A Public Policy Blog from AEI

Most Recent

Blog Post
March 06, 2021
AEIdeas

5 questions for Leah Brooks on US infrastructure costs since the 1960s

by James Pethokoukis

Leah Brooks explains why the rise in citizen influence on infrastructure projects has caused building costs to dramatically increase in the United States since the late 1960s.

EconomicsEnvironmental and Energy EconomicsPethokoukisPolitical EconomyPublic EconomicsUS Economy
Blog Post
March 05, 2021
AEIdeas

Problems with delaying a corporate rate increase

by Kyle Pomerleau

A corporate tax rate increase will inflict immediate economic harm even if its implementation is delayed. So if Congress adopts a rate increase, however, it should consider making the rate increase immediate and softening the economic impact by providing other forms of tax relief.

EconomicsTax ReformUS Economy
Blog Post
March 05, 2021
AEIdeas

Democracy Prep adds racial confession to graduation requirements

by Frederick M. Hess

A charter network in Las Vegas has added a dubious new graduation requirement: White students must confess their privileged identity.

EducationK-12 SchoolingRace and GenderSociety and Culture
Blog Post
March 05, 2021
AEIdeas

Pat Toomey and Katherine Tai: A telling exchange

by Claude Barfield

Incoming US Trade Representative Katherine Tai’s exchange with Sen. Pat Toomey last week portends a different approach and castoff mindset for the Biden administration regarding US trade policy and negotiating future trade agreements.

EconomicsInternational Economics
Blog Post
March 05, 2021
AEIdeas

What’s next for space exploration? My long-read Q&A with Tim Fernholz, Sara Seager, Stan Veuger, and Matt Weinzierl

by James Pethokoukis | Stan Veuger

Tim Fernholz, Sara Seager, Stan Veuger, and Matt Weinzierl all discuss how the future of space exploration is likely to play out as private companies like SpaceX grow in prominence, trips back to the moon and to Mars are conducted, and space programs around the world compete with each other.

EconomicsInnovationPethokoukisPolitical EconomyTechnology and InnovationUS Economy
Blog Post
March 05, 2021
AEIdeas

Women making history: When women run

by Karlyn Bowman

When women run for office, they win just as often as men at every level of politics. The problem is getting more women to run. And one reason for the smaller number of female candidates is that it is hard to dislodge incumbents and most major political offices are dominated by men.

ElectionsPolitics and Public Opinion
Blog Post
March 05, 2021
AEIdeas

Section 230’s half-bad economics

by Mark Jamison

As the Section 230 debate rages, it is important to discuss whether it protects businesses from liability for damage they do to others, thereby distorting economic incentives. What should be done?

Technology and Innovation
Blog Post
March 04, 2021
AEIdeas

COVID vaccinations in the Osage Nation

by Brent Orrell

The Osage Nation’s strategy of vaccinating every member above the age of 18 rather than adhering to the federal government’s recommendations for a strict age-based system is worth watching.

Society and CultureWorkforce
Blog Post
March 04, 2021
AEIdeas

A big stake in the ground for universal childcare via the American Rescue Plan

by Katharine B. Stevens

The childcare provisions in the American Rescue Plan are presented as emergency responses to the pandemic. But the plan’s primary aim is to lay the groundwork for a permanent expansion of government-funded care. And the proposal is based on the flawed assumption that it’s optimal for all children to spend a large proportion of their earliest years in out-of-home care.

Poverty Studies
Blog Post
March 04, 2021
AEIdeas

Zombies and the post-pandemic economy

by James Pethokoukis

What sort of shape is the American economy after a year of the pandemic? Maybe better than you might guess. Even better than many economists might have guessed. The processes of creative destruction do not seem to have harmed the more productive and less indebted firms in 2020.

Economic Fluctuations and GrowthEconomicsPethokoukisPolitical EconomyUS Economy
1 2 3 … 1,919

Economics

Blog Post
March 06, 2021
AEIdeas

5 questions for Leah Brooks on US infrastructure costs since the 1960s

by James Pethokoukis

Leah Brooks explains why the rise in citizen influence on infrastructure projects has caused building costs to dramatically increase in the United States since the late 1960s.

EconomicsEnvironmental and Energy EconomicsPethokoukisPolitical EconomyPublic EconomicsUS Economy
Blog Post
March 05, 2021
AEIdeas

Problems with delaying a corporate rate increase

by Kyle Pomerleau

A corporate tax rate increase will inflict immediate economic harm even if its implementation is delayed. So if Congress adopts a rate increase, however, it should consider making the rate increase immediate and softening the economic impact by providing other forms of tax relief.

EconomicsTax ReformUS Economy
Blog Post
March 05, 2021
AEIdeas

Pat Toomey and Katherine Tai: A telling exchange

by Claude Barfield

Incoming US Trade Representative Katherine Tai’s exchange with Sen. Pat Toomey last week portends a different approach and castoff mindset for the Biden administration regarding US trade policy and negotiating future trade agreements.

EconomicsInternational Economics
Blog Post
March 05, 2021
AEIdeas

What’s next for space exploration? My long-read Q&A with Tim Fernholz, Sara Seager, Stan Veuger, and Matt Weinzierl

by James Pethokoukis | Stan Veuger

Tim Fernholz, Sara Seager, Stan Veuger, and Matt Weinzierl all discuss how the future of space exploration is likely to play out as private companies like SpaceX grow in prominence, trips back to the moon and to Mars are conducted, and space programs around the world compete with each other.

