Category:Lobbying & Special Interests
The Case for Eliminating the Olympic Games
August 18, 2016 | Post
The Olympic Games are an inefficient boondoggle for host countries. There are alternatives that would reduce the costs AND corruption.
Why I’m Excited About the Summer Olympics and Rio’s de Janeiro’s Financial Crisis
August 14, 2016 | Post
At the risk of sound glib, I believe the quadrennial fervor over the Summer Olympics is at least partially a function of the seemingly timeless nature of the competition. Set against the backdrop of the financial crisis in Rio de Janeiro, however, the games have become far more interesting, albeit tragic. Sprinters this year will […]
Why Brazil Gets to Host the Olympics Despite Its Financial Problems
August 10, 2016 | Post
Much could be and has been written about the problems facing the Summer Olympic Games in Rio thanks to polluted water venues, substandard housing for athletes, Zika, crime, transportation, and Brazil’s overall financial problems. Beyond and behind these headlines, though, lay fundamental (and interesting) issues of political economy. The Olympic Games are costly, with large […]
Foreign Policy, Ep. 5: What is the Military Industrial Complex?
July 28, 2016 | Video
When government and private military contractors get too close, “People are shipped off to fight and die without making our nation any safer”. Unfortunately as a result of the Military Industrial Complex in the U.S. not all acts of war actually end up making our nation any safer. When govt and private military contractors get […]
Government Neglects Public Parks, Raises Taxes, to Subsidize Private Stadium
June 10, 2016 | Post
A county in Georgia is raising taxes in order to pay for public parks, even as it spends $400 million to fund a new stadium for the Atlanta Braves. Further, while citizens of Cobb County voted in favor of funding public parks, they weren’t given a say about building the stadium. As Reason reports: …in […]
How the State Became the American Woman’s Real Enemy
May 18, 2016 | Post
Editor’s Note: This is part one in a two part series from Sarah Skwire on women and liberty. You can read part two here. I’ve been a feminist for as long as I can remember. One of our oldest family stories is of Young Sarah asking Mom why Puppy Chow had a commercial that said “Don’t […]
Ethanol: Why is there corn in your car?
April 15, 2016 | Post
In 2012, we released a video answering the question, “Why is there corn in your Coke?” Now, Jared Meyer sat down with Robert Bryce, an energy policy expert at the Manhattan Institute, to answer the question, “Why is there corn in your car?” The corn in your car—or rather, the corn you put into your […]
Panama Papers Raise Crony Questions
April 8, 2016 | Post
The recent document leak known as the Panama Papers suggests that numerous world leaders and their cronies as well as other powerful individuals avoid paying taxes by setting up shell companies in Panama, a country known for its banking secrecy. But it’s important to remember that just because people opened a bank account or created […]
An Unhealthy Alliance: Tobacco Companies and Anti-smoking
May 14, 2015 | Video
Why are cities across America considering bans on e cigarettes and vaping? And what do the tobacco industry and anti-tobacco groups have in common? Prof. Aeon Skoble looks at the motivations of the groups who want to ban e cigarettes and vaping. While anti-tobacco groups want to ban e cigarettes out of concern for public […]
5 Stupid Alcohol Laws in Virginia
May 12, 2015 | Video
Who knew “happy hour” was a banned term? Until 2014, it was illegal in Virginia for a bar to advertise “happy hours” or “drink specials” outside. Bar & restaurant owners still face onerous prohibitions on how they sell alcohol, from speaking about to serving it. Professor Antony Davies explains that these laws were made with […]
Frank Underwood’s Top 3 Lessons for the Voting Public | House of Cards Review
February 19, 2014 | Video
Netflix recently debuted season two of its original series House of Cards. Some have suggested the show reflects a deeply cynical view of politics, but Prof. Steve Horwitz argues that it is an unromantic and realistic portrayal of how the incentives politicians have in the United States can give rise to the same kind of […]
The Most Dangerous Monopoly: When Caution Kills
February 11, 2014 | Video
Everyone wants the items they buy to be safe to use or consume. When products undergo third-party certification processes to determine their safety, market forces are able to optimize the amount of testing conducted and consumers can use the information provided by certification firms to make their own decisions. It is difficult to say how […]
Bootleggers and Baptists
July 26, 2013 | Video
Have you ever wondered why it is illegal to purchase alcohol in many U.S. cities, states, and counties on Sunday? It is not illegal to drink alcohol on Sunday. Professor Bruce Yandle explains that such laws benefit two distinct groups: bootleggers and Baptists. The Baptists benefit because they have seen to it that alcohol sales […]
How Food Regulations Make Us Less Healthy
July 19, 2013 | Video
Corn growers receive billions of dollars each year in subsidies from the U.S. government. The average American family pays $400 per year to subsidize corn. As a result, corn products and derivatives can be found in many items at American grocery stores. In the video, Professor Daniel J. D’Amico discusses how farm subsidies and other […]
A Quick History of War, OPEC, and Gas Prices
March 4, 2013 | Video
Historical trends in gas prices can largely be explained by changes in supply and demand. Demand for oil rose through the 20th century. Although this put upward pressure on price, supply initially increased even more rapidly as people produced newer and less expensive production methods. Professor Art Carden shows how oil prices changed based on […]
Why Are Gas Prices So High?
February 22, 2013 | Video
Rising gas prices fuel public outrage, and the popular explanation is that unscrupulous oil companies are taking advantage of helpless consumers. This makes a good story but, as Professor Art Carden explains, it’s not accurate. Instead, gas prices can be explained by the laws of supply and demand. Supply shifts occur when it becomes easier […]
Why Is the NRA So Powerful?
January 18, 2013 | Video
Why is it that organized interest groups such as the National Rifle Association wield such powerful influence in policy discussions? According to Professor Mike Munger, the reason is simple. In politics, small but organized groups win. Politics is sometimes more complicated than simply having the majority of voters on your side. Prof. Munger explains the […]
Why Is There Corn in Your Coke?
November 19, 2012 | Video
Coca-cola used to be made with real sugar, but in 1984 the makers of the soft drink replaced sugar with corn syrup. Why did this happen? Part of the reason is because corn syrup became less expensive than sugar. In fact, sugar is nearly twice as expensive in America as in the rest of the […]
How Cronyism Is Hurting the Economy
July 9, 2012 | Video
The United States economy suffers from corporatism and cronyism, which occurs when businesses collude with government to obtain special benefits. The Occupy Wall Street movement has decried this rampant cronyism, but what is the best solution? Professor Jason Brennan contends that while it may seem like the solution is to allow government more power to […]
A Cost-Benefit Approach to Public Policy
October 17, 2011 | Video
Dr. Jeffrey Miron at Harvard highlights two different approaches to libertarianism. The first approach, which he refers to as philosophical libertarianism, claims that individuals have rights. These libertarians believe that their rights are often infringed upon by government action, and therefore, are averse to most government action. The second approach, which Miron spends the bulk […]
Public Choice: Why Politicians Don’t Cut Spending
April 20, 2011 | Video
Why do politicans never seem to cut government spending? Using public choice economics, or the economics of politics, Prof. Ben Powell shows how voters are rationally ignorant of what politicians do. This leads to a phenomenon called “concentrated benefits and dispersed costs,” which favors recipients of government payments at the expense of the average taxpayer.