‘Jawboning’ and Free Speech

Today, regulated companies—including broadcast TV and radio, satellite TV and radio, cable TV, and internet service providers (ISPs)—are the primary producers and distributors of mass media and publications. Given the power that the Federal Communication Commission has over these regulated companies, most must remain in the commission’s good graces to operate. In the new issue of Regulation, Brent Skorup and Christopher Koopman argue that this power should be viewed skeptically in light of the danger it poses to both the First Amendment and the Rule of Law.

Surveillance Takes Wing: Privacy in the Age of Police Drones

Law enforcement drones have clear benefits: allowing police to more easily find missing persons, suspects, and accident victims, for example. They also allow police to investigate dangerous situations such as bomb threats and toxic spills. Yet without strict controls on their use, drones could present a very serious threat to citizens’ privacy. In a new paper, Cato scholar Matthew Feeney suggests that lawmakers at the state and federal levels should implement policies that allow police to take advantage of drones while protecting privacy.

Policing in America: Understanding Public Attitudes Toward the Police

At first glance Americans appear satisfied with their local law enforcement. However, below the surface reside many stark differences in attitudes toward the police across race/ethnicity, age, education, income, and ideological lines. In a new extensive national public opinion survey, Cato scholar Emily Ekins finds deep partisan and racial divides in perceptions of police efficacy, impartiality, integrity, empathy, tactics, and accountability. Comprehensively examining survey results, the report explores public priorities for policing, anxiety about crime, the impact of personal experiences with police and the judicial system, police misconduct, the use of force, perceptions of police accountability and integrity, and much more.

Will China Solve the North Korea Problem?

The North Korea problem continues to worsen, as the Kim regime tests more nuclear weapons and develops longer range missiles. Tighter sanctions have proved little more effective than diplomatic entreaties. In a new paper, Cato scholar Doug Bandow argues that Washington should develop a comprehensive diplomatic strategy to persuade the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to cooperate with the United States, South Korea, and Japan in pressing the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to abandon its nuclear program.

Recent Commentary

Europe’s Problem Is Not Populism

Instead of talking about the unstoppable rise of populism, what Europe needs is a more productive conversation about why growth rates have continued to stagnate in many Western countries.

Nukes for New Years?

However we interpret his incoherent statements, Trump is likely to preserve the current U.S. nuclear policy, which funds the modernization of nuclear triad at excessive expense.

Is Russia Really ‘Winning’?

Policymakers must be realistic, both about Russia’s capabilities, and about what Russia’s “victories” in 2016 actually mean over the long-term.

Events

January 17

Debating the Trump Doctrine

Featuring Emma Ashford, Research Fellow, Cato Institute; Colin Dueck, Professor, Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University; Kathleen Hicks, Senior Vice President, Center for Strategic & International Studies; Barry Posen, Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Trevor Thrall, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute; moderated by Karen DeYoung, Associate Editor and Senior National Security Correspondent, Washington Post.

12:00PM to 1:30PM
Hayek Auditorium, Cato Institute

Of Special Note

The Welfare of Nations

The Welfare of Nations

What damage is being done by failing welfare states? What lessons can be learned from the best welfare states? And—is it too late to stop welfare states from permanently diminishing the lives and liberties of people around the world? Traveling around the globe, James Bartholomew examines welfare models, searching for the best education, health care, and support services in 11 vastly different countries; illuminating the advantages and disadvantages of other nations’ welfare states; and delving into crucial issues such as literacy, poverty, and inequality. This is a hard-hitting and provocative contribution to understanding how welfare states are changing the very nature of modern civilization.

Special! 10 Copies for $10

Cato Pocket Constitution

To encourage people everywhere to better understand and appreciate the principles of government that are set forth in America’s founding documents, the Cato Institute published this pocket-size edition.

Now Available

The Libertarian Mind Audiobook

The Libertarian Mind, by David Boaz, longtime executive vice president of the Cato Institute, is the best available guide to the history, ideas, and growth of libertarianism, and is the ultimate resource for the current, burgeoning libertarian movement. This acclaimed book is now available as a fully unabridged audiobook, ready for immediate downloading, on Audible.com.

CatoAudio – Now Available on the Cato Website

Every month CatoAudio puts you right in the middle of policy debates in Washington. Through highlights from the Cato Institute’s events and conferences, you can listen to in-depth discussions from well-known leaders, authors, experts, pundits, journalists, and scholars. Previously only available as a paid subscription service delivered by mail, CatoAudio is now available free of charge on the Cato website – which includes over five years of archived recordings.