Publisher: Cato Institute
Running Time: 1 Hr. 16 Min.
Offered: Monday-Friday
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Cato Institute Event Podcast
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Podcast of policy and book forums, Capitol Hill briefings and other events from the Cato Institute
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Future Imperfect: Technology and Freedom in an Uncertain World
Thu, Nov 06, 2008
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David Friedman, author of such books as The Machinery of Freedom and Hidden Order: The Economics of Everyday Life, now looks at a variety of technological revolutions that might happen over the next few decades, their implications, and how to deal with them. Topics range from encryption and surveillance through biotechnology and nanotechnology to life extension, mind drugs, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence. One theme of the book is that the future is radically uncertain. Technological changes already begun could lead to more or less privacy than we have ever known, freedom or slavery, effective immortality or the elimination of our species, and radical changes in life, marriage, law, medicine, work, and play. “If it can be done, it will be done,” David Friedman has said. “So the interesting thing to me is not what should you stop but how do you adapt.” We do not know which future will arrive, but it is unlikely to be much like the past. It is worth starting to think about it now.
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The State of Freedom in Africa
Tue, Oct 21, 2008
Africa is more democratic than ever before and elections more frequent, but poll results are often predetermined and much of the region remains in the hands of autocratic governments. How free are Africans in countries that have seen some degree of political or economic liberalization? Tony Leon, a longtime member and opposition leader in the South African Parliament who criticized first the National Party apartheid government and then the African National Congress government, will assess African states’ progress on the road to political, economic, and civil liberty. Ugandan journalist and political activist Andrew Mwenda will discuss ways in which Africans are fighting for their freedoms.
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Real Education: Four Simple Truths for Bringing America’s Schools Back to Reality
Wed, Oct 08, 2008
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One message is delivered relentlessly in American education: Everyone should go to college. And then there’s Charles Murray’s message: Few people either need, or are able to handle, the rigorous liberal-arts training that college is supposed to provide. But this isn’t a death sentence for those who are not academically inclined. Opportunities to enter well-paying professions and lead good lives abound for these people, and the sooner that’s recognized, the sooner everyone can get the education they need. Christopher B. Nelson, whose “great books” college provides the sort of liberal arts education Murray believes is beyond most people’s reach, will respond.
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Global Terror's Central Front: Pakistan and Afghanistan
Thu, Oct 02, 2008
Afghanistan and Pakistan are inextricably linked by a spreading Islamic insurgency. Ambushes, daring militant offensives, and targeted assassinations have risen sharply in Afghanistan, while suicide attacks and "Talibanization" are sweeping through Pakistan's settled areas at an alarming rate. Can the U.S. win a decisive victory in the Afghanistan-Pakistan theater? Is there a viable exit strategy? Please join Cato scholars Malou Innocent, who recently spent several weeks in Pakistan assessing the region's deteriorating condition, and Ted Galen Carpenter to discuss Afghanistan's meltdown, Pakistan's worsening situation, and the future of U.S. policy in this turbulent and critical region.
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Greatest Emancipations: How the West Abolished Slavery
Mon, Sep 22, 2008
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For thousands of years, slavery went unchallenged in principle. Then in a single century, slavery was abolished and more than seven million slaves were freed throughout the Western hemisphere. The scope and speed of this transformation make it one of the most amazing feats in modern history. Greatest Emancipations tells this fascinating story, focusing on abolitionists in areas where slavery was most entrenched: Haiti, the British Caribbean, the United States, Cuba, and Brazil. In this lively book, Jim Powell concisely illuminates the beginnings of the abolitionist movement, then proceeds through the processes, the battles, the final victory of emancipation, and the incredible impact of its aftermath. Ultimately, Powell argues, the more violence was involved in the emancipation process, the worse the outcomes were, making a provocative case for peaceful antislavery struggles.
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Strategic Petroleum Reserve: Reform or Elimination?
