Will Wilkinson was a research fellow who works on a wide range of issues at the intersection of political philosophy, psychology, and economics. He has authored major studies on the moral dimensions of Social Security reform, the policy implications of happiness research, and economic inequality. He is also editor of Cato Unbound, the Institute's online forum of big ideas. Prior to joining Cato, Wilkinson was the academic coordinator of the Social Change Project and the Global Prosperity Initiative for the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, where his work concentrated on the mechanisms of social change and the role of institutions in economic development. He has also served as a program director for the Institute for Humane Studies. Wilkinson's writing has appeared in The Economist, The Atlantic, Forbes, Reason, Policy, Prospect, Slate, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and other publications. He has been a regular contributor to the radio program Marketplace, appears frequently on Bloggingheads TV, and is an online columnist for The Week magazine.
"Thinking Clearly about Economic Inequality," Policy Analysis no. 640, July 14, 2009.
"In Pursuit of Happiness Research: Is It Reliable? What Does It Imply for Policy?," Policy Analysis no. 590, April 11, 2007.
"Noble Lies, Liberal Purposes, and Personal Retirement Accounts," Social Security Choice Paper no. 34, June 28, 2005.
"Out of Position: Against the politics of relative standing," Policy, Spring 2006.
"Capitalism and Human Nature," Cato Policy Report, Volume XXVII, no. 1, January/February 2005.
"Bradley Manning's Guilt -- and Ours," The Week, August 13, 2010
"Arizona's Latest Immigration Idea Makes Sense," The Week, July 2, 2010
"The Progressive Fallacy on Free Speech," The Week, February 19, 2010
"Let the Next Crisis Go To Waste," The Week, January 15, 2010
"The Perils Of Political Correctness--Left and Right," The Week, November 28, 2009
"New at Cato Unbound: Monetary Lessons from the Not-So-Great Depression," September 21, 2009
"Thomas Friedman's New Math of Democracy," September 9, 2009
"New at Cato Unbound: Brian Doherty Defends 'Folk Activism'," April 8, 2009
"No Dice, Pickens!," September 8, 2008
"Losing Faith in What?," July 23, 2008
"Red State, Blue State, Rich State, Poor State: Why Americans Vote the Way They Do," September 11, 2008 [Book Forum]
"The Psychology of Evil: The Lucifer Effect in Action," June 12, 2008 [Book Forum]
"Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness," May 1, 2008 [Book Forum]
"Is the Welfare State Justified?," October 29, 2007 [Policy Forum]
"The Myth of the Rational Voter," July 17, 2007 [Book Forum]
Will Wilkinson discusses corporate social responsibility on NPR affiliate WAMU's The Kojo Nnamdi Show (June 28, 2010) [Media Highlights - Radio, 19:24]
What's Wrong with GDP? (February 24, 2010) [Daily Podcast, 13:14]
Will Wilkinson discusses several issues on Bloggingheads.tv (July 28, 2009) [Media Highlights - TV, 01:00:40]
Will Wilkinson discusses several issues on Bloggingheads.tv (July 15, 2009) [Media Highlights - TV, 04:20]
Will Wilkinson debates the economy on APM's Marketplace Morning Report (June 19, 2009) [Media Highlights - Radio, 02:38]