A Public Policy Blog from AEI

Most Recent

Blog Post
September 20, 2021

The decline in defense purchasing power and the transformation of the Pentagon into a social program

Why does the Pentagon struggle to actually get any increase in defense capability for all of the taxpayer money spent? The uncomfortable fact is that the defense budget has become predominately a social program that only as an afterthought provides some residual defense capability.

Blog Post
September 20, 2021

AOC reveals the economic truth that many Dems wish to avoid: Their spending dreams require tax hikes on everybody

Is America on its way to becoming a Nordic-style social democracy — or even something further to the left? Programs like universal healthcare and free tuition would present huge costs on taxpayers, and America is nowhere close to being ready to fund massive welfare state expansions.

Blog Post
September 20, 2021

5 questions for Azeem Azhar on the effects of future technology

Azeem Azhar describes the exponential rate of technological change that is poised to fundamentally alter our economy and politics, explaining its causes and predicting its effects.

Blog Post
September 18, 2021

Will accelerating technology end the great stagnation? My long-read Q&A with Azeem Azhar

Azeem Azhar discusses the forces underlying an accelerating pace of technological progress, providing a picture of the future to come and how our political institutions should adapt to a changing society.

Blog Post
September 17, 2021

Biden’s travel ban remains indefensible

Banning vaccinated travelers with negative tests from entering the country does nothing to address the domestic situation. But the Biden administration is more concerned with the political risks of loosening restrictions than with resuming normal travel.

Blog Post
September 17, 2021

Recollections on the 20th anniversary of 9/11

We were a terrified country after 9/11. Terrified that more and worse would be coming. Few at the time dared to predict that we would go for two decades without anything like that happening again.

Blog Post
September 17, 2021

Apple, Epic, net neutrality, and privacy: California’s long shadow over tech policy

California’s power to enact heavy-handed tech regulation on behalf of its citizens is a feature, not a bug, of our federalist system. But as the national economy grows increasingly intertwined, we should be aware of how state regulatory decisions can reverberate nationally.

Blog Post
September 16, 2021

5 questions for Ed Glaeser on the survival of cities

Ed Glaeser notes that cities have always been particularly susceptible to disease and highlights how urban economies are more vulnerable to pandemics than before. Charting a path forward, he suggests public health solutions and housing reforms that will revitalize cities.

Blog Post
September 15, 2021

Over the horizon, out of touch

In his July, President Biden boasted that “we are developing a counter-terrorism over-the-horizon capability that will allow us to keep our eyes firmly fixed on any direct threats to the United States” in Afghanistan. But overreliance on a single tactic ignores the reality of an adapting enemy.

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Economics

Blog Post
September 20, 2021

AOC reveals the economic truth that many Dems wish to avoid: Their spending dreams require tax hikes on everybody

Is America on its way to becoming a Nordic-style social democracy — or even something further to the left? Programs like universal healthcare and free tuition would present huge costs on taxpayers, and America is nowhere close to being ready to fund massive welfare state expansions.

Blog Post
September 20, 2021

5 questions for Azeem Azhar on the effects of future technology

Azeem Azhar describes the exponential rate of technological change that is poised to fundamentally alter our economy and politics, explaining its causes and predicting its effects.

Blog Post
September 18, 2021

Will accelerating technology end the great stagnation? My long-read Q&A with Azeem Azhar

Azeem Azhar discusses the forces underlying an accelerating pace of technological progress, providing a picture of the future to come and how our political institutions should adapt to a changing society.

Blog Post
September 17, 2021

Biden’s travel ban remains indefensible

Banning vaccinated travelers with negative tests from entering the country does nothing to address the domestic situation. But the Biden administration is more concerned with the political risks of loosening restrictions than with resuming normal travel.

Blog Post
September 16, 2021

5 questions for Ed Glaeser on the survival of cities

Ed Glaeser notes that cities have always been particularly susceptible to disease and highlights how urban economies are more vulnerable to pandemics than before. Charting a path forward, he suggests public health solutions and housing reforms that will revitalize cities.

