Number of results to display per page
Search Results
202. Markets vs. Monopolies in Education: A Global Review of the Evidence
- Author:
- Andrew J. Coulson
- Publication Date:
- 09-2008
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- Would large-scale, free-market reforms improve educational outcomes forAmerican children?That question cannot be answered by looking at domestic evidence alone. Though innumerable “school choice” programs have been implemented around theUnited States, none has created a truly free and competitive education marketplace. Existing programs are too small, too restriction laden, or both. To understand how genuine market forces affect school performance, wemust cast a wider net, surveying education systems from all over the globe. The present paper undertakes such a review, assessing the results of 25 years of international research comparing market and government provision of education, and explaining why these international experiences are relevant to theUnited States.
- Topic:
- Education and Government
- Political Geography:
- United States
203. Medical Licensing: An Obstacle to Affordable, Quality Care
- Author:
- Shirley Svorny
- Publication Date:
- 09-2008
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- In the United States, the authority to regulate medical professionals lies with the states. To practice within a state, clinicians must obtain a license from that state's government. State statutes dictate standards for licensing and disciplining medical professionals. They also list tasks clinicians are allowed to perform. One view is that state licensing of medical professionals assures quality. In contrast, I argue here that licensure not only fails to protect consumers from incompetent physicians, but, by raising barriers to entry, makes health care more expensive and less accessible. Institutional oversight and a sophisticated network of private accrediting and certification organizations, all motivated by the need to protect reputations and avoid legal liability, offer whatever consumer protections exist today. Consumers would benefit were states to eliminate professional licensing in medicine and leave education, credentialing, and scope-of-practice decisions entirely to the private sector and the courts. If eliminating licensing is politically infeasible, some preliminary steps might be generally acceptable. States could increase workforce mobility by recognizing licenses issued by other states. For mid-level clinicians, eliminating education requirements beyond an initial degree would allow employers and consumers to select the appropriate level of expertise. At the very least, state legislators should be alert to the self-interest of medical professional organizations that may lie behind the licensing proposals brought to the legislature for approval.
- Topic:
- Government and Health
- Political Geography:
- United States
204. A Critique of the National Popular Vote
- Author:
- John Samples
- Publication Date:
- 10-2008
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- The National Popular Vote plan (NPV), introduced in more than 40 states, and adopted by 4, proposes an interstate compact to bring about direct election of the president of the United States. The proposal eliminates states as electoral districts in presidential elections by creating a national electoral district for the presidential election, thereby advancing a national political identity for the United States. States with small populations and states that are competitive may benefit from the electoral college. Few states clearly benefit from direct election of the president. NPV brings about this change without amending the Constitution, there by undermining the legitimacy of presidential elections. It also weakens federalism by eliminating the role of the states in presidential contests. NPV nationalizes disputed outcomes and cannot offer any certainty that states will not withdraw from the compact when the results of an election become known. NPV will encourage presidential campaigns to focus their efforts in dense media markets where costs per vote are lowest; many states now ignored by candidates will continue to be ignored under NPV. For these reasons, states should not join the National Popular Vote compact.
- Topic:
- Politics and Political Theory
- Political Geography:
- United States
205. Two Kinds of Change: Comparing the Candidates on Foreign Policy
- Author:
- Justin Logan
- Publication Date:
- 10-2008
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- Few U.S. presidential elections have been decided on the basis of foreign policy. For the first time in decades, however, both parties have fielded candidates who have chosen to emphasize their foreign policy views.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy and Politics
- Political Geography:
- United States
206. Fiscal Policy Report Card on America's Governors: 2008
- Author:
- Chris Edwards
- Publication Date:
- 10-2008
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- Revenue poured into state governments as the U.S. economy expanded between 2003 and 2007, prompting the nation's governors to expand state budgets and offer the occasional tax cut. But now that the economy has slowed and revenue growth is down, governors are taking various actions to close rising budget deficits.
- Topic:
- Government
- Political Geography:
- United States
207. High-Speed Rail: The Wrong Road for America
- Author:
- Randal O'Toole
- Publication Date:
- 10-2008
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- In the face of high energy prices and concerns about global warming, environmentalists and planners offer high-speed rail as an environmentally friendly alternative to driving and air travel. California, Florida, the Midwest, and other parts of the country are actively considering specific high-speed rail plans.
