American Journal of Law and Equality Symposium on the 70th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education
The symposium includes contributions by many prominent legal scholars. I am among the contributors.
Voting With Your Feet
Help Workers By Breaking Down Barriers to Labor Mobility
Labor Day is the right time to remember that we can make workers vastly better off by empowering more of them to vote with their feet, both within countries and through international migration.
Restricting Freedom of Movement Is a Favorite Tool for Repressive Regimes
Needing permission to travel hands a dangerous tool to authoritarians.
Is Mobility More Important than Density?
Economist Tyler Cowen argues the answer is "yes." But much depends on what kind of mobility we're talking about.
What Walz and Vance Get Wrong About Opportunity and Mobility
Walz is wrong to attack Vance for leaving home to go to Yale. Vance is wrong to support policies that would close off similar opportunities to others.
Federalism Could Heal a Divided Nation
There’s less reason to fight when one-size-fits-all policies are replaced with local diversity.
My New Cato Institute Article Making the "Cosmopolitan Case Against World Government"
It is part of Cato's Defending Globalization series.
Forty-Five Years in America
Today is the 45th anniversary of the Somin family's arrival in America.
The 70th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education
The anniversary is today. The American Journal of Law and Equality is publishing a symposium on Brown to mark the occasion. I am one of the contributors.
Federal Court Rules Laws Restricting Interstate Travel for Abortion Violate the Right to Travel
The decision addresses an important issue left open by the Supreme Court's decision reversing Roe v. Wade.
New Article on "Brown, Democracy, and Foot Voting"
My contribution to the American Journal of Law and Equality symposium on the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education.
Tucker Carlson vs. the Evidence of Russians Voting with their Feet
Carlson praises Russia's supposed abundance and high living standards. Hundreds of thousands of Russians fleeing Putin's regime think otherwise.
New Article on "The Constitutional Case Against Exclusionary Zoning"
Coauthor Josh Braver and I argue exclusionary zoning violates the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment.
My Forthcoming Article on "Empowering Hispanics to Vote With Their Feet"
It's part of the annual Frankel Lecture symposium in the Houston Law Review.
My Forthcoming Publius Review of Christopher Zurn, "Splitsville, USA: A Democratic Argument for Breaking Up the United States"
The book argues democracy can be preserved and improved by breaking up the United States into two or more new nations.
Americans Are Still Fleeing High-Tax States
Lower taxes create opportunities that draw even those not consciously considering tax rates.
Written Version of My Talk on "How Federalism Promotes Unity Through Diversity"
This speech, which I gave at a Federalist Society conference, is now available in a written version on SSRN. It will be published by the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy.
Interstate Travel to Get Abortions has Prevented the Dobbs Decision from Significantly Reducing the Number of Abortions in the US
Some estimates suggest the number of abortions has even increased.
Help Workers by Breaking Down Barriers to Labor Mobility—Both Domestic and International
Labor Day is the right time to remember that we can make workers vastly better off by empowering more of them to vote with their feet, both within countries and through international migration.
How School Choice Can Mitigate Harmful Culture War Policies in Public Education
Current culture wars are just one more manifestation of the reality that public education routinely devolves into indoctrination and imposition of majoritarian ideology on dissenters. But school choice can help mitigate that problem.
Institute of Economic Affairs Podcast on UK Immigration Policy
British immigration policy expert Sunder Katwala and I discuss the debate over UK immigration policy, which has notable similarities and differences with that in the US.
A Flawed Attack on "Libertarian Elitism" About Voter Ignorance
The authors raise some reasonable issues. But they misunderstand both the libertarians they critique and the problem of political ignorance itself.
The Difference Between Government-Imposed Zoning Restrictions and Private Planned Communities
Unliking zoning, private communities respect property rights, and do not create major barriers to people seeking to "vote with their feet" for a better community.
More Evidence that Cutting Zoning Restrictions Reduces the Price of Housing
A new Pew Charitable Trusts study examining jurisdictions with that reformed zoning finds far lower rent increases there than elsewhere.
Is Clarence Thomas Ethically Challenged?
Plus: What the editors hate most about the IRS and tax day
Debate: It's Time for a National Divorce
Are political breakups really as American as apple pie?
