Cato Event Podcast

Many Americans support campaign finance reform. They believe that private money in politics and elections corrupts and demeans our democracy. These concerns have contributed to a 40-year effort to regulate, restrict, and even eliminate private money in politics. But many Americans know that there is little or no evidence that campaign contributions really influence members of Congress? Or that so-called negative political advertising actually improves the democratic process by increasing voter turnout and knowledge? Or that limits on campaign contributions make it harder to run for office, thereby protecting incumbent representatives from losing their seats of power? The Fallacy of Campaign Finance Reform argues that our most common concerns about money in politics are misplaced. The chance to regulate money in politics allows representatives to serve their own interests at a cost to their constituents. And, ironically, the long crusade against the corruption caused by campaign contributions allows public officials to reduce their vulnerability by suppressing freedom of speech. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andrew Sullivan says that today's conservatives are facing a crisis from within, one that threatens their ideals as never before. Traditionally committed to limited government, balanced budgets, and the rule of law, they see their political leaders today sharply increasing government spending and debt, intruding the federal government into marriage law and a single family's struggle over the end of life, and centralizing power in the federal government and the executive branch. Sullivan says conservatives cannot in good conscience keep supporting a political party that believes that its God-given mission is to change people's souls instead of protect their liberty. Join us for the launch of an important new book. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two things everyone seems to know about higher education are that it’s extremely expensive and that it gets more so every year. That, however, is about the extent of our collective certainty, because many critical questions never seem to get answered: Why does tuition rise relentlessly? What are students actually learning? What’s the payoff of higher education? In light of all the open questions, it’s no surprise that Americans are getting increasingly uneasy about the prices that colleges and universities are asking them to pay.Last year, the U.S. secretary of education established a commission to inspect America’s ivory tower and formulate a “national strategy” for its renovation. With the commission’s final report now out, we invite you to join our diverse panel of experts for a lively debate of higher education’s problems, and the best ways to fix them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The collapse of communism led to much euphoria about the future of the former Soviet bloc countries. Today it is clear that some countries, like those in Central Europe and the Baltics, were more successful than others in transitioning from communist dictatorship to free-market democracy. Oleh Havrylyshyn will explain why that was the case. He will also explain how countries with a greater chance of joining the European Union were more successful in establishing the rule of law and democratic government than countries without such an opportunity. Both he and Ambassador Reiter will assess the current state of economic liberalism in transition countries. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recently, almost all House members running have won reelection. Incumbent senators also enjoy remarkable success, and such results are not limited to Congress. Incumbents running in state elections have also seen their rates of reelection rise over time. This decline in electoral competition has fostered much talk of needed reform to restore competitive elections. Most recently, several states have considered or enacted reforms on redistricting. States have also imposed term limits on elected officials. The question of competition and incumbency also comes up often in arguments about campaign finance regulation. Has electoral competition declined in the United States? If so, what might be done about it? Please join us for a wide-ranging discussion of incumbents, challengers, and the future of American elections, based on the new book The Market of Democracy, edited by Michael McDonald and John Samples. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nations that are more economically free outperform less free nations in growth and levels of prosperity. James Gwartney, coauthor of the annual Economic Freedom of the World report, will review current trends and the latest research on the impact of regulations, the rule of law, and other aspects of economic freedom on the whole range of development indicators. Simeon Djankov will show how excessive bureaucratic procedures and government fees make it prohibitively expensive for the world's poor to join the formal economy. Reform can make it easier for entrepreneurs and businesses to create wealth. Djankov will show which countries are making progress, how they are successfully reforming, and the potentially large growth opportunities they can expect. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1996 Congress passed the Freedom to Farm Act, which put our country on a new path toward fewer subsidies and less reliance on market-distorting price support programs. In 2002 Congress abruptly and dramatically shifted course in the wrong direction with the enactment of the 2002 farm bill. This legislation formalized the significantly increased "emergency" spending of the previous two years with a massive expansion of the cost and scope of agriculture programs. As Congress prepares to craft a new farm bill in 2007, Rep. Jeff Flake and Sallie James will discuss why it is time to overhaul U.S. agriculture policy once again. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Let's say you're the devil, and you want to corrupt the American republic. How would you do it? According to David Hyman, you might create something like Medicare, the federal health care program for the elderly. In Medicare Meets Mephistopheles, Hyman wryly suggests that Medicare may be the greatest trick the devil has ever played: a massive government program that promotes all seven deadly sins as it drives the United States toward financial ruin. Two leading Medicare scholars will critique Hyman's work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Americans think negative campaign ads undermine elections and even democratic government itself. But John G. Geer argues that when political candidates attack each other, raising doubts about each other's views and qualifications, voters—and the democratic process—benefit. In Defense of Negativity, Geer's study of negative advertising in presidential campaigns from 1960 to 2004, asserts that proliferating attack ads are far more likely than positive ads to focus on salient political issues, rather than politicians' personal characteristics. Accordingly, the ads enrich the democratic process, providing voters with relevant and substantial information before they head to the polls. Geer concludes that, if we want campaigns to grapple with relevant issues and address real problems, negative ads just might be the solution. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A little over a year ago, the Supreme Court lit a firestorm across America when it upheld the decision of the City of New London, Connecticut, to transfer Susette Kelo's home to another owner who could make "better" use of it. With that, Americans finally came to realize the present perilous state of their property rights — and many state legislatures have responded. But others argue that the Court got it right, that the judiciary, except in extreme cases, should leave the political choice of whether to exercise eminent domain to our elected representatives, and that the state legislatures have so far basically gotten it right by charting different courses for different state circumstances. Please join us as Timothy Sandefur, one of a growing number of young attorneys defending owners today, discusses his new book on the problem, with comments by John Echeverria, who will offer a very different perspective on the issue. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.