The Alarmingly High, Frustratingly Unknown Stakes of Election 2024
We don't know how Kamala Harris would wield her awesome power, and we don't know how the rule of law would constrain Donald Trump.
Economics
Bad Candidates Can't Fix Bad Politics
Voters say they want to "stop the madness." Expect the madness to continue.
Who's Gary Johnson Voting For?
The two-time Libertarian Party presidential nominee shares his thoughts on Chase Oliver and the election.
Final Published Version of "The Constitutional Case Against Exclusionary Zoning" Now Available
In this Texas Law Review article, Josh Braver and I argue that most exclusionary zoning violates the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment.
America's Unserious Presidential Policy Agendas
These two candidates can't even be trusted to explain their own ideas.
What Is the 'Working Class'?
When even most upper-income Republicans say they're working class, the term has become meaningless.
Political Ignorance is an Even Worse Problem than I Thought
I've long warned about the dangers of voter ignorance. But the Trump era and the current election reveal that, on one crucial point, I was actually too optimistic.
Your Right To Booze Could Be Impacted No Matter Who Wins the Presidential Election
From tariffs to dietary guidelines, this election may bring the biggest federal changes to alcohol since Prohibition’s end.
Mark Cuban on Pharmacy Prices, Health Care, and 'Good' Billionaires
"If you were an asshole when you were poor, you're going to be a bigger asshole when you're wealthy," the Shark Tank personality tells Reason.
Compendium of Writings About the 2024 Election and Issues at Stake [Updated]
Links to all my writings on these topics.
Countries With Economic Freedom Are Far Better Off
Even the poorest citizens of free countries fare better than the middle classes in economically repressive nations.
Feds Admit Fossil Fuels Are Still the Cheapest
A Department of Energy analysis found natural gas is the cheapest residential energy source on the market.
Exempting Favored Industries is the Wrong Way to Fix NEPA
The Building Chips in America Act shields CHIPS-subsidized firms from the National Environmental Policy Act.
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.
The Misuse of Data Behind the 'Greedflation' Narrative
There's no evidence that greed is causing inflation.
Increase in Tariffs Would Trigger Global Economic Decline, Study Finds
A new IMF study finds that a global increase in tariffs could decrease global GDP by nearly 1 percent by 2025 and over 1 percent by 2026.
Tariff Gambit
Plus: Elon Musk's purportedly illegal scheme, nicotine nation, and more...
The Perils of Trump's Proposed Bitcoin Strategic Reserve
In 2021 Trump called bitcoin a "scam" but he seems to have realized his political coalition includes cryptocurrency enthusiasts.
Smaller Government Can Protect Against a Vengeful President
Whether through policy or prosecution, the president's ability to punish his political enemies should be sharply constrained.
Can the U.S. Government Tell Chinese People Apart?
Drone maker DJI claims the Pentagon has unfairly smeared it as an arm of the Chinese military based on a mix-up of Chinese names.
The Sindex: Airfares Have Fallen Below Prepandemic Levels
The Reason Sindex tracks the price of vice: smoking, drinking, snacking, traveling, and more.
Napa's Wineries Battle Local Restrictions
In the heart of California Wine Country, rigid local rules are choking small businesses and stifling growth
Trump Floats Tax Break for Carmakers Hurt by His Own Trade Deal
After proposing a deduction for interest paid on car loans, the former president suggested it would apply only to vehicles made in America.
How To Avoid Paying Tariffs? Have a Friend in Washington.
A new report shows that politically connected companies were better able to navigate the exclusion process and avoid paying tariffs during the Trump administration.
Are American Living Standards In Decline?
David Leonhardt and John Early debate stagnation, inequality, and how people feel about the economy.
The 'Degrowth' Mentality Promises a World of Poverty and Misery
Market-based economies create incentives that unleash human creativity and provide incredible abundance.
Where Is Trump's Plan To Cut Spending?
The former president says the government should be funded like it was in 1890. So where's the plan to reset spending to 1890s levels?
Kamala Harris is a Far Lesser Evil than Donald Trump
Why I'm voting for Harris in the 2024 election.
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
Neither Trump Nor Harris Wants To Drain the Swamp. They Want You To Join It.
Both candidates have promised a litany of special favors to handpicked constituencies. If you don't fit into the right categories, you'll pay the price.
Trump, Harris Ads Make Clear They Won't Be Cutting Government
Both candidates are making a final big government, populist pitch to undecided voters.
The Remarkable Redneck Air Force of North Carolina
The relief effort after Hurricane Helene is powered by private citizens, and volunteers have discovered that it's better to ask forgiveness than permission.
Faisal Saeed Al Mutar: Peace In The Middle East Through Capitalism
The co-founder of Ideas Beyond Borders argues that there is "no better independence than economic independence."
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.
Milei Shuts Down Argentina's Tax Agency
AFIP is an "unnecessary bureaucracy" that stifles economic freedom, says Milei's government.
Geothermal Power Could Produce Abundant Clean Energy, If We Let It
Geothermal projects promise nearly limitless energy, but they are being stymied by environmental policies.
Archaic Federal Law Keeps Alaskans From Using Abundant Natural Gas Reserves
The Jones Act makes the North Slope’s resources inaccessible to the state’s energy-starved residents.
The Justice Department's Proposals for Breaking Up Google's Dominance Won't Work
But consumers will pay a price.
This Libertarian Republican Is Running for Congress in Nevada
Drew Johnson wants to help define the post-Trump GOP.
Reform Social Security for Those Who Need It Most
As it stands, the program effectively redistributes money from younger and poorer people to richer people.
No Prosperity Without Economic and Political Liberty
Three American economists win Nobel Economics Prize for showing how free markets and democratic governance engender prosperity.
J.D. Vance Says 7 Million Able-Bodied Men Have Dropped Out of the Labor Force. Where Are They?
There are many explanations for the slow, long-term decline in work force participation among American men. Undocumented immigration doesn't seem to be a major factor.
Did Inflation Save Us From 'New Progressive Economics'?
Anti-market progressives dominate the Biden administration. Their policies also help discredit it.
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris Keep Making Economically Illiterate Promises
These policies may sound good on paper—but they would be disastrous in reality.
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.
Biden's Top Trade Official Just Admitted Tariffs Haven't Changed China's Behavior
Katherine Tai said tariffs were "leverage" against China, but now she admits that China hasn't made "any changes to its fundamental systemic structural policies."