- Topic:
- Development and Environment
- Political Geography:
- United States, California, and Florida
208. The Durable Internet: Preserving Network Neutrality without Regulation
- Author:
- Timothy B. Lee
- Publication Date:
- 11-2008
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- An important reason for the Internet's remarkable growth over the last quarter century is the “end-to-end” principle that networks should confine themselves to transmitting generic packets without worrying about their contents. Not only has this made deployment of Internet infrastructure cheap and efficient, but it has created fertile ground for entrepreneurship. On a network that respects the end-to-end principle, prior approval from network owners is not needed to launch new applications, services, or content.
- Topic:
- Government and Science and Technology
- Political Geography:
- United States
209. The Case against Government Intervention in Energy Markets
- Author:
- Richard L. Gordon
- Publication Date:
- 12-2008
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- Many politicians and pundits are panicked over the existing state of the oil and gasoline markets. Disregarding past experience, these parties advocate massive intervention in those markets, which would only serve to repeat and extend previous errors. These interventionists propose solutions to nonexistent problems.
- Topic:
- Energy Policy, Government, and Markets
- Political Geography:
- United States
210. Greenspan's Monetary Policy in Retrospect
- Author:
- David R. Henderson and Jeffrey Hummel
- Publication Date:
- 11-2008
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- Is Alan Greenspan to blame for the current housing bubble and the ongoing financial crisis? A growing chorus charges the former Federal Reserve chairman with being an "inflationist" whose loose monetary policy caused or significantly contributed to our current economic troubles. However, although Greenspan's policies weren't perfect, his monetary policy was in fact tight, and his legacy is one of having overseen low and stable inflation and a striking dampening of the business cycle.
- Topic:
- Economics
- Political Geography:
- United States
211. How Did We Get into This Financial Mess?
- Author:
- Lawrence H. White
- Publication Date:
- 11-2008
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- As policymakers confront the ongoing U.S. financial crisis, it is important to take a step back and understand its origins. Those who fault "deregulation," "unfettered capitalism," or "greed" would do well to look instead at flawed institutions and misguided policies. The expansion in risky mortgages to under qualified borrowers was encouraged by the federal government. The growth of "creative" nonprime lending followed Congress's strengthening of the Community Reinvestment Act, the Federal Housing Administration's loosening of down-payment standards, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development's pressuring lenders to extend mortgages to borrowers who previously would not have qualified.
- Topic:
- Economics and Government
- Political Geography:
- United States
212. Is the Gold Standard Still the Gold Standard among Monetary Systems?
- Author:
- Lawrence H. White
- Publication Date:
- 02-2008
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- Critics have raised a number of theoretical and historical objections to the gold standard. Some have called the gold standard a “crazy” idea. The gold standard is not a flawless monetary system. Neither is the fiat money alternative. In light of historical evidence about the comparative magnitude of these flaws, however, the gold standard is a policy option that deserves serious consideration.
- Topic:
- Economics and Government
- Political Geography:
- United States
213. WHO's Fooling Who? The World Health Organization's Problematic Ranking of Health Care Systems
- Author:
- Glen Whitman
- Publication Date:
- 02-2008
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- The World Health Report 2000, prepared by the World Health Organization, presented performance rankings of 191 nations' health care systems. These rankings have been widely cited in public debates about health care, particularly by those interested in reforming the U.S. health care system to resemble more closely those of other countries. Michael Moore, for instance, famously stated in his film SiCKO that the United States placed only 37th in the WHO report. CNN.com, in verifying Moore's claim, noted that France and Canada both placed in the top 10.
- Topic:
- Health, Human Welfare, Humanitarian Aid, and International Organization
- Political Geography:
- United States
214. Learning the Right Lessons from Iraq
- Author:
- Harvey Sapolsky, Christopher Preble, and Benjamin Friedman
- Publication Date:
- 02-2008
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- Foreign policy experts and policy analysts are misreading the lessons of Iraq. The emerging conventional wisdom holds that success could have been achieved in Iraq with more troops, more cooperation among U.S. government agencies, and better counterinsurgency doctrine. To analysts who share these views, Iraq is not an example of what not to do but of how not to do it. Their policy proposals aim to reform the national security bureaucracy so that we will get it right the next time.
