet while the state continues as the center of the U.S. auto industry, its role has been diminished as foreign automakers tended to locate their production facilites in the southern states.nbsp; As a result, the geography of the auto industry has changed rather dramatically in the last 30 years.In addition to the auto manufacturers, the auto industry includes many motor vehicle parts suppliers. That part of the industry is large – parts suppliers contribute about 70% of the value added of a motor vehicle – but not as well understood as the assembly sector.Dr. Thomas Klier from the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicagoand co-author of the new book, “Who Really Made Your Car? Restructuring and Geographic Change in the Auto Industry” will join the Capitol Hill Campus Program for a special look at the auto industry.In this session we will address questions such as:What role do parts suppliers play in the overall auto industry and why are they important?Where are auto manufacturers locating new plants? What is the “auto corridor”? Are producers moving out of the Midwest?What may the auto industry look like in the next decade? | 2/18/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Laying Out the TARP | With the first phase of TARP behind us, and TARP II ready to begin, this course will examine some of the potential challenges and hazards of this extraordinary involvement in the financial sector. With the federal government taking various degrees of ownership of banks, what can policymakers expect will be the outcome? In the third installment of our ongoing series on the current financial crisis, the Mercatus Center will present a panel of experts to discuss these issues and answer important questions, such as:What conflicts could arise between the interests of shareholders and those of taxpayers?What will be the Treasury’s duties to shareholders and how will companies pursue their traditional ends of wealth maximization?What’s the difference between preferred and common stock, and how does each change the role the government will play?What are the benefits and costsnbsp;of creating an Aggregator Bank?What lessons can we draw from other countries’ experiences in similar interventions in light of this new role for government?What alternatives are available under TARP to recapitalize banks using existing resources? | 2/11/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The Budget Process | Every year the president presents a proposed budget to the Congress and the Congress drafts a budget resolution, spurring heated discussion about the nation’s spending and tax policies and the resulting deficits or surpluses. Though this year’s process will follow this basic pattern, the financial crisis and the economic recession have significantly increased our nation’s budgetary challenges.nbsp; The Congressional Budget Office recently announced a projected budget deficit of $1.2 trillion for the current fiscal year, which does not count the likely costs of an economic stimulus package and additional appropriations for war fighting.nbsp; Medium- and long-term projections show budgets that most think are unsustainable.In recent years, discontent with the current budget process has grown.nbsp; In response, congressional leaders and others have proposed a variety of budget reforms, such as stronger PAYGO rules, earmark limits, procedural triggers for excessive mandatory spending, and budget policy commissions.nbsp; While many of these proposals have not yet received sufficient support to be adopted, the exploding debt of the U.S. will soon force the Congress to consider credible reforms to its budget process.To discuss the current budget situation and possible reforms to the federal budgetary process, the Mercatus Center at George Mason University will host a lecture by Dr. Roy Meyers, a budgetary expert and former analyst at the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). Join us as we address such questions as:What is our current budget situation and how will the projected deficits affect us?What are the symptoms of a broken budget process? What are the major proposals to fix it?Will these proposed reforms work? Are there better alternatives? | 1/21/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Economic Opportunity at Home and Abroad | Why do some societies prosper, while others remain stagnant and poor? Why do some economies remain strong while others fail? The Mercatus Center’s Global Prosperity Initiative works to answer these important questions by conducting scholarly research that helps policy makers better understand the driving forces behind international economic development as well as economic growth and opportunity in the United States. In this program, Mercatus scholars will share some of their recent findings and explore the problems of domestic and international economic development and how scholarly nbsp;research is helping to address these questions.Fear of a deep recession has led policymakers to propose an unprecedented stimulus package to save the economy, a sort of Main Street economic recovery package that would rely heavily on federally-funded infrastructure projects to create jobs and stimulate economic activity. How have similar measures performed in the past, and what concerns should policymakers consider when evaluating such policy? What institutional structures support economic growth and opportunity?Looking across the Atlantic Ocean leads us to another but related