![Regulation Winter 2019/2020 Cover](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/serial_cover_phone/public/2019-12/Screen%20Shot%202019-12-09%20at%2011.45.45%20AM.png?itok=9nk4CUq6) # Winter 2019/2020 Vol. 42 No. 4 [Subscribe](https://store.cato.org/collections/all-products/products/regulation-magazine) ##### From the Cover ### [Cashing Out Children’s Television ](/regulation/winter-2019-2020/cashing-out-childrens-television) By Douglas Lichtman Instead of providing children’s television, should broadcasters simply be required to pay for it? ### [“Patent Tigers” and Global Innovation ](/regulation/winter-2019-2020/patent-tigers-global-innovation) By Jonathan M. Barnett Far from impeding developing countries, intellectual property rights can unleash their economies. ### [Expert Views on Gun Laws ](/regulation/winter-2019-2020/expert-views-gun-laws) By Arthur Z. Berg, John R. Lott, Jr., and Gary A. Mauser Do researchers from different policy fields have a consensus on gun control laws? ### [A ‘Discrimination Tax’ in the Age of Social Media ](/regulation/winter-2019-2020/discrimination-tax-age-social-media) By Dennis L. Weisman Economic pressure may discipline questionable business conduct when legal compulsion is deemed too extreme. ##### Features #### [Toward an Improved OMB Annual Report on Federal Regulations ](/regulation/winter-2019-2020/toward-improved-omb-annual-report-federal-regulations) By Richard A. Williams and James Broughel The annual report on the costs and benefits of federal regulations was a good idea that didn’t pan out, but it can be improved #### [Too Small to Succeed? ](/regulation/winter-2019-2020/too-small-succeed) By [Diego Zuluaga](https://www.cato.org/people/diego-zuluaga) The decline of small U.S. banks presents an opportunity for reform. #### [Do We Need a Passenger Facility Charge? ](/regulation/winter-2019-2020/do-we-need-passenger-facility-charge) By Shih-Hsien Chuang Airports could end up with less revenue if Congress raises the cap on this levy. #### [Comment: PFCs Promote Competition and Airport Self-Sufficiency ](/regulation/winter-2019-2020/comment) By Robert W. Poole Jr. The additional costs of checking bags, purchasing a meal or snack , etc., seem to have had little or no effect on the ever-increasing air passenger volume over the past decade. ##### Briefly Noted ##### [How Are Generics Affecting Drug Prices? ](/regulation/winter-2019-2020/how-are-generics-affecting-drug-prices) By [Ike Brannon](https://www.cato.org/people/ike-brannon) and Devorah Goldman One way that patients and providers traditionally manage drug pricesis by prescribing generic drugs whenever possible. ##### [Will America Be the Next Ghana? ](/regulation/winter-2019-2020/will-america-be-next-ghana) By Pierre Lemieux One reason why liberalization has screeched to a halt is that it was based on a misunderstanding that could justify protectionism as well as free trade: that the benefits of trade come from exports and that imports are the cost to pay for these benefits. ##### [Is the Fed Impeding Real-Time Check Clearance? ](/regulation/winter-2019-2020/fed-impeding-real-time-check-clearance) By [Ike Brannon](https://www.cato.org/people/ike-brannon) This past August the Fed announced that it would begin taking steps to offer a real-time clearing service of its own, FedNow. ##### In Review ##### [Self-Regulation and Human Progress ](/regulation/winter-2019-2020/self-regulation-human-progress) By George C. Leef All-powerful governments would tolerate no opposition while attempting to create perfect humans for the perfect state. ##### [The Economists’ Hour ](/regulation/winter-2019-2020/economists-hour) By Vern McKinley Many progressives believe that the Federal Reserve was too accommodating to the wishes of financial institutions in providing easy money and massive, opaque bailouts. ##### [Socialism Sucks ](/regulation/winter-2019-2020/socialism-sucks) By Art Carden It’s easy to get conned by romantic visions of socialist paradise. Socialist reality is different. ##### [Bagehot ](/regulation/winter-2019-2020/bagehot) By Vern McKinley In his 30 years of leading *The Economist*, Bagehot felt strongly about many issues beyond financial panics. ##### [1931 ](/regulation/winter-2019-2020/1931) By Vern McKinley The turmoil from the Young Plan facilitated Hitler’s coming to power. ##### [Shut Out ](/regulation/winter-2019-2020/shut-out) By David R. Henderson In the standard story, subprime mortgages were granted to relatively low-income families that were unwise to buy houses but were able to do so because of lax lending standards. ##### [Narrative Economics ](/regulation/winter-2019-2020/narrative-economics) By Pierre Lemieux Paraphrasing psychologist Jerome Brunner, Shiller writes that “we should not assume that human actions are driven in response to purely objective facts.” ##### [Working Papers ](/regulation/winter-2019-2020/working-papers) By [Peter Van Doren](https://www.cato.org/people/peter-van-doren) A summary of recent papers that may be of interest to *Regulation*’s readers. ##### Final Word ##### [Rent-Seeking Games ](/regulation/winter-2019-2020/rent-seeking-games) By A. Barton Hinkle For much of their existence, state lotteries have enjoyed something close to a monopoly on licit gambling. ##### Latest Issues [![Regulation - Fall 2026 - Cover](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/serial_cover_phone/public/2026-09/regulation-fall-2026-cover.jpg?itok=4PdTh8RK)](https://www.cato.org/regulation/fall-2026) [Fall 2026](/regulation/fall-2026) [![Regulation - Summer 2026 - Cover](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/serial_cover_phone/public/2026-06/regulation-summer-2026-cover.jpg?itok=mgR9E73X)](https://www.cato.org/regulation/summer-2026) [Summer 2026](/regulation/summer-2026) [![Regulation - Spring 2026 - Cover](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/serial_cover_phone/public/2026-03/regulation-spring-2026-cover.png?itok=_E4_q18u)](https://www.cato.org/regulation/spring-2026) [Spring 2026](/regulation/spring-2026) [![Regulation Winter 2025-2026 Cover](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/serial_cover_phone/public/2025-12/regulation-v48n4-cover.jpg?itok=QSGuJRQT)](https://www.cato.org/regulation/winter-2025-2026) [Winter 2025–2026](/regulation/winter-2025-2026)