- Topic:
- International Relations and Oil
- Political Geography:
- United States, Iraq, and Middle East
215. Cracks in the Foundation: NATO's New Troubles
- Author:
- Stanley Kober
- Publication Date:
- 01-2008
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is beginning to fracture. Its members, sharing the triumphalism that underpinned U.S. foreign policy after the Cold War, took on burdens that have proved more difficult than expected. Increasingly, they are failing to meet the challenges confronting them.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Defense Policy, NATO, and International Organization
- Political Geography:
- United States
216. Book Review: World War IV: The Long Struggle against Islamofascism by Norman Podhoretz
- Author:
- Christopher Preble
- Publication Date:
- 03-2008
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- The Cato Journal
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- “9/11 constituted an open declaration of war on the United States and … the war into which it catapulted us was nothing less than another world war.” So says Norman Podhoretz in the opening passage of this alarmist, rambling screed. The enemy is Islamofascism, a “monster with two heads, one religious and the other secular.” This scourge, Podhoretz warns darkly, may be “even more dangerous and difficult to beat” than Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union.
- Political Geography:
- United States and Soviet Union
217. Markets vs. Monopolies in Education: A Global Review of the Evidence
- Author:
- Andrew J. Coulson
- Publication Date:
- 09-2008
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- Would large-scale, free-market reforms improve educational outcomes for American children? That question cannot be answered by looking at domestic evidence alone. Though innumerable “school choice” programs have been implemented around the United States, none has created a truly free and competitive education marketplace. Existing programs are too small, too restriction laden, or both. To understand how genuine market forces affect school performance, we must cast a wider net, surveying education systems from all over the globe. The present paper undertakes such a review, assessing the results of 25 years of international research comparing market and government provision of education, and explaining why these international experiences are relevant to the United States.
- Topic:
- Economics, Education, Government, and Markets
- Political Geography:
- United States
218. Global Imbalances, Tanking Dollar, and the IMF's Surveillance over Exchange Rate Policies
- Author:
- Sitikantha Pattanaik
- Publication Date:
- 09-2007
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- The Cato Journal
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- The exchange rate policies of the member countries of the International Monetary Fund could come under more intrusive scrutiny because of the June 15, 2007, decision of the IMF Executive Board on bilateral surveillance. This article highlights why the IMF decision cannot help in addressing the problem of global imbalances, even if it succeeds in delivering further appreciation of the exchange rates of surplus countries against the U.S. dollar. Moreover, there could be enormous challenges for effective implementation of the decision, which may further erode the credibility of the IMF. Even though disorderly correction of global imbalances remains a concern for every country, shifting the burden of adjustment entirely to surplus countries could have potentially damaging implications for international cooperation on global economic challenges. Past experiences of international cooperation to deal with global imbalances and currency misalignments suggest that countries rarely sacrifice their domestic economic priorities. Without appropriate macroeconomic adjustment measures, neither the high and growing U.S. current account deficit nor the savings glut of several surplus countries can be corrected solely by removing exchange rate misalignments.
- Political Geography:
- United States
219. Economic Liberty and the Official Law Books in Colonial Massachusetts
- Author:
- Charles Edward Smith
- Publication Date:
- 09-2007
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- The Cato Journal
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- Hernando de Soto's The Mystery of Capital traces the essential developments of land registration and titling in 19th century U.S. history. But his chronology omits implementation of mid-17th century English legal reform initiatives in colonial Massachusetts concerning land registration, creditor-debtor law, and market regulations. Massachusetts's legislators were pursuing a reform agenda in an agrarian, semi-literate, and pre-contract society, conditions that are similar to many developing countries today. This article expands on de Soto's work by examining the vehicle that colonial Massachusetts utilized to communicate its ordinances and regulations: the official law books printed and distributed to colonists.
- Political Geography:
- United States
220. The Future of the U.S. Postal Service
- Author:
- Robert Carbaugh
- Publication Date:
- 09-2007
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- The Cato Journal
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- Structural, legal, and financial constraints have brought the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to the brink of breakdown in the past decade. Faced by declining business brought about by the e-mail revolution and competition from private express companies, the Postal Service has repeatedly requested assistance from the federal government. This culminated in December 2006 with the passage of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, which introduces modest re-visions in the pricing and service policies of the Postal Service so as to make it a self-sustaining government corporation. But will it?