Fri, Sep 12, 2008
Whenever gasoline prices are on the rise, so is the political interest in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the largest single stockpile of crude oil in the world. Some argue that part of its approximately 700 million barrels should be released into the market to help relieve high prices at the pump. Others argue that the Reserve should be carefully husbanded for use in a future crisis. Jerry Taylor, author of “The Case against the Strategic Petroleum Reserve,” questions the very need for the SPR and calls not for release, but for total liquidation. Economist Steve Hanke argues that, if we’re going to have an SPR, it should be reformed so that it can play a constructive role in crude oil markets.
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Red State, Blue State, Rich State, Poor State: Why Americans Vote the Way They Do
Thu, Sep 11, 2008
In his illuminating new book Red State, Blue State, Rich State, Poor State, Columbia political scientist and state-of-the-art number cruncher Andrew Gelman explodes persistent myths about American voting patterns just in time for the 2008 elections. Gelman, with co-authors David Park, Boris Shor, Joseph Bafumi, and Jeronimo Cortina, shows that rich states lean Democratic while rich individuals still lean Republican. The real culture war, he argues, is being waged between affluent Democrats and affluent Republicans, not between the haves and have-nots. Gelman explores how religion does and doesn't affect rich and poor voters and how the rich-poor voting divide differs in "red" and "blue" states. And what about all those "fiscally conservative, socially liberal" voters? Please join us for an eye-opening discussion of the changing face of the American electorate and its implications for the politics of tomorrow.
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Should No-Knock Police Raids be Rare-or Routine?
Thu, Sep 11, 2008
The Prince George’s County police department is under fire for a recent drug raid on the home of Berwyn Heights mayor Cheye Calvo. Unbeknownst to Calvo, a box containing marijuana was delivered to his home. Shortly thereafter, police officers kicked in the front door and shot both of Calvo’s pet Labrador retrievers. The police have subsequently cleared Calvo of any wrongdoing but are unapologetic about their raid tactics. Are no-knock, paramilitary raids an appropriate tactic for drug investigations? Or do sudden, unannounced entries bring unnecessary violence to police investigations? Join us for a discussion of the Prince George’s incident and, more broadly, the militarization of police work in America.
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The Dirty Dozen: Are They the Worst Supreme Court Cases in the Modern Era?
Thu, Jul 31, 2008
Released to great acclaim in May 2008, The Dirty Dozen: How Twelve Supreme Court Cases Radically Expanded Government and Eroded Freedom analyzes 12 U.S. Supreme Court decisions that, according to coauthors Robert Levy of the Cato Institute and William Mellor of the Institute for Justice, changed the course of American history away from constitutional government. In addition, The Dirty Dozen provides insights into the proper role of the Court and calls for judicial engagement to remedy these harmful decisions. The book has rapidly become the catalyst for an energetic, wide-reaching debate about the Supreme Court, generating an extensive range of opinions among legal professionals, concerned non-lawyers, and Court followers about the 12 cases, their impact, and the role of the Court. The Cato Institute and the American Constitution Society are pleased to provide a public platform for this important debate. Leading practitioners and academics from different perspectives will discuss the cases and the authors’ legal analyses. Please join us for what promises to be a dynamic event made even more significant by the historic Court decisions that have been handed down since the book’s publication only 2 months ago.
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Escaping Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa
Mon, Jul 28, 2008
The southern African countries of Botswana and Zimbabwe are neighbors. Botswana is peaceful, stable, and increasingly prosperous. Zimbabwe, in contrast, is beset by political and economic crises. Their diverging fortunes are partly explained by their government’s attitudes to economic freedom: Botswana is one of Africa’s economically freest states, and Zimbabwe is among Africa’s least free countries. Please join Zimbabwean human rights activist Rejoice Ngwenya and Cato’s Africa analyst Marian Tupy to discuss Zimbabwe’s meltdown, Botswana’s ascent, and lessons for the rest of Africa.
