Double Game: Why Pakistan Supports Militants and Resists U.S. Pressure to Stop

Why does Pakistan continue to sponsor militant groups in the face of considerable U.S. pressure to stop? This question has plagued U.S.-Pakistan relations for decades. In a new study, Cato scholar Sahar Khan argues that Pakistan’s civilian and military institutions are much more closely aligned on matters of state sponsorship of militant groups than most U.S. policymakers and academics think. “Washington should incorporate this reality into its policy,” says Khan, “and look for alternative solutions to securing a durable peace in Afghanistan that can set the stage for a U.S. withdrawal and establish a new and constructive relationship with Pakistan.”

The Ideal U.S.-U.K. Free Trade Agreement: A Free Trader’s Perspective

Many good reasons exist to negotiate and conclude a bilateral trade agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom. One of the best reasons is that it affords two of the world’s largest economies — both deeply committed to the institutions of free-market capitalism and the rule of law — the opportunity to break new ground and pioneer the rules of a genuinely liberalizing 21st-century trade agreement. In a new paper, Daniel J. Ikenson, Simon Lester, and Daniel Hannan describe the principles that should be reflected — as well as the substantive issues, elements, and provisions that should be included — in what free traders would consider the ideal free trade agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom.

Who Participates? An Analysis of School Participation Decisions in Two Voucher Programs in the United States

Not all school choice programs are created equal. Policy design differs greatly across states. Because voucher-using families use public education dollars that would have otherwise gone to government schools, taxpayers and government officials are often highly concerned about the quality of private schools these families choose for their children. Government regulations are largely the result of these concerns. In a new paper, Corey A. DeAngelis and Blake Hoarty find significant evidence to suggest that regulations deter high-quality private schools from participating in voucher programs in Ohio and Milwaukee.

Tax Reform and Interstate Migration

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 was the largest overhaul of the federal income tax in decades. The law changed deductions, exemptions, and tax rates for individuals, while reducing taxes on businesses. More than 86 percent of middle- and higher-income households received an individual tax cut. Most lower-income households do not pay income taxes, but many of them received increased benefits from refundable credits. There were also major changes to state and local tax (SALT) deductions, which might make households more sensitive to tax differences between states. In a new bulletin, Cato scholar Chris Edwards examines the changes to individual income taxes, and their effects on migration between the states.

Recent Commentary

Events

September 24

Borrowed Time: Two Centuries of Booms, Busts, and Bailouts at Citi

Featuring the authors James Freeman, Assistant Editor, Editorial Page, Wall Street Journal; and Vern McKinley, Visiting Scholar, The George Washington University Law School; with comments by Christy Ford Chapin, Associate Professor, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Gary H. Stern, Former President and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis and author of Too Big to Fail; moderated by George Selgin, Director, Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives, Cato Institute.

4:00PM to 5:00PM EDT
Hayek Auditorium, Cato Institute

September 25

Of Rockets and Robotics: The Regulation of Emerging Aerial Technology

Confirmed speakers include Richard Aboulafia, Vice President of Analysis, Teal Group; Diana Marina Cooper, Senior Vice President of Policy & Strategy, PrecisionHawk; Rob Hawks, Manager of the Operations Law Branch at the Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Chief Counsel; Christopher Koopman, Senior Director of Strategy and Research at the Center for Growth and Opportunity at Utah State University; Jake Laperruque, Senior Counsel, Project on Government Oversight; Brendan Schulman, Vice President of Policy & Legal Affairs at DJI; Jason Snead, Policy Analyst at the Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, Heritage Foundation; and Matt Voska, CEO and Cofounder of Flytenow.

10:00AM to 3:45PM EDT
Hayek Auditorium, Cato Institute

More Events

Of Special Note

Monetary Policy in an Uncertain World

Monetary Policy in an Uncertain World: Ten Years after the Crisis

Ten years after the 2008 financial crisis we are again facing the possibility of economic turmoil as the Fed and other central banks exit their unconventional monetary policies. Although central banks will move gradually, unforeseen circumstances could trigger a flight to safety and a collapse of asset prices. Contributors to this new Cato Institute book draw lessons from the decade of unconventional monetary policies and offer proposals for reducing monetary uncertainty, including adopting a rules-based monetary regime.

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

Home Study Resources

The Cato Institute offers a wealth of online educational audio and video resources, from self-paced guides on the ideas of liberty and the principles of economics, to exclusive, archived lectures by thinkers such as Milton Friedman and F. A. Hayek. Browse through some highlights of our collections, for personal study or for use in the classroom.

36th Annual Monetary Conference: Monetary Policy 10 Years after the Crisis

Ten years after the 2008 financial crisis, we are again facing the possibility of economic turmoil as the Fed and other central banks exit their unconventional monetary policies. Although central banks will move gradually, unforeseen circumstances could trigger a flight to safety and a collapse of asset prices.