Blog Post
September 15, 2021

Are the deep fundamentals of the US economy actually pretty strong?

Some pessimists write off the rising American stock market as reflecting little more than easy money. But what if Wall Street’s strong performance is suggesting the US economy has some deep strengths that too many overlook?

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Foreign and Defense Policy

Blog Post
September 20, 2021

The decline in defense purchasing power and the transformation of the Pentagon into a social program

Why does the Pentagon struggle to actually get any increase in defense capability for all of the taxpayer money spent? The uncomfortable fact is that the defense budget has become predominately a social program that only as an afterthought provides some residual defense capability.

Blog Post
September 17, 2021

Recollections on the 20th anniversary of 9/11

We were a terrified country after 9/11. Terrified that more and worse would be coming. Few at the time dared to predict that we would go for two decades without anything like that happening again.

Blog Post
September 15, 2021

Over the horizon, out of touch

In his July, President Biden boasted that “we are developing a counter-terrorism over-the-horizon capability that will allow us to keep our eyes firmly fixed on any direct threats to the United States” in Afghanistan. But overreliance on a single tactic ignores the reality of an adapting enemy.

Blog Post
September 13, 2021

The defense budget through administrations

On average, Republican administrations increase defense spending by $46.3 billion while Democrats decrease defense spending by $8.2 billion. With the defense budget projected to decrease during the Biden administration’s tenure, it is time to start considering how to best adjust strategy to a reduced level of spending.

Blog Post
September 03, 2021

House Armed Services Committee increases the defense budget authorization but avoids useful action on Afghanistan

This week the House Armed Services Committee adopted a number of amendments requiring an examination of the situation in Afghanistan. But none of the adopted amendments will do anything to help those currently facing oppression, torture, and death under the Taliban.

Blog Post
August 18, 2021

Presidential unity and the Afghanistan disaster

The decision to pull American troops completely out of Afghanistan over just a few months was President Biden’s alone. Will the president be held accountable for his decision? Can Congress do its institutional duty to review what the president has done?

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Tech Policy

Blog Post
September 20, 2021

5 questions for Azeem Azhar on the effects of future technology

Azeem Azhar describes the exponential rate of technological change that is poised to fundamentally alter our economy and politics, explaining its causes and predicting its effects.

Blog Post
September 18, 2021

Will accelerating technology end the great stagnation? My long-read Q&A with Azeem Azhar

Azeem Azhar discusses the forces underlying an accelerating pace of technological progress, providing a picture of the future to come and how our political institutions should adapt to a changing society.

Blog Post
September 17, 2021

Apple, Epic, net neutrality, and privacy: California’s long shadow over tech policy

California’s power to enact heavy-handed tech regulation on behalf of its citizens is a feature, not a bug, of our federalist system. But as the national economy grows increasingly intertwined, we should be aware of how state regulatory decisions can reverberate nationally.

Blog Post
September 15, 2021

Apple v. Epic ruling demonstrates that antitrust cases should be judged on merit

Recent antitrust victories for Apple and Facebook indicate that Big Tech tends to win when cases are tried on their merits — which explains why proponents of regulation favor a more authoritarian, less empirical approach to antitrust.

Blog Post
September 14, 2021

Are privacy laws compatible with international trade? Highlights from my conversation with Nigel Cory

How have national privacy laws created barriers to international trade, and how can businesses adapt? ITIF’s Nigel Cory joined “Explain to Shane” to share his outlook on the internet, trade, and cross-border data flows in the digital age.

Blog Post
September 13, 2021

Social media companies shouldn’t be pressed into a common-carrier mold

When it comes to the issue of online speech regulation, common-carrier-like frameworks for social media companies should be optional — not artificially imposed by politicians who see themselves as “protectors of truth.”

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