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Should Congress Lower Tariffs on Imported Shoes? -
Fri, Jul 25, 2008
Among the highest remaining U.S. tariffs are those imposed on imported shoes, with the highest duties applying to the cheapest shoes. Critics of the tariffs contend that they fall most heavily on the poorest American households while “saving” few domestic jobs. Defenders argue that the tariffs provide revenue for the federal government, have little impact on consumer prices, and steer trade to our free-trade partners at the expense of China. A bill in Congress to eliminate certain shoe tariffs, the Affordable Footwear Act, currently has more than 140 co-sponsors in the House and may be attached to the upcoming Miscellaneous Tariff Bill. Please join us for a forum featuring a co-sponsor of the footwear act and two trade experts who will debate the merits of lowering tariffs on imported shoes.
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One Man’s America: The Pleasures and Provocations of Our Singular Nation
Thu, Jul 24, 2008
In his provocative and compelling new book, George Will offers a fascinating look at the people, stories, and events that make the American drama so endlessly entertaining and instructive. With Will’s signature intellect and wry wit, One Man’s America chronicles a spectacular, eclectic procession of figures who have shaped our culture -- from Playboy founder Hugh Hefner to National Review founder William F. Buckley Jr., from Victorian poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow to Beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, from cotton picker—turned—country singer Buck Owens to actor-turned-president Ronald Reagan. In addition, Will crisscrosses the country to illuminate what it is that makes America distinctive –- visits that include the USS Arizona memorial in Pearl Harbor; the 100th anniversary of Harley-Davidson; Civil War battlefields, and much more. And of course, One Man’s America would not be complete without Will’s insights on baseball -– the icons and the cheats, the hapless and the greats. Finally, in a personal and reflective turn, Will writes movingly of his thirty-five-year-old son Jon, born with Down syndrome, and pays loving and poignant tribute to his mother, who died at the age of ninety-eight after a long struggle with dementia.
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The FBI Turns 100
Wed, Jul 23, 2008
In 1908, the Justice Department created the Bureau of Investigation, a small division of detectives that was responsible for investigating violations of federal law. The division was filled with incompetent and corrupt agents until a young bureaucrat by the name of J. Edgar Hoover was brought in to clean house. Hoover reorganized the division and renamed it the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and he served as its director for nearly 50 years. As the federal government expanded over the years, so did the power of the Bureau. Today, the FBI employs more than twenty thousand people and spends approximately $6.5 billion per year. As the Bureau turns 100, it is an appropriate time to review its history, both good and bad, and to discuss its future.
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McCain and Obama: Comparing Their Economic Platforms
Tue, Jul 15, 2008
After an extended primary season, the 2008 presidential campaign is finally under way and the candidates are presenting—at least in some areas—starkly different economic policy proposals. Sen. John McCain is a career-long free trader, consistently voting against trade barriers and subsidies. Sen. Barack Obama, although possessing a shorter voting record, puts greater restrictions on his support for free trade and favors a time-out on new trade agreements and extensive review—and possible renegotiation—of existing ones. On fiscal policy, Sen. McCain wants lower taxes while Sen. Obama proposes to shift the tax burden to wealthier Americans. According to the National Taxpayers Union, Sen. McCain has endorsed $68 billion of additional government spending per year and Sen. Obama has called for nearly $344 billion of bigger government. How would these policies strengthen the U.S. economy or damage it? If Obama is elected, would Congress simply rubber-stamp his proposals? If McCain wins, would Congress approve his agenda? Please join us as our panel discusses the McCain and Obama tax, spending, and trade plans.
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Securing Economic Growth through Trade Facilitation
Fri, Jul 11, 2008
Improving the international trading system does not depend solely on new, comprehensive multilateral agreements. Countries can realize significant gains in commercial flows by undertaking trade facilitation—reforms that decrease administrative and physical impediments to transporting goods and services across borders. According to recent studies from several international economic institutions and a new Cato paper, trade facilitation reforms could increase global trade flows even more than further reductions in tariff rates and are primarily and substantially in the interest of the country implementing reform. Please join Cato trade scholar Daniel Ikenson and World Bank economist Simeon Djankov to discuss how to expand international commerce even without new multilateral trade agreements.
