Regulatory Studies

Candy-Coated Cartel: Time to Kill the U.S. Sugar Program

For decades, the federal government has been operating a program to control the production and importation of sugar. One of the program’s main purposes is to ensure minimum price levels for sugar that are typically significantly higher than those found on international markets, leading to higher costs for U.S. consumers. As a result, the federal government is, in essence, the leader of a nationwide sugar cartel. In a new paper, Cato scholar Colin Grabow explains the origins of the sugar program, and evaluates opportunities for its potential reform or abolition.

Tesla Takes On Michigan

In the area of technology and startup innovation, new market entrants routinely find themselves besieged by analog-age incumbents hijacking the levers of government in an attempt to squelch competition. Nowhere is that phenomenon more apparent than at the state and local level. In a new paper, technology entrepreneur and former federal prosecutor Will Zerhouni looks at Michigan legislative restrictions on Tesla as a case study of state and local interference with free-market operations.

Cato Studies

More Cato Studies

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.