regulations | Learn Liberty

Out with the coal, in with the nuclear

March 15, 2023 | Post

Despite the economic challenges involved, nuclear power is our best chance of walking that tightrope that allows us to manage both economic and industrial concerns while decarbonizing. Is that not the objective we are all striving for?

The Misuse of Social Media Act: a threat to freedom of expression in Uganda

February 27, 2023 | Post

The provisions in the Misuse of Social Media Act passed by Uganda’s Parliament are highly restrictive and pose a direct threat to digital freedom. Here’s a quick breakdown of how and why…

A foot in the door? Australia’s real housing crisis, exposed

February 22, 2023 | Post

Housing affordability has become a plague on Australia’s economy, and government policy here has ensured that no matter what happens, people — especially the least well off — will continue to get hurt. Let’s take a look at the reasons behind Australia’s housing crisis…

Would the American Innovation and Choice Online Act enhance economic freedom?

August 18, 2022 | Post

There are good reasons to believe that the AICOA would not enhance economic freedom nor improve overall welfare. This is a problem, not because big tech needs more defenders, but because it would stifle competition and economic freedom.

3 Ways Governments Can Regulate Bitcoin

September 9, 2021 | Video

Bitcoin and other crypto have put a lot of pressure on governments. They just can’t ignore it anymore. Some have tried really hard to control it (like China), others have embraced it completely, like El Salvador, which just legalized bitcoin as legal tender. In this video, we explore examples of obstacles some countries put on […]

How the government makes natural disasters so much worse

September 11, 2017 | Post

Many of the most expensive flood and storm disasters in US history have occurred in recent decades. The glib response is to blame the severity of these catastrophes on climate change, but are we looking in the wrong direction?

Do you have a license to mow that lawn? 5 ways occupational licensing laws hurt (almost) everyone

June 3, 2017 | Post

A city ordinance requires teenagers to have a business license before cutting grass for money.

Quietly creating freedom: Private communities and special economic zones

April 3, 2017 | Post

The astonishing growth in SEZs qualifies as a revolution of sorts, but not the usual, political kind.

How regulations block economic progress

March 27, 2017 | Post

To discover the Next Big Thing, you need to think outside the box.

Patents are out of control, and they’re hurting innovation

March 14, 2017 | Post

The government issues thousands of new patents every week — each one a new regulation — with little to no oversight or review.

Deregulation gets the beer flowing.

February 5, 2017 | Post

Breweries will open as long as it is profitable. When taxes and regulations raise the costs of opening a brewery, we will see fewer of them.

So did Obamanomics work or not?

January 29, 2017 | Post

How to evaluate the economic record of Barack Obama? To even begin answering, it’s necessary to go beyond just counting the number of jobs created during his presidency (10 million) or calculating the average growth rate (1.5%) or even looking at something more wonky like the labor force participation rate.

Trump's order on sanctuary cities is dangerous and unconstitutional

January 26, 2017 | Post

Trump’s executive order is exactly the kind of high-handed coercion of states that outraged conservatives under Obama.

5 weird ways Prohibition still exists today

January 25, 2017 | Post

Prohibition was repealed more than 80 years ago, but we’re still feeling its policy hangover.

4 New Year's resolutions for the Trump administration

January 3, 2017 | Post

Trump doesn’t seem like the type for self-improvement, but here are four unsolicited recommendations anyway.

Over-Criminalization Nation — 5 Blood-Boiling Cases of Government Overreach

December 28, 2016 | Post

Every year the number of regulations, dictates, rules, decrees, guidelines, statutes, laws, and bylaws in the United States grows by leaps and bounds.

The case of post-Soviet Georgia shows us that economic freedom and human dignity are inseparable

December 21, 2016 | Post

I was still a Soviet citizen when I first read some of the international documents on human, economic, and political rights.

Bureaucracy buries the human spirit with paperwork

December 18, 2016 | Post

The following words represent the generally acknowledged mindset of a bureaucrat: “Rules are rules, fella. I don’t make ‘em. I just enforce ‘em.”

A political economist explains the best way to shrink the government in 9 charts

December 6, 2016 | Post

Let’s say that you’re a policymaker interested in reducing the size of government. Strategically, is it easier to cut government regulation or roll back the welfare state (thereby reducing government spending)?