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India: The Emerging Giant -
Wed, Jul 02, 2008
The world's largest democracy, India, is an emerging economic giant. Reforms that began in the late 1980s and accelerated in the 1990s have led to high growth and have reduced poverty by one third. Professor Panagariya will discuss changes in Indian society that favor continued rapid growth. He will also explain why India should avoid policies that focus on equality rather than poverty reduction, and he will propose innovative reforms—such as school vouchers or cash transfers for health care—where government services have failed the poor. Swaminathan Aiyar will comment on the book’s outlook for India.
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Trade Facilitation: The New Wave of International Trade Liberalization?
Thu, Jun 26, 2008
As the Doha Round lies in a cryogenic state, it is important to recognize that comprehensive, multilateral agreement to reduce trade barriers is not the only way to improve the international trading system. In fact, according to recent studies from the World Bank and other international economic institutions— a new study published by the Cato Institute —“trade facilitation” reforms could do more to increase global trade flows than further reductions in tariff rates.
In broad terms, trade facilitation includes reforms aimed at improving the chain of administrative and physical procedures involved in the transport of goods and services across international borders. Countries with inadequate trade infrastructure, burdensome administrative processes, or limited competition in trade logistics services are less capable of benefiting from the opportunities of expanding global trade. And that goes for rich countries as well as developing countries.
By streamlining and reforming bureaucratic procedures and encouraging competition in communications and transportation services, governments have been helping increase trade, investment, and growth in their economies. And these reforms have not required international consensus to implement.
Please join us for a panel discussion with some of the world’s foremost experts on the topic of trade facilitation.
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The Dirty Dozen: How Twelve Supreme Court Cases Radically Expanded Government and Eroded Freedom
Tue, Jun 24, 2008
Why are we, in many respects, less free now than we were 200 years ago? How did we get from our Founders' Constitution, which established a strictly limited government, to today's Constitution, which has expanded government and curtailed individual rights? That's the story of The Dirty Dozen - a book written for non lawyers about 12 U.S. Supreme Court cases that moved the course of American history away from constitutional government. Whether it involves the regulation of commerce, political speech, economic liberties, property rights, welfare, racial preferences, gun owners' rights, or imprisonment without charge, the U.S. Supreme Court has behaved in a manner that would have stunned, mystified, and outraged our Founding Fathers. Please join co-author Robert Levy for a discussion of the 12 worst Supreme Court cases of the modern era.
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Botswana and Mauritius: African Success Stories
Thu, Jun 19, 2008
On a continent scarred by political repression and economic underdevelopment, Botswana and Mauritius stand out. In 2007, Freedom House certified both countries as free, and the Fraser Institute’s Economic Freedom of the World report found that Botswana and Mauritius had the two freest economies in Africa. According to the World Bank, the two also have—along with Seychelles—Africa’s highest per capita incomes. What explains that success? Why did the institutions of freedom take root in Botswana and Mauritius, while failing to do so in most other African countries? How do the two countries intend to maintain high growth in an increasingly globalized world? Please join us to hear our speakers elaborate on the past successes and future challenges facing Botswana and Mauritius.
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Let Them In: The Case for Open Borders
Wed, Jun 18, 2008
In a provocative new book, Jason Riley makes the case for welcoming more legal immigrants to the United States. Drawing on history, scholarly studies and first-hand reporting, Riley argues that today’s newcomers are fueling America’s prosperity and dynamism. He challenges the prevailing views on talk radio and cable TV that immigrants are overpopulating the country, stealing jobs, depressing wages, bankrupting social services, filling prisons, resisting assimilation and promoting big government. Comments will be provided by one of the nation’s leading political analysts.
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Smart Power: Toward a Prudent Foreign Policy for America
Tue, Jun 17, 2008
The United States confronts a host of foreign policy problems in the 21st century, yet the Republic's security strategy is increasingly muddled and counterproductive. The litany of misplaced priorities and policy failures grows ever larger. Ted Galen Carpenter examines America's foreign policy challenges and diagnoses what is wrong with Washington's current approach. Throughout these essays, Carpenter outlines an alternative strategy, Smart Power, that would protect America's security while avoiding unnecessary and unrewarding military adventures.