question: While most regions of the world witness increased standards of living, better health care, and greater economic opportunity, why does sub-Saharan Africa continue to face famine, wide-spread disease, high levels of political corruption, and war? While South Africanbsp;has managed to avoid some of the most catastrophic problems associated with their neighbors, they have still been plagued with economic and social troubles that no promised silver bullet has yet addressed.In April, South Africa faces the most important election in since that transition. nbsp;What effect will the emergence of a new major party have on the election? What implications does the election have for US policy towards South Africa and the continent? | 1/14/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Understanding the Financial Crisis | In part two of our successful ongoing series, the Mercatus Center’s Financial Markets Working Group will present a panel of experts on various aspects of the financial crisis and its implications for policy. What does Congressional staff need to know about financial markets? How should policy be crafted in light of lessons from economics? What should regulation of the financial and banking sectors looks like?Drawing upon the Mercatus Center’s expertise in regulatory analysis, the Financial Markets Working Group combines scholarly research with a deep understanding of the policy process to offer productive ideas to address the serious problems in financial markets. In this, the Group’s second event for Congressional and Agency staffers, our scholars will provide a substantive briefing of some of the underlying issues currently being debated in Congress, such as:How does industry react in the face of regulatory reform? What insights can economics provide on the issues of regulatory capture and rent seeking by regulated industries? What steps can policymakers take to ensure they are making the best decisions?What exactly does it mean when a company files for bankruptcy? What is the difference between a Chapter 11 and a Chapter 7 filing? What role can courts play in reorganization of insolvent firms?What rights do shareholders have when disagreements arise about the management of a firm? How can the use of proxies help or hinder the exercise of these rights? How does the Governments role as a large stakeholder in the financial services sector change this dynamic?How are economists viewing the overall situation still unraveling in the financial markets? What unique perspective can academics bring to the table? | 1/13/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Quarterly Economic Update January 2009 | This month the National Bureau of Economic Research dating committee officially listed December 2007 as the start of the current recession due to weakness in labor and consumer markets. As the unemployment rate inches up to 6.5% workers may receive a little comfort from sinking gasoline prices, but they still wonder how long this period will last and how severe it will become. Taking cues from economic indicator data and other forecasts, Dr. Bruce Yandle will provide perspective on the latest economic trends in a way that is understandable to the economist and non-economist alike. This “birds-eye-view” of the economy will be valuable to staffers interested in promoting policies intended to aid economic performance.Topics to be discussed shall include:Is it possible to predict the length and severity of a recession?How can we tell which states or regions may fare better or worse in a recession?Should we be glad to see lower gasoline prices and what does the dramatic shift from the summer mean for the economy? | 1/12/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Regulation in the 21st Century | The start of a new administration will offer the nation’s next president the opportunity to put his stamp on regulation and the regulatory process. Every president in the last generation has modified the way the federal government utilizes regulation as a tool to solve problems that all Americans care about, including a healthy environment, stable financial markets, safe consumer goods, and workplace health and safety.Though the goal of regulation remains the same, today the regulatory process is confronted with a rapidly-changing world and a globally integrated society. Currently regulators face fragile financial markets, new technologies and interdependent economies. In order for regulation to remain ahead of the curve it must adjust to the advancing world, but what does this look like?Mercatus scholars will presented an insightful look on regulation and offer innovative ideas for reforming regulation to suit the needs of the 21st century. We addressed such questions as:How can the regulatory process be effectively reformed to meet the needs of a rapidly-changing world?How can the lessons of economics be applied to the regulatory process?How can regulations be used to better address the problems of the 21st century? | 12/9/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Globally Bound: Exploring Issues In Trade Policy | Trade policy is a perennial issue continually debated in the national forum by pundits and policy makers alike since it is so closely linked to the overall health of the economy. Now, as we head into 2009, some things look a lot different from a year ago. With changing economic conditions, fears of recession, a new legislative session, and a President-elect promising to transform