Regulatory Studies

Should Automakers Be Responsible for Accidents?

Motor vehicles are among the most dangerous products sold anywhere. But according to many auto-industry experts, the eventual transition to driverless vehicles will drastically lower the economic and noneconomic costs of auto accidents. How should the automobile tort/insurance regime be rede-signed to take into account the emergence of driverless vehicles? In the new issue of Regulation, Kyle D. Logue proposes to replace our current auto tort regime with a single comprehensive automaker enterprise liability system. Also in this issue, Ike Brannon and M. Kevin McGee argue that the Trump administration’s decision to rescind H-4 visa holders’ ability to work fails to meet any credible benefit–cost analysis.

How ‘Market Failure’ Arguments Lead to Misguided Policy

“Market failure” is a common justification for new government policies. Proponents of interventions love to point to instances of apparently imperfect markets and assume that government taxation, subsidies, and regulation can seamlessly perfect them, thus maximizing social welfare. But according to a new paper by Cato scholar Ryan Bourne, this simplistic approach—predicated on the idea that government can perfect markets—leads to more intervention or higher taxes than what is optimal and has significant unintended consequences.

Ending Chevron Deference

The word is out: the Supreme Court is poised to roll back the Chevron doctrine. Set out in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council (1984), the opinion states that when Congress has not “spoken directly to the precise question at issue,” a court reviewing an agency action “may not substitute its own construction of a statutory provision for a reasonable interpretation made by … the agency.” That gives agencies more flexibility in making law by issuing regulations. In the new issue of Regulation, law professor David Schoenbrod argues that the Court should ground any modification of Chevron on the constitutional norm that the “lawmakers” elected by the governed—that is, members of Congress—should take responsibility for the laws.

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Of Special Note

The Inclusive Economy: How to Bring Wealth to America’s Poor

The Inclusive Economy: How to Bring Wealth to America's Poor

The Inclusive Economy: How to Bring Wealth to America’s Poor energetically challenges the conventional wisdom of both the right and the left that underlies much of the contemporary debate over poverty and welfare policy. Author and national public policy expert Michael Tanner takes to task conservative critiques of a “culture of poverty” for their failure to account for the structural circumstances in which the poor live. In addition, he criticizes liberal calls for fighting poverty primarily through greater redistribution of wealth and new government programs.

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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.

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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.

The Jones Act: Charting a New Course after a Century of Failure

For nearly 100 years the Jones Act has restricted the transportation of cargo between two points in the U.S. to ships that are U.S.-built, crewed, owned, and flagged. Meant to bolster the U.S. maritime industry, the Act has instead led to a steady deterioration in the number of ships, sailors, shipyards, and has imposed large economic burdens. This full-day conference examined the Act in greater detail and evaluated options for reform.