Economic Liberty
Elon Musk's Story Highlights Harm Caused by Immigration Restrictions
Immigration restrictions nearly prevented Musk from making his major contributions to economic innovation, and they do block all too many other potentially great innovators.
Javier Milei's Economic Reforms Are Already Paying Off in Argentina
But local free market economists think further currency and labor reforms will get the Argentine economy recovering faster
Institute of Economic Affairs Paper on Immigration and the Economic Liberty of Natives
The paper explains how immigration restrictions severely undermine both the "negative" and "positive" economic liberty of receiving-country natives. It also adapts my analysis of this topic for a British audience.
Chip Mellor's Legacy Promotes a Broader Concept of Civil Liberties
For more than three decades, the Institute for Justice has shown that economic freedom and private property are essential safeguards for ordinary Americans.
William "Chip" Mellor, RIP
Mellor was cofounder and longtime president of the Institute for Justice, one of the nation's leading public-interest law firms.
I Did Business With China, and America Won
Everyone benefited when I manufactured my invention in China, but Americans benefited more.
Racetrack Can Sue Alleging COVID Shutdown Enforcement Targeted Speech, Violated "Fruits of Their Labor Clause"
That’s the Fruits of Their Labor Clause of the North Carolina Constitution.
Economic Liberty Now Has No Place In Either Party
The rise of neopopulism means those who prioritize free markets have no political home.
Vivek Ramaswamy: Is There a Libertarian-Nationalist Alliance?
The former presidential candidate discusses the ideological tensions within the America First movement.
J.D. Vance Wants To Control You With Taxes
People making the same income should be paying the same level of taxes no matter how they choose to live their lives.
The Supreme Court May Be on the Brink of Radically Restricting Bureaucrats' Power
Chevron deference, a doctrine created by the Court in 1984, gives federal agencies wide latitude in interpreting the meaning of various laws. But the justices may overturn that.
The Illusion of Financial Privacy
Decades of legislation have chipped away at the financial privacy Americans believe they still have.
Ron DeSantis Says Letting People Buy Cultivated Meat Is Like Forcing Them To Eat Bugs
Florida’s protectionist ban on the nascent industry sacrifices conservative principles in the name of a culture war that politicizes everything.
Capitalism Makes Society Less Racist
In the Jim Crow South, businesses fought racism—because the rules denied them customers.
Study Finds Occupational Licensing Laws Depress Wages in Other Industries
A Cato Institute policy brief found that while licensed occupations see a nice bump in pay, licensing requirements lower wages for other similar occupations.
Marco Rubio Is Wrong About Industrial Policy
Breaking down Rubio's factually flawed and logically incoherent call for more government involvement in the economy.
"Spam Private Eye" Can't Constitutionally Be Required to Get Real Private Eye License,
at least when the license requires 6000 hours of training on matters far removed from his expertise.
On Taxes and Economic Freedom, Canadians Have It Worse Than Americans
Liberty to engage in voluntary transactions and keep our wealth varies across North America.
Surging Immigration Will Reduce Deficits by $1 Trillion
New Congressional Budget Office data shows how higher-than-expected immigration is a win for the economy and the federal budget.
The Modern Miracle of Cheap Aluminum Foil
These are the best of times, so let's all stop complaining.
American Distillers Brace for Huge E.U. Tariff Hike
More than five years after it began, former President Donald Trump's trade war is still spiraling out of control.
Is Economic Freedom Good for Public Health?
New research on how the growth of government may affect public health, even if only indirectly.
Think Like an Austrian: Puzzle #18
Enjoyed this week's puzzle? Consider a donation to Reason during our annual webathon.
New Edition of "Freedom in the Fifty States"
The Cato Institute recently published the latest edition of its ranking of personal, economic, and overall freedom in the states.
Cato Institute Call for Papers on Constitutional Protection for Economic Liberties
Winning submissions will be included in a symposium, and get a $2000 honorarium.
IRS Targeting More Supposedly 'High-Income' Americans Than Advertised
Don’t count on that promise to not hike taxes on “people making less than $400,000.”
Despite the Doomsday Narrative, Global Inequality Has Significantly Declined
This progress has been widely shared, to the great benefit of the people at the bottom of the distribution.
Barbie Girls Now Live in a Much Wealthier Barbie World
The average working woman in 2023 earns enough money to buy a Barbie doll every 33 minutes. In 1959, it took nearly two hours.
The Democratic Governor Who Wants Drug Legalization and Free Markets
"Government in general does a lot of things that aren't necessary," says Jared Polis.
Two Cheers for the "Freedom Conservatism" Statement of Principles
It has many good points. But I have some reservations and questions.
Indiana Constitution Protects Long-Established Unenumerated Rights, Including Personal and Economic Rights
So the Indiana Supreme Court held yesterday, though it concluded that, as to abortion, this is limited to situations where the abortion is necessary to protect the woman's life or health.
Georgia S. Ct.: Right to Pursue Lawful Occupation Invalidates License Requirement for Lactation Consultants
The court so holds applying the Georgia Constitution's Due Process Clause, which the court had long interpreted as securing a right to pursue a lawful occupation.
Ron DeSantis Dangerously Blurs the Line Between State and Private Action
Whether the putative target is the "biomedical security state," wokeness, "Big Tech censors," or Chinese Communists, the presidential candidate’s grandstanding poses a clear threat to individual rights.
Conservatives Pushing 'Common Good Capitalism' Sound a Lot Like Progressives
The ideology champions the same tired policies that big government types predictably propose whenever they see something they don't like.
This California Bill Would Mandate Punishment of Marijuana Debtors Without a Hearing
To address an "unpaid debt bubble," the proposed law would dictate contract terms and require regulators to intervene in commercial disputes.
Ian Vásquez: COVID Accelerated the Global Decline in Human Freedom
Overall human freedom peaked in 2007, according to the Cato Institute, and governments' COVID response merely exacerbated the trend toward a radically less-free planet.
SEC to Coinbase: Nice Crypto Exchange You Got There, It'd Be a Shame if Something Happened to It
Coinbase says the agency's assault will "only drive innovation, jobs, and the entire industry overseas."
New Regulations Won't Stop the Next Bank Collapse
Plus: Another campus free speech debacle, foreign cheese groups lose Gruyere trademark case, and more...