the way America interacts with the world, it is clear that trade and globalization issues will continue to weigh heavily on the economic mindset. While most debate usually centers on the hot-topics in trade, such as Free-Trade Agreements passing through Congress or the decline of American industry, less attention is paid to the overall qualities and characteristics of the U.S. trading system.To take a look at a few of the current realities in American trade policy, the Mercatus Center will host a lecture by Edward Gresser, the Director of the Project on Trade and Global Markets at the Progressive Policy Institute and author ofnbsp;Freedom From Want: American Liberalism and the Global Economy. Specifically, Mr. Gresser will speak on trade with the developing world, protectionism and the effects of various trade policies.Join us as we take a closer look at:How are goods assembled and traded through the global supply train? How does this process relate to Free-Trade Agreements or a nation’s preferred trading partner status?Does the United States still employ trade barriers to protect U.S. markets? If so, on what types of goods from which countries?What is the role of trade in the United States and what are some options for the next President to create greater welfare at home and abroad? | 12/8/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Midnight Regulations and Regulatory Review | The midnight regulation phenomenon has been well documented. The reasons behind it range from the desire of the outgoing administration to extend its influence into the future to the opportunity to impose costs on the incoming administration. But regardless of the rationale, the high political costs faced by a new administration to overturn those last minute rules makes it an effective strategy for the outgoing administration to project its influence beyond its term.The debates surrounding midnight regulations have been fierce during the last few transitions of power. Not only donbsp;midnight regulationsnbsp;raise issues concerning accountability, but they also seem to be at odds with a democratic process. During the midnight period the regulatory review process is seriously weakened. As we have seen, at the end of each administration–and especially between administrations of opposite parties–there is a dramatic spike in regulatory activity without a corresponding increase in the resources available to the Office of Information and Regulatorynbsp;Affairs (OIRA). If the number of regulations OIRA must review goes up significantly, and the man-hours and resources available to it remain constant, we can expect the quality of review to suffer.Several solutions have been tried in the past such as delaying the effects of new rules and rescinding unpublished rulesnbsp;by using the 1996 Congressional Review Act. However, these solutions have proven to be quite ineffective. To discuss these problems and address the proposed solutions to this important issue, two of the Mercatus Center’s Senior Research Fellows, Jerry Brito and Veronique de Rugy, will present an insightful look on midnight regulations and their consequences.nbsp; Join us as we address such questions as:What are the specific effects of midnight regulations and how do they impact the new administration?How does the regulatory review process change during the midnight period?Why have previous attempts to solve the problem been proven ineffective and should others be considered? | 11/18/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Parallels In Financial Crises - Lessons from the Japanese Experience | While every nation weathers periodic economic storms and disarray, total and widespread financial collapse is rarely seen. It falls to history, then, to help us glean lessons from past actions and gain perspective on current situations. Most notably, an understanding of the United States' Great Depression and Japan's 1990 housing bubble could provide insight on how to emerge from today's financial turbulence.In the 1990s, Japan faced its own financial crisis that crippled the nation. Prior to 1990, the land beneath Japan's Imperial Palace in Tokyo was said to be worth more than the entire state of California; but by 2001, land had reportedly dropped 70% in value. The collapse of the real estate bubble rocked the Japanese economy and launched what became known as The Lost Decade in Japan when GDP growth slowed to only 1% a year. To help policy makers understand the economics behind these events, Dr. Garett Jones, a professor with George Mason University, will present an overview of the similarities between the 1990s Japanese turmoil and the United States' credit crunch in addition to new policy ideas to avoid replicating the elements of previous strategy and avoid such a slowdown in the American economy. | 10/20/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Quarterly Economic Update - October 9, 2008 | This summer has proved to be a turbulent time with troubled financial markets seeking to rebuild capital, rising and falling gas prices, presidential campaigns, and destructive hurricanes - but what will this mean for the American economy?nbsp; In order to keep Congressional staffers up to date on the latest economic trends, the Mercatus Center at George Mason University hosts quarterly briefings that survey the economic scene. Specific attention will be paid to trends in GDP growth, employment, inflation and interest rates, all conveyed in a way that is understandable