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Begin New Search Topic Government Content Type Working Paper Publishing Institution The Cato Institute

41. Executive Pay: Regulation vs. Market Competition

Author:
Ira T. Kay and Steven Van Putten
Publication Date:
09-2008
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Cato Institute
Abstract:
The economic slowdown and the active political season are generating calls for imposing new regulations on executive pay. The presidential candidates of the two major parties have lashed out at what they perceive to be excessive pay for certain executives or for corporate executives in general.
Topic:
Economics, Government, and Markets

42. 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

43. How Canada's Supreme Court Sparked a Patients' Rights Revolution

Author:
Jacques Chaoulli
Publication Date:
05-2006
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Cato Institute
Abstract:
Early efforts by Western democracies to restrict freedom of contract were rationalized on the ground that such restrictions were necessary to prevent the suffering of ordinary citizens. People who oppose the freedom to opt out of state-run health insurance schemes turn that rationale on its head: they oppose freedom of contract even when it is necessary to prevent the suffering of ordinary citizens. A recent ruling by the Canadian Supreme Court has helped to restore that freedom and the right of patients to make their own medical decisions.
Topic:
International Relations, Foreign Policy, Government, and International Law
Political Geography:
Canada

44. CATO Institute: KidSave: Real Problem, Wrong Solution

Author:
Michael Tanner and Jagadeesh Gokhale
Publication Date:
01-2006
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Cato Institute
Abstract:
There is growing bipartisan recognition that the pathway out of poverty is not through consumption but through saving and accumulation. That idea has led to a number of interesting and innovative experiments by state and local governments and by private charitable organizations and has helped fuel the drive for personal accounts as part of Social Security reform.
Topic:
Conflict Resolution, Security, Development, Economics, and Government

45. 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

46. 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

47. 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

48. 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

49. 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

50. 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

51. 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

52. CATO Institute: Rethinking Electricity Restructuring

Author:
Peter Van Doren and Jerry Taylor
Publication Date:
11-2004
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Cato Institute
Abstract:
Electric utility restructuring was initiated in the 1990s to remedy the problem of relatively high electricity costs in the Northeast and California. While politicians hoped that reform would allow low-cost electricity to flow to highcost states and that competition would reduce prices, economists wanted reform to eliminate regulatory incentives to overbuild generating capacity and spur the introduction of real-time prices for electricity.
Topic:
Economics, Energy Policy, Government, and Politics
Political Geography:
California

53. 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

54. CATO Institute: Fannie May, Freddie Mac, and Housing Finance: Why True Privatization is Good Public Policy

Author:
Lawrence J. White
Publication Date:
10-2004
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Cato Institute
Abstract:
The Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) are the two dominant entities in the secondary residential mortgage markets of the United States. They are an important and prominent part of a larger mosaic of extensive efforts by governments at all levels to encourage the production and consumption of housing.
Topic:
Economics, Government, and Industrial Policy
Political Geography:
United States

55. CATO Institute: Health Care Regulation: A $169 Billion Hidden Tax

Author:
Christopher J. Conover
Publication Date:
10-2004
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Cato Institute
Abstract:
Students of regulation have known for decades that the burden of regulation on the U.S. economy is sizable, with the latest figures suggesting this cost may approach $1 trillion in 2004. Surprisingly, given that the health industry is often viewed as among the most heavily regulated sectors of the U.S. economy, previous estimates generally have ignored the cost of regulating health care services.
Topic:
Economics, Government, and Human Welfare
Political Geography:
United States

56. CATO Institute: When Ignorance Isn't Bliss: How Political Ignorance Threatens Democracy

Author:
Ilya Somin
Publication Date:
09-2004
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Cato Institute
Abstract:
Democracy demands an informed electorate. Voters who lack adequate knowledge about politics will find it difficult to control public policy. Inadequate voter knowledge prevents government from reflecting the will of the people in any meaningful way. Such ignorance also raises doubts about democracy as a means of serving the interests of a majority. Voters who lack sufficient knowledge may be manipulated by elites. They may also demand policies that contravene their own interests.
Topic:
Government, Human Rights, and Politics
Political Geography:
United States

57. Three Myths about Voter Turnout in the United States

Author:
John Samples
Publication Date:
09-2004
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Cato Institute
Abstract:
Critics of American politics and elections often focus on low voter turnout in the United States. They argue that voter turnout is steadily declining largely because of voter cynicism caused by big money campaigns and negative political advertising. Voter turnout is lower than it was in the 1960s, but almost the entire decline happened between 1968 and 1974. Sophisticated and detailed studies of both public trust in government and the consequences of political advertising show that neither factor has a negative effect on voter turnout.
Topic:
Government, Human Rights, and Politics
Political Geography:
United States and America

58. Understanding Privacy—and the Real Threats to It

Author:
Jim Harper
Publication Date:
08-2004
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Cato Institute
Abstract:
Properly defined, privacy is the subjective condition people experience when they have power to control information about themselves. Because privacy is subjective, government regulation in the name of privacy can only create confidentiality or secrecy rules based on politicians' and bureaucrats' guesses about what "privacy" should look like. The most important, but elusive, part of true privacy protection is consumers' exercise of power over information about themselves. Ultimately, privacy is a product of personal responsibility and autonomy.
Topic:
Government and Human Rights

59. CATO Institute: A Lesson in Waste: Where Does All the Federal Education Money Go?

Author:
Neal McCluskey
Publication Date:
07-2004
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Cato Institute
Abstract:
Since the 1965 passage of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which concentrated unprecedented authority over American education in the hands of the federal government, federal lawmakers have passed increasingly restrictive laws and drastically escalated education spending, which ballooned from around $25 billion in 1965 (adjusted for inflation) to more than $108 billion in 2002.
Topic:
Economics, Education, and Government
Political Geography:
United States and America

60. CATO Institute: Deficits, Interest Rates, and Taxes: Myths and Realities

Author:
Alan Reynolds
Publication Date:
06-2004
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Cato Institute
Abstract:
The federal government's swing from budget surpluses to budget deficits has raised concerns about possible negative economic effects. Some economists have argued that deficits will raise interest rates, reduce economic growth, increase trade deficits, and possibly create a financial crisis.
Topic:
Debt, Economics, and Government
Political Geography:
United States