Please join the author and our distinguished commentators for a discussion of this timely and path-breaking book, Smart Power: Toward a Prudent Foreign Policy for America.
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America: Our Next Chapter
Thu, Jun 12, 2008
In his two terms in the U.S. Senate, Chuck Hagel has distinguished himself as one of our nation’s most outspoken and thoughtful political leaders. Unafraid to challenge the policies of his own party, Senator Hagel has drawn praise and admiration from across the ideological spectrum by expressing grave concerns about the war in Iraq. In America: Our Next Chapter: Tough Questions, Straight Answers, Senator Hagel sets forth his vision for a humbler U.S. foreign policy guided by international diplomacy and free trade. He also addresses key domestic policy issues by calling for a significant reduction in the size of the federal government, demanding more fiscal responsibility in Washington, and supporting reforms to reduce the spiraling costs of entitlement programs. Please join Senator Hagel for a discussion of his new book, with introductory comments by Cato Institute president Edward H. Crane.
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The Psychology of Evil: The Lucifer Effect in Action -
Thu, Jun 12, 2008
Prof. Philip Zimbardo, the conductor of the infamous 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment, has become a leading authority on the psychology of evil: How is it that people are induced to commit evil, even when they consider themselves “good” people? What social dynamics encourage—or discourage—cruelty toward other human beings? The Lucifer Effect offers a full reconstruction of the 1971 experiment based on archival video, subject diaries, exit interviews, and other contemporary material. It then gives an introduction to the psychology of social morality as it has developed over the years. The book culminates with an examination of the prisoner abuse scandals of Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay, and elsewhere, challenging accounts that would hold individual soldiers solely responsible for their actions, and indicting the chain of command for knowingly creating conditions that would lead to degrading treatment and torture.
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Globalization and the World's Rising Living Standards
Fri, Jun 06, 2008
Despite the conclusions one might draw from the constant barrage of media negativity, never before have people lived longer, healthier, and wealthier lives with lower risks of malnourishment, illiteracy, or death by war or natural disaster. In a recent report for the Swedish government, Cato senior fellow Johan Norberg has documented the largest, most rapid rise in human living standards ever, which occurred over the last four decades. He will review the factors that generated these advances and explain how even more economic liberty, free trade, and globalization are necessary to sustain them.
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China’s Rise: Is Conflict Unavoidable? -
Fri, May 30, 2008
China's rapid economic and military rise is causing understandable unease among American military planners. Although the Bush administration took office referring to China as a "strategic competitor," more recent statements of U.S. policy have focused on integrating China into the world community as a "responsible stakeholder." Does America's position as the sole superpower and China's as the primary rising power make U.S.-China conflict imminent and inevitable? If not, which potential flashpoints should be particular concerns for U.S. policymakers? Can American policy minimize tensions between the two powers? And what would open military confrontation between the United States and China look like? Please join Cato scholars Ted Galen Carpenter and Justin Logan for an exploration of national security and foreign policy issues related to China's rise.
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Occupational Hazards: Success and Failure in Military Occupation -
Thu, May 29, 2008
What makes military occupations more or less likely to succeed? Drawing on 26 cases since 1815 where outside powers have seized territory without a claim to its sovereignty, David Edelstein attempts to determine why some occupations succeed and why so many seem doomed to failure.
Edelstein combines detailed case studies with a theoretical approach and concludes that occupations face a paradox: Success requires a long-term and massive commitment of resources and attention; however, such large-scale occupations can elicit nationalist responses from the occupied populace. Further, as the occupier faces difficulty, discontent grows at home, and pressure builds to remove occupying forces. Examining the history of occupation as a component of grand strategy, Edelstein offers warnings for today’s policymakers, who seem tempted to include military occupations as part of the approach to countering terrorism.