EconomicsInnovationPethokoukisPolitical EconomyTechnology and InnovationUS Economy
Blog Post
March 04, 2021
AEIdeas

Zombies and the post-pandemic economy

by James Pethokoukis

What sort of shape is the American economy after a year of the pandemic? Maybe better than you might guess. Even better than many economists might have guessed. The processes of creative destruction do not seem to have harmed the more productive and less indebted firms in 2020.

Economic Fluctuations and GrowthEconomicsPethokoukisPolitical EconomyUS Economy
Blog Post
March 04, 2021
AEIdeas

The American Rescue Plan’s likely cost is way more than $1.9 trillion

by Alex Brill

While the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Act expands the child tax credit, earned income tax credit, and child and dependent care credit for just a single year, it is likely that these expansions would be made permanent. So estimates of the cost of the plan should include the effects of these permanent extensions.

EconomicsPolitical EconomyTax ReformUS Economy
1 2 3 … 934

Foreign and Defense Policy

Blog Post
March 01, 2021
AEIdeas

Rule of law: Beijing style

by Gary J. Schmitt

47 Hong Kong citizens were recently charged for violating a unilaterally-imposed Beijing measure. This is a classic example of “rule of law” under an autocratic regime: Vague and sweeping terms, arbitrary interpretation, and faux due process are the hallmarks of such governments.

AsiaForeign and Defense Policy
Blog Post
February 22, 2021
AEIdeas

Biden’s transatlantic opening

by Gary J. Schmitt

President Biden has signaled his willingness to rebuild transatlantic ties on a number of fronts. But on perhaps the most important front, hard core security, he’ll have his work cut for him if he’s to succeed in establishing an alliance-wide approach.

Europe and EurasiaForeign and Defense Policy
Blog Post
February 22, 2021
AEIdeas

Bolsonaro is meddling with Petrobras, reverting to typical Brazilian interference in state-owned enterprises

by Ryan C. Berg

Bolsonaro’s meddling with Petrobas shows that he, like his predecessors, intends to use the state-owned oil giant as a political tool, rather than a public-private partnership to manage Brazil’s vast oil resources and to build the country’s wealth.

Foreign and Defense PolicyLatin America
Blog Post
February 11, 2021
AEIdeas

The WHO’s probe into Wuhan needs a dose of common sense

by Paul Wolfowitz | Bill Drexel

When a tyrannical power brazenly leeches off the authority of a large multilateral institution — like China has done with the WHO — a clearer picture is often found from more grassroots reporting.

AsiaForeign and Defense Policy
Blog Post
February 08, 2021
AEIdeas

The US-China trade deficit, revisited

by Derek Scissors

Donald Trump failed to address his own concerns regarding the US-China trade deficit. If he had not changed trade policy at all, the historical trend says American exports would have been higher in 2020. It’s also a possibility that he and other protectionists are wrong about what trade deficits mean.

AsiaForeign and Defense Policy
Blog Post
February 08, 2021
AEIdeas

Iran has no interest in altering its behavior

by Wang Xiyue

While many in the West advocate détente with Iran, the Islamic Republic regime is only eager for the cash benefits that come with this rapprochement — not for the détente itself. The regime has no interest in altering its behavior.

Foreign and Defense PolicyMiddle East
1 2 3 … 220

Tech Policy

Blog Post
March 05, 2021
AEIdeas

What’s next for space exploration? My long-read Q&A with Tim Fernholz, Sara Seager, Stan Veuger, and Matt Weinzierl

by James Pethokoukis | Stan Veuger

Tim Fernholz, Sara Seager, Stan Veuger, and Matt Weinzierl all discuss how the future of space exploration is likely to play out as private companies like SpaceX grow in prominence, trips back to the moon and to Mars are conducted, and space programs around the world compete with each other.

EconomicsInnovationPethokoukisPolitical EconomyTechnology and InnovationUS Economy
Blog Post
March 05, 2021
AEIdeas

Section 230’s half-bad economics

by Mark Jamison

As the Section 230 debate rages, it is important to discuss whether it protects businesses from liability for damage they do to others, thereby distorting economic incentives. What should be done?

Technology and Innovation
Blog Post
March 04, 2021
AEIdeas

Should Europe really be leading the world on tech policy?

by Shane Tews

EU proposals for regulating the digital economy aim to stall the progress of technology and US innovators — and buy time as Europe struggles to compete globally. Instead of engaging in protectionism, the US and EU could both benefit from increased cooperation on key issues affecting digital markets.

Digital TradeTechnology and Innovation
Blog Post
March 03, 2021
AEIdeas

Trade, security, technology: Trump — and Biden — vs. the World Trade Organization

by Claude Barfield

In continuing the Trump administration’s use of the national security exception to World Trade Organization rules, the nexus of trade, security, and technology will be a confounding challenge for the Biden administration.

Technology and Innovation
Blog Post
March 02, 2021
AEIdeas

Facebook, Google, and the battle over social media in Australia, part III

by Bronwyn Howell

The compromise between Facebook and the Australian government that restored Australian news content to the platform doesn’t address the dispute’s underlying causes. However, a simpler, more transparent solution may exist.

Technology and Innovation
Blog Post
March 01, 2021
AEIdeas

Economic growth shouldn’t need a defense. But here you go, again.

by James Pethokoukis

Some pessimists see economic growth and tech advances as only inequality generators and climate destroyers, and so they want to slow or stop growth. But in fact, tackling climate change and raising living standards both require robust economic growth, which policymakers should pursue in the long term.

Economic Fluctuations and GrowthEconomicsInnovationPethokoukisPolitical EconomyTechnology and Innovation
1 2 3 … 249