- Political Geography:
- United States
221. What Can the United States Learn from the Nordic Model?
- Author:
- Daniel Mitchell
- Publication Date:
- 11-2007
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- Some policymakers in the United States and Europe argue that it is possible to enjoy economic growth and also have a large welfare state. These advocates for bigger government claim that the so- called Nordic Model offers the best of both worlds. This claim does not withstand scrutiny. Economic performance in Nordic nations is lagging, and excessive government is the most likely explanation. The public sector in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Iceland consumes, on average, more than 48 percent of economic output. Total government outlays in the United States, by contrast, are less than 37 percent of gross domes- tic product. Revenue comparisons are even more striking. Tax receipts average more than 45 per- cent of GDP in Nordic nations, a full 20 percent- age points higher than the aggregate tax burden in the United States.
- Topic:
- Economics and Government
- Political Geography:
- United States and Europe
222. Do You Know the Way to L.A.? San Jose Shows How to Turn an Urban Area into Los Angeles in Three Stressful Decades
- Author:
- Randal O'Tool
- Publication Date:
- 10-2007
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- California cities have the least affordable housing and the most congested traffic in the nation. California's housing crisis results directly from several little-known state institutions, including local agency formation commissions (LAFCos), which regulate annexations and the formation of new cities and service districts; the California Environmental Quality Act, which imposes high costs on new developments; and a 1971 state planning law that effectively entitles any resident in the state to a say in how property owners in the state use their land. Cities such as San Jose have manipulated these institutions and laws with the goal of maximizing their tax revenues.
- Topic:
- Demographics, Environment, and Poverty
- Political Geography:
- United States
223. Taiwan's Defense Budget: How Taipei's Free Riding Risks War
- Author:
- Justin Logan and Ted Carpenter
- Publication Date:
- 09-2007
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- Taiwan spends far too little on its own defense, in large part because the Taiwanese believe the United States is their ultimate protector. The Taiwan legislature's six-year delay and severe down- sizing of a budget to pay for weapons systems that Washington has offered the island since 2001 is only one piece of evidence of Taiwan's free riding. Although Taiwan recently approved roughly US$300 million of the original budget of about $18 billion, the underlying problem remains: even with the new appropriation, Taiwan's overall investment in defense—approximately 2.6 percent of GDP—is woefully inadequate, given the ongoing tensions with mainland China. America is now in the unenviable position of having an implicit commitment to defend a fellow democracy that seems largely uninterested in defending itself.
- Topic:
- Conflict Prevention, Security, and Defense Policy
- Political Geography:
- United States and Asia
224. The Myth of the Rational Voter: Why Democracies Choose Bad Policies
- Author:
- Bryan Caplan
- Publication Date:
- 05-2007
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- In theory, democracy is a bulwark against socially harmful policies. In practice, however, democracies frequently adopt and maintain policies that are damaging. How can this paradox be explained? The influence of special interests and voter ignorance are two leading explanations. I offer an alternative story of how and why democracy fails. The central idea is that voters are worse than ignorant; they are, in a word, irrational—and they vote accordingly. Despite their lack of knowledge, voters are not humble agnostics; instead, they confidently embrace a long list of misconceptions.
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Democratization, and Political Economy
- Political Geography:
- United States
225. In Pursuit of Happiness Research: Is It Reliable? What Does It Imply for Policy?
- Author:
- Will Wilkinson
- Publication Date:
- 04-2007
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- “Happiness research” studies the correlates of subjective well-being, generally through survey methods. A number of psychologists and social scientists have drawn upon this work recently to argue that the American model of relatively limited government and a dynamic market economy corrodes happiness, whereas Western European and Scandinavian-style social democracies pro- mote it. This paper argues that happiness research in fact poses no threat to the relatively libertarian ideals embodied in the U.S. socioeconomic system. Happiness research is seriously hampered by confusion and disagreement about the definition of its subject as well as the limitations inherent in current measurement techniques. In its present state happiness research cannot be relied on as an authoritative source for empirical information about happiness, which, in any case, is not a simple empirical phenomenon but a cultural and historical moving target. Yet, even if we accept the data of happiness research at face value, few of the alleged redistributive policy implications actually follow from the evidence. The data show that neither higher rates of government redistribution nor lower levels of income inequality make us happier, whereas high levels of economic freedom and high average incomes are among the strongest correlates of subjective well- being. Even if we table the damning charges of questionable science and bad moral philosophy, the American model still comes off a glowing success in terms of happiness.