California's Attacks on Big Oil Will Only Drive More People Out of the State
At least until all the gasoline is gone.
My New Article "Abortion and Foot Voting in Post-Dobbs America: Prospects for Change"
Second in a two-part series published by Australian Outlook, a publication of the Australian Institute for International Affairs.
My New Article on "Abortion and Foot Voting in a Post-Dobbs America"
It examines whether people are likely to "vote with their feet" based on interstate differences in abortion policy, after Dobbs. The first in a series of two articles on this topic.
Banks Increasingly Back Political Scheme To Track Gun Purchases by Credit Card
Politicians lean on the financial industry to target activities they don’t like.
Help the Working Class by Deregulating Housing Construction
Economist Bryan Caplan explains how cutting back on zoning and other restrictions could create millions of new jobs for workers - on top of other beneficial effects.
California Continues Chasing People Away
California's economy is growing despite Gov. Gavin Newsom's policies, not because of them.
My New The Hill Article on How Arlington, VA Battle over "Missing Middle" Housing is a Microcosm of Broader National Struggle Against Exclusionary Zoning
Barack Obama could have been referring to our community, when he said that “[t]he most liberal communities in the country aren’t that liberal when it comes to affordable housing.”
Learning From People Who Vote with their Feet
Washington Post columnist Keith Richburg explains how foot voting patterns are a strong indicator of the relative appeal of governments.
Help Labor by Breaking Down Barriers to Mobility
Labor Day is the right time to remember that we can make workers vastly better off by empowering more of them to vote with their feet.
Guardrails of Democracy, Extended: Comparing Notes On The Team Libertarian Report
Fifth post in the symposium on the National Constitution Center "Restoring the Guardrails of Democracy" project. Walter Olson of Team Libertarian comments on similarities and differences between the three reports.
Restoring the Guardrails of Democracy: A Libertarian View
Third post in the symposium on the National Constitution Center "Restoring the Guardrails of Democracy" project. Walter Olson presents the Team Libertarian Report.
Will Anti-Abortion States Suffer a Brain Drain?
We won't know the answer for some time. I suspect the drain will be relatively small, if we focus on abortion bans, as such. But it may get larger if anti-abortion laws end up having substantial negative side-effects on other activities.
Mobility as the Key to Immigrant Success
An important new study finds that immigrants and their children succeed in large part by being more willing to move to opportunity than the native-born.
More on the National Constitution Center "Restoring the Guardrails of Democracy" Project
Video of presentations by the leaders of the Conservative, Libertarian, and Progressive Teams. Plus, my thoughts on a comparison of the three reports by Progressive Team leader Ned Foley.
Team Libertarian Report from National Constitution Center "Restoring the Guardrails of Democracy" Project Now Available on SSRN
I coauthored the report with Clark Neily and Walter Olson, both of the Cato Institute.
National Constitution Center Releases Reports on "Restoring the Guardrails of Democracy"
The project includes reports by conservative, libertarian, and progressive teams. I am coauthor of the Team Libertarian report.
Kavanaugh Indicates States Can't Bar Residents From Getting Abortions in Other States
This makes it likely, though not certain, that the Supreme Court will strike down such laws if states enact them.
Beyond NIMBY vs. YIMBY—How Current Homeowners Can Benefit from Zoning Deregulation
Even if the value of their property goes down, current homeowners still often have much to gain from breaking down barriers to new housing construction.
The Somin Family's D-Day
June 6 is not only the anniversary of D-Day, but also of the Somin family's arrival in America, back in 1979. This post reprints my reflections on that milestone, which I hope remain relevant today.
Can States Ban Residents From Getting Abortions in Other States, if Roe v. Wade is Overturned?
The answer is probably "no." But the federal government could more easily ban such transactions.
Why Pro-Choice Blue States Should also be Pro-YIMBY
Atlantic writer Jerusalem Demsas argues that blue states can't give "refuge" to people fleeing abortion restrictions if they don't cut back on zoning restrictions that lead to sky-high housing costs.
Will People Vote With Their Feet for Abortion Rights in a Post-Roe World?
The answer to this important question is highly uncertain. I tentatively predict a significant, but still modest, increase in abortion-driven migration.
