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111. 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

112. 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

113. 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

114. 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

115. 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

116. 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

117. 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

118. 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

119. 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

120. 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