- Topic:
- Economics, Markets, and Political Economy
- Political Geography:
- United States, America, and Europe
226. Energy Alarmism: The Myths That Make Americans Worry about Oil
- Author:
- Daryl Press
- Publication Date:
- 04-2007
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- Many Americans have lost confidence in their country's “energy security” over the past several years. Because the United States is a net oil importer, and a substantial one at that, concerns about energy security naturally raise foreign policy questions. Some foreign policy analysts fear that dwindling global oil reserves are increasingly concentrated in politically unstable regions, and they call for increased U.S. efforts to stabilize—or, alter-natively, democratize—the politically tumultuous oil-producing regions. Others allege that China is pursuing a strategy to “lock up” the world's remaining oil supplies through long-term purchase agreements and aggressive diplomacy, so they counsel that the United States outmaneuver Beijing in the “geopolitics of oil.” Finally, many analysts suggest that even the “normal” political disruptions that occasionally occur in oil-producing regions (e.g., occasional wars and revolutions) hurt Americans by disrupting supply and creating price spikes. U.S. military forces, those analysts claim, are needed to enhance peace and stability in crucial oil-producing regions, particularly the Persian Gulf.
- Topic:
- Security, Oil, and Political Economy
- Political Geography:
- United States and America
227. Escaping the Trap: Why the United States Must Leave Iraq
- Author:
- Ted Galen Carpenter
- Publication Date:
- 02-2007
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- The U.S. military occupation of Iraq has now lasted longer than U.S. involvement in World War II. Yet there is no end in sight to the mission. Staying in Iraq is a fatally flawed policy that has already cost more than 3,000 American lives and consumed more than $350 billion. The security situation in that country grows increasingly chaotic and bloody as evidence mounts that Iraq has descended into a sectarian civil war between Sunnis and Shiites. Approximately 120 Iraqis per day are perishing in political violence. That bloodshed is occurring in a country of barely 26 million people. A comparable rate of carnage in the United States would produce more than 1,400 fatalities per day.
- Topic:
- Security and War
- Political Geography:
- United States, Iraq, America, and Middle East
228. Has U.S. Income Inequality Really Increased?
- Author:
- Alan Reynolds
- Publication Date:
- 01-2007
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- There are frequent complaints that U.S. income inequality has increased in recent decades. Estimates of rising inequality that are widely cited in the media are often based on federal income tax return data. Those data appear to show that the share of U.S. income going to the top 1 percent (those people with the highest incomes) has increased substantially since the 1970s.
- Topic:
- Demographics, Development, and Economics
- Political Geography:
- United States
229. The Bottom Line on Iran: The Costs and Benefits of Preventive War versus Deterrence
- Author:
- Justin Logan
- Publication Date:
- 12-2006
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- It appears increasingly likely that the Bush administration's diplomatic approach to Iran will fail to prevent Iran from going nuclear and that the United States will have to decide whether to use military force to attempt to delay Iran's acquisition of a nuclear weapons capability. Some analysts have already been promoting air strikes against Iran, and the Bush administration has pointed out repeatedly that the military option is “on the table.” This paper examines the options available to the United States in the face of a prospective final diplomatic collapse.