to the economist and non-economist alike. This birds-eye-view of the economy will be valuable to staffers interested in promoting policies intended to aid economic performance. | 10/8/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Understanding New Trends in Outsourcing | In the 1950's it would have been difficult to imagine the American economy without a strong manufacturing sector, but many changes have led to the rise of the service economy. With the information revolution we saw the rise of jobs in high-tech IT positions, computer programming, and communications while new tools paved the way for opportunities in scientific fields like research and development, engineering, and medicine. These highly productive fields have led to higher wages, but with the rise of high-skilled workers overseas, some have started to worry about outsourcing risk to these new service sector positions.To investigate these issues, Dr. J. Bradford Jensen of Georgetown University presents an insightful look at new trends in outsourcing in the services sector and at the impact seen on the labor market. | 9/22/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Economic Turbulence: A Look At Change In The American Economy | Job security is a primary concern to workers in any economy - the prospect of job loss creates anxiety precisely because real economic hardship can result. But at the same time, moving from an old job to a new one can mean higher wages because of increased productivity and innovation, benefiting not only the worker but the economy at large.Job security is a primary concern to workers in any economy - the prospect of job loss creates anxiety precisely because real economic hardship can result. But at the same time, moving from an old job to a new one can mean higher wages because of increased productivity and innovation, benefiting not only the worker but the economy at large.This dynamic is particularly true in the United States, which is characterized by an extremely fluid and turbulent economy. Jobs are constantly shuffled from one firm to another as firms emerge and disappear. nbsp;The popular press highlights the concerns that this turbulence creates, but what do the facts show?Dr. Julia Lane, from the University of Chicago's National Opinion Research Center, will share some of her research and experience using large scale datasets in analyzing our volatile economy. By focusing on specific industry sectors, the number of jobs in the economy, and the effects of market turbulence on worker's wages and career paths, Dr. Lane analyzes the complex nature of the economy and labor markets. | 5/19/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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One if by land, two if by air: Americas aging infrastructure | On the Road Again: America's Aging Roadwaysnbsp;America's current infrastructure is beginning to show its age and new policies need to be implemented to fix the growing problems. Both the President and Congress have acknowledged that there are problems with our current aviation infrastructure and are looking for ways to lessen the costs associated with flight delays while maintaining the industry's impeccable safety record. In addition, the Minnesota bridge collapse brought America's poorly kept up roadway system to the nation's attention. The Mercatus Center, at George Mason University, hosts Dr. Jonathan Gifford to speak on these transportation infrastructure issues.Dr. Gifford, a professor at George Mason University, looks at our aging highway system and make predictions and recommendations for what might happen in the coming decades. Already problems exist as congestion worsens and road maintenance lags behind schedule; however, there are solutions which can make driving safer and more efficient while keeping the costs of maintaining our roadway system down. He shows why a reassessment of highway system funding is needed, describes how new technologies will make road travel safer and more efficient, and explains potential alternatives to roadway travel. | 5/14/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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By Judge And Jury: Case Studies In Regulation By Litigation | Regulatory agencies have long exercised the authority to implement forward-looking requirements on industries through a notice and comment process. In recent years, however, there has been a shift in the way regulations are handled as agencies, state attorney generals, and private law firms have turned to the courts to introduce new requirements through lawsuits against entire industries. Examples of such regulation by litigation range from asbestos and silica suits to those involving engine emissions, electric utilities and tobacco. Although supporters of the settlements say that the process calls attention to sensitive policy questions in need of a solution, the manner and wide scope of these actions have caused some controversy as critics wonder if the judiciary has assumed a more legislative role.In a special Capitol Hill Campus program, Dr. Bruce Yandle of Clemson University presents two case studies involving regulation by litigation: one on diesel engines and the other on tobacco products. Through these specific examples he will delve into the implications of such a shift in the court system. | 5/8/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
| Total: 231 Episodes |
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