Economics
Bad News for Universal Basic Income
Researchers found that giving people $1,000 every month for three years resulted in decreased productivity and earnings, and more leisure time.
The 'Pro-Worker' GOP Is Anti-Worker
The New Right talks a big populist game, but their policies hurt the people they're supposed to help.
'The Problem Is Spending': Libertarian Presidential Nominee Chase Oliver's Vision for the Future
The candidate supports gun rights, wants to privatize government programs, and would radically reduce the number of federal employees.
Biden's Big Government Solutions Dismiss Customer Welfare
Sen. Rand Paul writes that repealing the Robinson-Patman Act would help bust inflation.
Biden's Race-Ending Debate Performance Was So Bad That It Eclipsed Trump's Flagrant Falsehoods
Voters should not dismiss the former president's utter disregard for the truth as a personal quirk or standard political practice.
Pompeo Is Selling a New Iran War to Republicans
Despite the party’s alleged turn against regime change wars, Pompeo’s stab-in-the-back myth has Republicans convinced that the same policy will work this time.
Have Republicans Abandoned Free Markets?
Reason's Emma Camp attended the Republican National Convention to ask attendees if they still believe in the power of free markets.
The DOOBIE Act Would Limit Government Discrimination Against People Who Have Smoked Weed
Under the law, the feds couldn't deny you a job or security clearance just because you've used marijuana in the past.
Republicans Don't Even Pretend To Want To Cut Government Anymore
This week left no doubt that the GOP's current leadership wants the government to do more, spend more, and meddle more.
We Showed Trump Voters the National Debt
We asked delegates at the Republican National Convention whether a second Trump term would address America's debt problem.
Biden and Trump Are Pushing the Same Failed Trade Policies
Tariffs lead to trade wars, limit competition, and reduce innovation. But both Trump and Biden want more of them.
Here's How To Pay for Trump's Tax Cuts
There seems to be general bipartisan agreement on keeping a majority of the cuts, which are set to expire. They can be financed by cleaning out the tax code of unfair breaks.
J.D. Vance Turned an Inspiring Personal Story Into an Unsatisfying Political Sales Pitch
If voting was the solution to the ills of America's working class, wouldn't it have worked by now?
Getting a Home Depot Employee Fired for Calling for Trump's Assassination Is Still Cancel Culture
Libs of TikTok is blasting out screenshots of random people's offensive posts to her millions of followers in hopes of claiming their scalps.
The DOJ's Assault on Apple Will Harm Consumers
Sen. Rand Paul writes that the lawsuit punishes Apple for a feature its customers like.
Trump Promises To Get Rid of Bad Regulations. Can He Deliver?
Growth of regulation slowed under former President Trump, but it still increased.
The Best of Reason: Why Did Americans Stop Caring About the National Debt?
Both parties—and the voters—are to blame for the national debt fiasco.
J.D. Vance Thinks Lina Khan Is Doing a Great Job
We're looking at four more years of anti-tech and anti-business antics from the FTC no matter who wins this November.
Teamsters Boss Sean O'Brien Put Political Spectacle Ahead of His Job
The high-profile fight with UPS didn't improve working conditions as much as O'Brien promised.
Republicans Hammer Biden on Inflation. But Do They Have a Better Plan?
Opening night of the Republican National Convention programmed a central issue with a Trumpian twist: "Make America Wealthy Again."
GOP VP Nominee J. D. Vance is an Enemy of Free Markets
The Ohio Senator is one of the Party's leading advocates of protectionism, economic planning, and immigration restrictions.
FTC Opens a Backdoor Route to Age Verification on Social Media
In a "novel" order concerning the app NGL, the agency takes aim at online anonymity and at minors on social media.
Both Trump and Biden Are Promising More Tariffs
Yes, trade tariffs cause higher prices. Trump never understood that, and now Biden apparently has forgotten it.
Biden and Trump Hope to Tip the Election Scales With Working-Class Proposals
Competing visions on tipping policies highlight the differences in the candidates’ approaches to winning over working-class voters—but neither will provide much benefit.
Why Did Americans Stop Caring About the National Debt?
Both parties—and the voters—are to blame for the national debt fiasco.
Vivek Ramaswamy Debuts 'National Libertarianism' at NatCon 4
"I don’t care to replace a left-wing nanny state with a right-wing nanny state," the onetime presidential hopeful said this week.
Great Moments in Unintended Consequences: DoorDash, Google AI, and French Wikipedia (Vol. 16)
Good intentions, bad results.
Supreme Court Left the Door Open for a Wealth Tax. But It's Still a Terrible Idea.
Wealth taxes discourage investment, shrink wages, and don’t generate much revenue.
IRS Crackdown Nets Enough Revenue To Fund the Government for 90 Minutes
The Biden administration's $60 billion expansion of the IRS has netted $1 billion in new revenue so far.
The 2024 GOP Platform Promises To 'Make America Affordable Again.' So Why Are They Embracing Fiscal Insanity?
Although former President Donald Trump's deregulatory agenda would make some positive changes, it's simply not enough.
California's Minimum Wage Law Has Led Some Employers To Cut Hours and Hike Prices
"I've been in the business for 25 years...I never had to increase the amount of pricing that I did this past time in April," one business owner told the A.P.
Biden and Trump Are Both Disastrously Wrong About Tariffs
Yes, cheap imports hurt some American companies. But protectionist trade policy harms many more Americans than it helps.
Republicans Confirm Their Plan To Let Social Security Go Insolvent
Which party can do the least to fix America's troubled old-age welfare system?
He Immigrated to the U.S. as a Child. He Was Just Kicked Out—Despite Coming Here Legally.
"Documented Dreamers" continue to have to leave the country even though this is the only home many have ever known.
What's the Best Argument for Libertarianism?
Dennis Pratt and Gene Epstein debate the efficacy of ethical and consequentialist arguments for libertarianism.
Debate: Austrian vs. Chicago Economics
Economists Gene Epstein and David Friedman debate the merits of the Austrian and Chicago schools of economics.
The National Debt Is Crossing an Ominous Line
The U.S. has successfully navigated past debt challenges, notably in the 1990s. Policymakers can fix this if they find the will to do so.
Biden, Trump, and RFK Jr. Are All Anti-Freedom
Those three presidential candidates are making promises that would have bewildered and horrified the Founding Fathers.
Numb to the Numbers
The national debt has become an alarm bell ringing in the distance that people are pretending not to hear, especially in the city that caused the problem.
Federal IOU: August/September 2024 Puzzle
"Period during which America's national debt was about $75 million"
Politicians Need To Get Serious About Retaining Foreign Graduates
Donald Trump had a point before his campaign walked it back.
Trump Blames Biden for Never Removing the Tariffs Trump Imposed
And you have to admit, he's got a point.
At the Presidential Debate, Biden Says He 'Beat Medicare'
Biden's incoherence and Trump's comparatively cogent lies demonstrate just how poorly the two-party system serves supporters of small government.
Divided Over Purdue Pharma Deal, SCOTUS Unites in Accepting a Dubious OxyContin Narrative
The majority and the dissenters agree that the drug was "central" to "the opioid crisis," even though there is little evidence to support that thesis.