- Topic:
- Conflict Prevention, Economics, and War
- Political Geography:
- United States, Iran, and Middle East
230. Suicide Terrorism and Democracy: What We've Learned Since 9/11
- Author:
- Robert A. Pape
- Publication Date:
- 11-2006
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- Over the past two decades, terrorist organizations have increasingly relied on suicide attacks to achieve political objectives. The specific goal sought in almost all suicide terrorist campaigns in modern history is the same: to compel a democratic state to withdraw combat forces from territory prized by the terrorists. This holds true for al-Qaeda, the terrorist organization of greatest concern to most Americans. Al-Qaeda's efforts to mobilize people to kill Americans are driven principally by a simple strategic goal: to drive the United States and its Western allies from the Arabian Peninsula and other Muslim countries.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Security, and Terrorism
- Political Geography:
- United States, America, Arabia, and Arabian Peninsula
231. Iran's Nuclear Program: America's Policy Options
- Author:
- Ted Galen Carpenter
- Publication Date:
- 09-2006
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- Although it is possible that negotiations between the leading powers in the international community and Iran may produce a settlement to the vexing issue of Iran's nuclear program, it is more likely that those negotiations will fail. If that happens, U.S. policymakers face a set of highly imperfect options.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Security, and Nuclear Weapons
- Political Geography:
- United States, America, Iran, and Middle East
232. Reappraising Nuclear Security Strategy
- Author:
- Rensselaer Lee
- Publication Date:
- 06-2006
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- The danger posed by Russia's inadequately secured stocks of nuclear weapons and fissile material is a major national security concern for the United States. Various cooperative U.S.-Russian programs aimed at securing nuclear material, weapons, and design intelligence have been mounted since the 1990s, but clever and determined adversaries may be able to circumvent or defeat the defenses that the United States and its partners are attempting to put in place. U.S. programs are by their nature reactive: they have long time horizons; they focus preeminently on the supply side of the problem; and they face serious technological limitations. Russia's imperfect commitment to nonproliferation also undermines the effectiveness of U.S. nonproliferation efforts.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Security, Foreign Policy, and Nuclear Weapons
- Political Geography:
- Russia, United States, Europe, and Asia
233. CATO Institute: Two Normal Countries: Rethinking the U.S.-Japan Strategic Relationship
- Author:
- Christopher Preble
- Publication Date:
- 04-2006
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- The U.S.-Japan strategic relationship, formalized during the depths of the Cold War and refined during the 1980s and 1990s, continues to undergo dramatic changes. Although Japan is economically capable and now seems politically motivated to assume full responsibility for defending itself from threats, it is legally constrained from doing so under the terms of the Japanese constitution, particularly Article 9. The path to defensive self-sufficiency is also impeded by Japan's continuing dependence on the United States embodied in the U.S.-Japan security alliance.
- Topic:
- International Relations and Diplomacy
- Political Geography:
- United States, Japan, Israel, East Asia, and Asia
234. CATO Institute: Don't Resurrect the Law of the Sea Treaty
- Author:
- Doug Bandow
- Publication Date:
- 10-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- For more than 20 years, the United States has refused to become a party to the Law of the Sea Treaty. Advocates of the treaty, a comprehensive measure governing navigational rights on the sea and mineral rights on the seabed, claimed that U.S. failure to join the convention would result in chaos on the high seas. It has not. Very few Americans know anything about the treaty, and even advocates are hard-pressed to explain how the United States would benefit from its adoption.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, International Law, and Treaties and Agreements
- Political Geography:
- United States
235. CATO Institute: The Personal Lockbox: A First Step on the Road to Social Security Reform
- Author:
- Michael Tanner
- Publication Date:
- 09-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- With President Bush's call for comprehensive Social Security reform bogged down in the morass of partisan politics, many reform advocates have suggested starting the process with smaller steps. Recently, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), Rep. Jim McCrery (R-LA), Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), Rep. Sam Johnson (R-TX), and others have proposed legislation to rebate Social Security surpluses to workers in the form of contributions to personal accounts.
- Topic:
- Security, Development, Economics, and Politics
- Political Geography:
- United States
236. CATO Institute: Aging America's Achilles' Heel: Medicaid Long-Term Care
- Author:
- Stephen A. Moses
- Publication Date:
- 09-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- Seventy-seven million aging baby boomers will sink America's retirement security system if we don't take action soon. A few years ago, the problem went unrecognized by most Americans. Today, the prospect of a fiscal crisis has forced policymakers to focus on solutions.
- Topic:
- Economics, Government, and Human Welfare
- Political Geography:
- United States and America
237. CATO Institute: Medicaid's Unseen Costs
- Author:
- Michael F. Cannon
- Publication Date:
- 08-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- Medicaid occupies a special place among government programs for the poor. Public support for Medicaid is broader and deeper than for other safety net programs because the consequences of inadequate medical care can be much more immediate and severe than those of a lack of money or even food.
