Cato’s government and politics studies are dedicated to bringing the ideals of individual liberty, civil society, and limited government back to the forefront of American political life.
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Why State Election Reform Bills Don’t Signal a New Jim Crow Era
People are bickering over measures that were considered normal just a few years ago.
Virginia Court Approves Monument Removals
Commissioning a statue or monument does not serve an essential function of government. No societal ill is cured or externality solved. Rather, resources that could be invested more intelligently or, indeed, left in taxpayer pockets, are wasted on politicized public displays.
Fact Check: Yes, There Are Economists against Biden’s $1.9 Trillion Plan
President Biden says that “every single major economist” supports his American Rescue Plan. That is not even close to true.
Is H.R. 1 a “Voting Rights Bill”?
H.R. 1 is a sprawling omnibus bill asserting new federal government authority in dozens of areas. Calling it a “voting rights bill” is misleading at best.
Making D.C. the 51st State
Today, Congress has authority over the entire District of Columbia, albeit delegated in large measure to the District government. That authority would cease under this bill.
From Cato President & CEO Peter Goettler
Mob Rule Is No Path to Liberty
The Cato Institute has long worked to encourage people everywhere to better understand and appreciate the principles of government that are set forth in America’s Founding documents. Among these principles is the peaceful transfer of power after free and fair elections. The assault on the Capitol is a tragic violation of these principles. We condemn these actions in the strongest terms, support the rule of law and the Constitution, and reject the attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
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Center for Representative Government
Taking its inspiration from James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, the Cato Institute’s Center for Representative Government is dedicated to promoting limited, representative government. The center and its scholars are working through books, conferences, forums, op‐eds, speeches, congressional testimony, and TV and radio appearances to bring the ideals of individual liberty, civil society, limited government, and citizen legislators back to the forefront of American political life.
Featured Events
Campaign Finance and American Democracy: What the Public Really Thinks and Why It Matters
Primo and Milyo contend that American attitudes toward money in politics reflect larger fears about the health of American democracy, fears that will not be allayed by campaign finance reform.
After Trump: Reconstructing the Presidency
In their timely new book, Bob Bauer and Jack Goldsmith provide a comprehensive roadmap for reforming the presidency.
A Cry from the Far Middle: Dispatches from a Divided Land
As the left and right slide further apart, intrepid journalist P. J. O’Rourke has found himself with nowhere to go but the center. In his new book, A Cry from the Far Middle: Dispatches from a Divided Land, the man who has covered wars in the Middle East, Central America, the Balkans, and other places around the world is now confronting political battles at home.