Cato Event Podcast

In the wake of the 2008–2009 financial crisis a pervasive view began to emerge of banking as an inherently unstable occupation that must be tightly regulated and monitored by government agencies. Charles Calomiris and co-author Stephen Haber overturn this notion by presenting an inconvenient truth: not all countries suffer systemic banking crises. Some countries have managed to create a system that provides abundant credit without the propensity for banks to fail. So what is their secret? The answer is equally simple: The well-being of a banking sector depends on the ability of political institutions to limit rent-seeking by populist groups. Join the Cato Institute for a lively discussion of the true causes of the financial crisis and whether in light of the evidence presented by the authors the antidote (Dodd-Frank) causes more problems than it solves. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When and why does the American public support war? Washington politicians and pundits often puzzle over these questions as they try to win support for their policies, but there is a large body of academic research on public opinion and war. Do events, such as casualties or the prospect of victory, affect support more, or do partisan identities or other attachments play a larger role? What sorts of arguments should hawks and doves make if they hope to win support for their views? Please join four leading political scientists as they examine the causes of public support for war. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Federalist Papers, which explain America's founding principles and the practical means for securing them, were instrumental in winning the hard-fought battle to ratify the Constitution. Yet today, high-school students often find it difficult to read them, if they are even encouraged to do so. To address that problem, and to help America's future leaders to better understand the principles embedded in the Constitution, One Generation Away has published a book of essays by leading constitutional scholars that explains the central themes of the Federalist Papers in a language that upper-level high-school students of today will more easily comprehend. Please join us for a discussion of this book by two of its authors, followed by a discussion of how it may be used in the classroom. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Motivated by the world's highest corporate tax rate and an aggressive form of worldwide taxation, several American companies are engaging in cross-border mergers to find tax jurisdictions with better policies. The Cato Institute will host a panel of experts on August 26 to discuss appropriate public policy responses to corporate inversions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recent events in Ferguson, Missouri raise many issues concerning American policing and the criminal justice system generally.  Join Tim Lynch for a live, online Q&A as he discusses the ongoing situation in Ferguson, including the shooting of Michael Brown; police misconduct and officer-involved shootings; the right to protest; the militarization of policing; public safety; and the role of the federal government. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a recent 90-day period, there were almost 400,000 hits on Wikipedia articles about bills pending in Congress. The collaboratively edited Internet encyclopedia is a major source of information about congressional activity for average Americans. But past editing controversies have caused some of the most knowledgeable potential editors — congressional staff — to steer clear of providing information to the public this way. Wikipedia could deliver government transparency on a grand scale, positioning the public to demand better outcomes. Congressional staffers can aid that process by learning how to edit Wikipedia and how to navigate its rules around notability, neutrality, and conflicts of interest. Join us for a discussion of congressional Wikipedia editing and the sea change to government transparency it might produce. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act says its exchange subsidies, employer-mandate tax, and (to a large extent) its individual-mandate tax may be implemented only "through an Exchange established by the State." Since January, however, the IRS has been implementing those provisions (save the delay of the employer mandate) in the 36 states with exchanges established by the federal government. Four lawsuits have been filed so far challenging the IRS's actions. On July 22, the D.C. Circuit ruled in Halbig v. Burwell that the IRS has no such authority — in essence, that the Obama administration is violating the law by taxing, borrowing, and spending tens of billions of dollars to encourage people to enroll in ObamaCare. On the same day, the Fourth Circuit issued a conflicting ruling in King v. Burwell, which the plaintiffs have appealed to the Supreme Court. Two scholars who laid the groundwork for these lawsuits will explain what the two courts said, what happens next, and what Halbig and King mean for the nation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Congressional Budget Office has released its new budget outlook, and there is some good news about the recent decline in the deficit. However, the long-term fiscal outlook remains grim. Senator Johnson is leading efforts to focus Washington’s attention on the debt crisis that will occur in coming years without major spending reforms. He advocates using 30-year projections to judge proposed fiscal policy changes, and he will illustrate his findings in a PowerPoint presentation. Chris Edwards will discuss why the fiscal outlook is worse than shown in official projections and how an unreformed budget will sap growth and undermine future living standards. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From Cato University 2014: Summer Seminar on Political EconomyThe Cato Institute’s premier educational event, this annual program brings together outstanding faculty and participants from across the country and, often, from around the globe in order to examine the roots of our commitment to liberty and limited government, and explore the ideas and values on which the American republic was founded. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From Cato University 2014: Summer Seminar on Political EconomyThe Cato Institute’s premier educational event, this annual program brings together outstanding faculty and participants from across the country and, often, from around the globe in order to examine the roots of our commitment to liberty and limited government, and explore the ideas and values on which the American republic was founded. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.