- Topic:
- Economics, Government, and Human Welfare
- Political Geography:
- United States
238. CATO Institute: Uncompetitive Elections and the American Political System
- Author:
- Dennis Polhill and Patrick Basham
- Publication Date:
- 06-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- American representative government suffers from the handicap of a largely uncompetitive political system. American politics has fewer and fewer competitive elections. In arguing that political competition matters a great deal, this paper traces the increasing trend toward uncompetitiveness and details the role and nature of incumbency advantage in fostering an uncompetitive political system.
- Topic:
- Demographics, Political Economy, and Politics
- Political Geography:
- United States and America
239. CATO Institute: Treating Doctors as Drug Dealers: The DEA's War on Prescription Painkillers
- Author:
- Ronald T. Libby
- Publication Date:
- 06-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- The medical field of treating chronic pain is still in its infancy. It was only in the late 1980s that leading physicians trained in treating the chronic pain of terminally ill cancer patients began to recommend that the "opioid therapy" (treatment involving narcotics related to opium) used on their patients also be used for patients suffering from nonterminal conditions. The new therapies proved successful, and prescription pain medications saw a huge leap in sales throughout the 1990s. But opioid therapy has always been controversial. The habit-forming nature of some prescription pain medications made many physicians, medical boards, and law enforcement officials wary of their use in treating acute pain in nonterminal patients. Consequently, many physicians and pain specialists have shied away from opioid treatment, causing millions of Americans to suffer from chronic pain even as therapies were available to treat it.
- Topic:
- Crime, Human Welfare, and Politics
- Political Geography:
- United States and America
240. CATO Institute: Corruption in the Public Schools: The Market Is the Answer
- Author:
- Neal McCluskey
- Publication Date:
- 04-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- One of the most frequently voiced objections to school choice is that the free market lacks the "accountability" that governs public education. Public schools are constantly monitored by district administrators, state officials, federal officials, school board members, and throngs of other people tasked with making sure that the schools follow all the rules and regulations governing them. That level of bureaucratic oversight does not exist in the free market, and critics fear choice-based education will be plagued by corruption, poor-quality schools, and failure.
- Topic:
- Economics, Education, and Politics
- Political Geography:
- United States
241. CATO Institute: Flying the Unfriendly Skies: Defending against the Threat of Shoulder-Fired Missiles
- Author:
- Charles V. Peña
- Publication Date:
- 04-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- Shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, or MANPADS (man-portable air defense systems), have proliferated throughout the world. They can be purchased on the military arms black market for as little as $5,000. More than two dozen terrorist groups, including Al Qaeda, are believed to possess such weapons. The FBI estimates that there have been 29 MANPADS attacks against civilian aircraft resulting in 550 deaths. At least 25 of the reported attacks have been attributed to nonstate actors.
- Topic:
- Defense Policy, Science and Technology, and Terrorism
- Political Geography:
- United States
242. CATO Institute: Options for Tax Reform
- Author:
- Chris Edwards
- Publication Date:
- 02-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- President Bush has established an advisory panel to study federal tax reform options. The panel is headed by former senators Connie Mack of Florida and John Breaux of Louisiana. Congressional leaders, including House Speaker Dennis Hastert and Majority Leader Tom Delay, have also pledged their support for reform.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, and Government
- Political Geography:
- United States, Florida, and Louisiana
243. CATO Institute: Robin Hood in Reverse: The Case against Economic Development Takings
- Author:
- Ilya Somin
- Publication Date:
- 02-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- The Fifth Amendment and most state constitutions prohibit government from condemning private property except for a “public use.”Traditionally, that has forbidden most condemnations that transfer property from one private owner to another.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, and Government
- Political Geography:
- United States
244. CATO Institute: Peer-to-Peer Networking and Digital Rights Management: How Market Tools Can Solve Copyright Problems
- Author:
- Michael A. Einhorn and Bill Rosenblatt
- Publication Date:
- 02-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- The term “peer to peer” (P2P) refers generally to software that enables a computer to locate a content file on another networked device and copy the encoded data to its own hard drive. P2P technology often attracts people who use it to reproduce or distribute copyrighted music and movies without authorization of rights owners. For that reason, the short history of P2P technology has been one of constant controversy and calls by many in the content industry to regulate or even ban P2P-based networks or software.