Please join the author and our distinguished commentators for a discussion of this timely and pathbreaking book.
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Relief from Gridlock: Surface Transportation Reauthorization in 2009
Tue, May 27, 2008
In reauthorizing the federal gas tax and surface transportation funding, the next Congress can continue historic trends of dictating thousands of earmarks and other mandates that reduce our transportation efficiency and, like recent ethanol programs, have huge unintended consequences. Or it can streamline federal transportation programs to make urban and other surface transport systems run smoothly, efficiently, and with minimal waste of energy and greenhouse gas emissions. This policy forum will present a variety of proposals for breaking out of the transportation gridlock we currently suffer.
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The One-Drop Rule in Hawaii? The Akaka Bill and the Future of Race-Based Government -
Wed, May 21, 2008
The Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act—known as the "Akaka Bill"-would grant "native Hawaiians" federal recognition akin to that now enjoyed by Indian tribes. The bill creates a special authority that would exempt sufficiently ethnic Hawaiians from certain aspects of federal and state power. Having already passed the House and been reported out of Senate committee, the Akaka Bill is now due to be taken up by the full Senate. President Bush has promised a veto—citing the U.S. Civil Rights Commission's conclusion that it "would discriminate on the basis of race … and further subdivide the American people into discrete subgroups accorded varying degrees of privilege."
Are these sorts of measures simply a matter of long-delayed justice? Does the Akaka Bill satisfy constitutional guarantees of equal protection and due process? What kind of precedent would it establish for other ethnic groups? And what would be the economic effects on businesses and tourism in Hawaii? Please join us for a discussion of these and other political, economic, legal, and historical issues.
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Learning the Right Lessons from Iraq -
Fri, May 16, 2008
Foreign policy analysts are misreading the lessons of Iraq. The emerging conventional wisdom holds that success could have been achieved in Iraq with more troops, more cooperation among U.S. government agencies, and better counterinsurgency doctrine. Yet the Bush administration’s failures and errors in judgment did not derive from poor planning, but from flawed assumptions about the nature of Iraqi society. The difficulties in Iraq demonstrate the need for a new national security strategy and a newfound appreciation for the limits of power, not simply better tactics and tools. By insisting that Iraq was ours to remake were it not for the administration’s mismanagement, U.S. policy makers risk repeating these mistakes. Please join Cato scholars Christopher Preble and Benjamin H. Friedman for a discussion of these issues, which they and co-author Harvey Sapolsky also explore in the recent policy analysis, “Learning the Right Lessons from Iraq.”
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Whatever Happened to Medicare Reform? -
Thu, May 15, 2008
It is 2008. Research suggests the federal Medicare program spends as much as $100 billion per year on medical care that makes seniors no healthier or happier. Its payment system continues to reward low-quality and even harmful medical care. The trustees of the Medicare program have issued yet another annual report containing dire warnings about Medicare's financial sustainability, including an unfunded liability of $86 trillion. The picture is far worse than it was when politicians were developing fundamental Medicare reforms 10 years ago. Yet politicians today seem uninterested. The president has proposed reforms that would barely slow the program's growing dependence on general revenues-a proposal that Congress has largely ignored. Leading presidential candidates advocate tweaks-such as reducing payments for private plans and prescription drugs, or tying payments to quality measures-rather than fundamental reform. Come hear leading analysts discuss whether the case for Medicare reform is any less powerful now than in the past.
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The Rise of the Conservative Legal Movement
Wed, May 14, 2008
Starting in the 1970s, conservatives learned that electoral victory did not easily convert into a reversal of important liberal accomplishments, especially in the law. As a result, conservatives' mobilizing efforts increasingly turned to law schools, professional networks, public interest groups, and the judiciary—areas traditionally controlled by liberals. Drawing from previously unavailable internal documents, as well as interviews with key figures, The Rise of the Conservative Legal Movement examines this sometimes fitful, and still only partially successful, conservative (and libertarian) challenge to liberal domination of the law. Steven Teles explores how this |