Latest Study
Nation Building through Foreign Intervention: Evidence from Discontinuities in Military Strategies
Featured Event
October 3
Featuring Charles Stimson, Manager, National Security Law Program and Senior Legal Fellow, Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy, Heritage Foundation; Shibley Telhami, Anwar Sadat Professor, University of Maryland; Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution; and Alex Nowrasteh, Immigration Policy Analyst, Cato Institute; moderated by A. Trevor Thrall, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute.
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October 13, 2016
October 12, 2016
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It is very difficult, short of a dictatorship, to impose content both deep and broad on diverse people. Why? Because diverse people will not agree on what that content should be.
Featured Book
In Lukewarming: The New Climate Science that Changes Everything, Pat Michaels and Chip Knappenberger explain the real science and spin behind the headlines and come to a provocative conclusion: global warming is not hot—it’s lukewarm. Climate change is real, it is partially man-made, but it is clearer than ever that its impact has been exaggerated—with many predictions now being rendered implausible or impossible. This new paperback edition of the book is an expanded edition of last year’s ebook-only edition of Lukewarming, and includes updates in science and policy following the accords reached at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris.
Cato Annual Report 2015
The Cato Institute has released its 2015 Annual Report, which documents a dynamic year of growth and productivity. The thousands of individuals who contribute to Cato are passionate about freedom and committed to ensuring that future generations enjoy the blessings of liberty, unencumbered by an overreaching state that seeks to control their lives. This is Cato’s optimistic vision for the future, and it would be unimaginable without the Institute’s longstanding partnership with its Sponsors. We will continue our diligence and dedication to seeing this vision realized.
In the new “Fiscal Policy Report Card on America’s Governors,” Cato scholar Chris Edwards examines the tax and spending decisions made by U.S. governors since 2014. Governors who have cut taxes and spending the most receive the highest grades, while those who have increased taxes and spending the most receive the lowest grades. Only five governors were awarded an “A” in this latest report card — Paul LePage of Maine, Pat McCrory of North Carolina, Rick Scott of Florida, Doug Ducey of Arizona, and Mike Pence of Indiana.
Following the recent waves of financial crises in the advanced economies and a prolonged period of low interest rates, major parts of the world economy are experiencing low growth, a rise in financial volatility, and low rates of inflation. In the new issue of Cato Journal, Andreas Hoffmann and Gunther Schnabl suggest that an end of ultra-low interest rate policies is a prerequisite for a return to a sustainable growth path. Also in this issue, Brian J. L. Berry, Jayshree Bihari, and Euel W. Elliott argue that the poisoned debate over climate change runs the risk of contaminating the entire scientific endeavor, and Tain-Jy Chen and Ying-Hua Ku discuss the unique combination of weak institutions and strong organizations that underlie the development of China’s Internet industry.
America’s security commitment to Taiwan faces a significant test. China’s growing power presents a challenge to U.S. military superiority, while Taiwan’s investment in its own defense has languished. In a new paper, Cato scholar Eric Gomez outlines three broad policy options for the United States, and recommends that the United States step down, incrementally and over the long-term, from its commitment to use military force to maintain Taiwan’s de facto independence. “Peace in the Taiwan Strait is an important American interest,” says Gomez, “but it must be weighed against the difficulty of maintaining credibility and the growing costs of deterrence failure.”
Supporters and opponents of ballot initiatives that legalize marijuana for recreational use make numerous claims about state-level marijuana legalization. Systematic evaluation of these claims, however, has been largely absent – until now. A new paper from Angela Dills, Sietse Goffard, and Jeffrey Miron assesses recent marijuana legalizations and related policies in Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska. The authors conclude that state marijuana legalizations have had minimal effect on marijuana use and related outcomes. The absence of significant adverse consequences is especially striking given the sometimes dire predictions made by legalization opponents.
October 12, 2016
October 12, 2016
October 12, 2016
October 19
By invitation only.
October 27
Featuring Daniel J. Ikenson, Director, Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies, Cato Institute; moderated by Peter Russo, Director of Congressional Affairs, Cato Institute.
November 2
Featuring Jim Harper, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute; Michael Cannon, Director of Health Policy Studies, Cato Institute; and Aaron Ross Powell, Research Fellow and Editor, Libertarianism.org, Cato Institute; Trevor Burrus, Research Fellow, Center for Constitutional Studies, Cato Institute; moderated by Jason Kuznicki, Research Fellow and Editor, Cato Unbound, Cato Institute.
Political Philosophy: An Introduction is the latest in a series of self-paced, online guides from Libertarianism.org – a project of the Cato Institute. The goal of political philosophy is to determine the standards by which we judge different institutions good or bad, just or unjust. Political Philosophy is a primer on major theories of justice, arguments philosophers have made for and against them, and to how to be more thoughtful and rigorous in our own thinking. Guides – videos and accompanying text – are detailed at Libertarianism.org/Guides – and are also available through online retailers nationwide.
To encourage people everywhere to better understand and appreciate the principles of government that are set forth in America’s founding documents, the Cato Institute published this pocket-size edition.
The Libertarian Mind, by David Boaz, longtime executive vice president of the Cato Institute, is the best available guide to the history, ideas, and growth of libertarianism, and is the ultimate resource for the current, burgeoning libertarian movement. This acclaimed book is now available as a fully unabridged audiobook, ready for immediate downloading, on Audible.com.
The lack of any monetary rule to guide policy decisions has created great uncertainty and increased financial volatility. Zero or negative interest rates and quantitative easing have created severe distortions in asset markets by increasing risk taking and politicizing credit allocation while failing to bring about robust economic growth. At Cato’s annual monetary conference, leading experts will address the risks inherent in the unconventional monetary policies of the world’s leading central banks and the steps that need to be taken to restore long-run economic growth.
Neither Trump nor His Message Is Built to Win a National Election
New Research Finds that Immigrant Crime Is Still Low
The evidence of low immigrant criminality continues to grow.
Yes, Your Honor, the CFPB Is Indeed Unconstitutional
While Judge Kavanaugh’s opinion makes no such sweeping changes, it moves the needle a little bit closer to accountability, due process, and constitutional soundness.
Safe Zones Won’t Save Syrians
Concerning Trump’s Proposed “Extreme Vetting” of Immigrants
Donald Trump’s proposed extreme vetting of immigrants simultaneously thrills his supporters and appalls his opponents. These divisions won’t go away any time soon.
The Wealthy Are Not All the Same: A Recent Study Finds Key Differences
Inequality and the “one percent” have generated an inordinate amount of media coverage, but the issues are not as simple as the rhetoric often implies.
Obama Administration Is Illegally Diverting Billions to Insurance Companies
If the rule of law means anything, it is that the government is as bound by law as are the people.
Bulk-Scanning E-mail for Spy Agencies
If the government is going to be compelling companies to scan everyone’s communications in its hunt for terrorists, the public is entitled to understand the legal framework within which it plans to do so.