- Topic:
- Development, Government, and Science and Technology
- Political Geography:
- United States
245. CATO Institute: Who Killed Telecom? Why the Official Story Is Wrong
- Author:
- Lawrence Gasman
- Publication Date:
- 02-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- In the mid-1990s as it seemed that lawmakers were about to abandon much of the regulatory apparatus that had hampered the telecommunications industry since the 1930s, the telecom equipment industry began to boom, helped in part by the rise of the Internet. The deregulatory trend led ultimately to the 1996 Telecom Act, and soon the architects and implementers of that act were congratulating themselves on a job well done. We were supposedly building a new telecom infrastructure fit for the information age.
- Topic:
- Development, Industrial Policy, and Science and Technology
- Political Geography:
- United States
246. CATO Institute: Health Care in a Free Society: Rebutting the Myths of National Health Insurance
- Author:
- John C. Goodman
- Publication Date:
- 01-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- Almost everyone agrees that the U.S. health care system is in dire need of reform. But there are differing opinions on what kind of reform would be best. Some on the political left would like to see us copy one of the government-run “single-payer”systems that exist in Western Europe, Canada, and New Zealand, among other places. Proponents of socialized medicine point to other countries as examples of health care systems that are superior to our own. They insist that government will make health care available on the basis of need rather than ability to pay. The rich and poor will have equal access to care. And more serious medical needs will be given priority over less serious needs.
- Topic:
- Government, Human Welfare, and Politics
- Political Geography:
- United States, Europe, Canada, and New Zealand
247. CATO Institute: Making College More Expensive: The Unintended Consequences of Federal Tuition Aid
- Author:
- Gary Wolfram
- Publication Date:
- 01-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- As Congress debates the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, it should heed Friedrich Hayek's warning that democracy is “peculiarly liable, if not guided by accepted common principles, to produce over-all results that nobody wanted.” One result of the federal government's student financial aid programs is higher tuition costs at our nation's colleges and universities. Basic economic theory suggests that the increased demand for higher education generated by HEA will have the effect of increasing tuitions. The empirical evidence is consistent with that—federal loans, Pell grants, and other assistance programs result in higher tuition for students at our nation's colleges and universities.
- Topic:
- Economics, Education, and Government
- Political Geography:
- United States
248. How the Drug War in Afghanistan Undermines America's War on Terror
- Author:
- Ted Galen Carpenter
- Publication Date:
- 11-2004
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- There is a growing tension between two U .S. objectives in Afghanistan. The most important objective is—or at least should be—the eradication of the remaining Al Qaeda and Taliban forces in that country. But the United States and its coalition partners are now also emphasizing the eradication of Afghanistan's drug trade. These antidrug efforts may fatally undermine the far more important anti-terrorism campaign.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy and War
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan, United States, Middle East, and Taliban
249. President Bush's Muddled Policy on Taiwan
- Author:
- Ted Galen Carpenter
- Publication Date:
- 03-2004
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- The Bush administration has gone from one extreme to the other with regard to U.S. policy on Taiwan. During the early months of his administration, the president gave a seemingly unconditional pledge to defend Taiwan from attack by mainland China—going significantly further than his predecessors had. He followed that assurance by approving the largest arms sales package to Taiwan in nearly a decade. In marked contrast to the Clinton years, high-profile visits by Taiwanese leaders to the United States have been encouraged, despite Beijing's protests.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Development, and Politics
- Political Geography:
- United States, China, and Asia
250. CATO Institute: Implementing Welfare Reform: A State Report Card
- Author:
- Jenifer Zeigler
- Publication Date:
- 10-2004
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- In 1996 the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act was signed into law, and the nation waited to see if welfare reform would truly “end welfare as we know it.” Block grant funding and administrative devolution gave the states a chance to move beyond pilot programs and prove that they could transition people off welfare more efficiently and effectively than the federal government. As a result, caseloads have dropped by more than half.
- Topic:
- Economics, Government, and Human Welfare
- Political Geography:
- United States