A Public Policy Blog from AEI

Most Recent

Blog Post
October 01, 2021
AEIdeas

Privacy policy impasse as ‘crisis’

by Jim Harper

A recent congressional letter about consumer privacy to Federal Trade Commission chair Lina Khan is easy to deride as a partisan regulatory effort. But it offers a jumping off point for understanding privacy and — more importantly — for understanding our constitutional system of government.

Technology and Innovation
Blog Post
September 30, 2021
AEIdeas

Slavery, sex education, and evolution: Political divides over “controversial” classroom topics are modest

by Nat Malkus | Matthew Rice

Republicans and Democrats may not agree on the strength of the importance of learning about contentious issues like climate change, evolution, and capitalism, but, for the most part, they do share support for students learning about them.

EducationK-12 Schooling
Blog Post
September 30, 2021
AEIdeas

The real ‘tax gap’ is the one between progressive spending dreams and economic reality

by James Pethokoukis

If the $3.5 trillion Democratic reconciliation bill becomes law in anything close to current form, it would be a big step toward European-style comprehensive welfare state. But it’s hard to avoid the fundamental mismatch between the left’s spending dreams and the economics of taxation.

EconomicsPethokoukisPolitical EconomyPublic Economics
Blog Post
September 30, 2021
AEIdeas

Democrats start to pare back their massive child tax credit expansion

by Matt Weidinger

Congressional Democrats have started debating how to pare back the mammoth expansion in the child tax credit included in the House version of their $3.5 trillion spending bill. As the debate continues to unfold, here’s a user-friendly guide to 10 key arguments to watch.

Poverty Studies
Blog Post
September 30, 2021
AEIdeas

Why is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pushing to add even more benefits to Democrats’ shrinking $3.5 trillion spending plan? Part II

by Matt Weidinger

Proposed unemployment insurance benefit expansions would increase benefit payouts to those with a more marginal attachment to work, converting UI increasingly into a welfare-style program.

Politics and Public OpinionPoverty Studies
Blog Post
September 29, 2021
AEIdeas

Why is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pushing to add even more benefits to Democrats’ shrinking $3.5 trillion spending plan? Part I

by Matt Weidinger

Demands to expand the spending policies included in the spending plan will only increase the challenges faced by Speaker Pelosi and Leader Schumer to shrink that package to meet the political realities of their narrow majorities.

Politics and Public OpinionPoverty Studies
Blog Post
September 29, 2021
AEIdeas

Lawmakers dropping the ball on student loan policy has Navient jumping ship

by Beth Akers

On the heels of two other major servicers exiting the business, Navient announced today they are planning to withdraw from their federal student loan servicing contracts. Perhaps working with lawmakers is no longer worth the trouble.

Economics of EducationEducationHigher Education
Blog Post
September 29, 2021
AEIdeas

Conservatives should engage in federal higher education rulemaking

by Max Eden | Jessica Schurz

With the first committee meeting around the corner, and so many federal higher education policies hanging in the balance, it’s time for conservatives to engage in the policymaking process or the Biden administration will simply consider only its own wishes when writing regulations.

EducationHigher Education
Blog Post
September 28, 2021
AEIdeas

How would the US corporate tax burden compare with those of other developed nations?

by Kyle Pomerleau | Grant M. Seiter

The Biden administration and Democratic lawmakers in Congress are now considering proposals to raise the tax burden on corporations. Both proposals would reduce the incentive to invest in the US and increase the incentive to shift profits and high-return assets into low-tax jurisdictions.

EconomicsTax ReformUS Economy
Blog Post
September 28, 2021
AEIdeas

5 questions for Charles Fishman on the Apollo program

by James Pethokoukis | Charles Fishman

Charles Fishman narrates the history of NASA, from its incredible success with the Apollo program to subsequent decades of disappointment. Looking ahead, Fishman discusses how NASA and private companies can each have a distinct role in space.

EconomicsInnovationPethokoukisTechnology and Innovation
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Economics

Blog Post
September 30, 2021
AEIdeas

The real ‘tax gap’ is the one between progressive spending dreams and economic reality

by James Pethokoukis

If the $3.5 trillion Democratic reconciliation bill becomes law in anything close to current form, it would be a big step toward European-style comprehensive welfare state. But it’s hard to avoid the fundamental mismatch between the left’s spending dreams and the economics of taxation.

EconomicsPethokoukisPolitical EconomyPublic Economics
Blog Post
September 28, 2021
AEIdeas

How would the US corporate tax burden compare with those of other developed nations?

by Kyle Pomerleau | Grant M. Seiter

The Biden administration and Democratic lawmakers in Congress are now considering proposals to raise the tax burden on corporations. Both proposals would reduce the incentive to invest in the US and increase the incentive to shift profits and high-return assets into low-tax jurisdictions.

EconomicsTax ReformUS Economy
Blog Post
September 28, 2021
AEIdeas

5 questions for Charles Fishman on the Apollo program

by James Pethokoukis | Charles Fishman

Charles Fishman narrates the history of NASA, from its incredible success with the Apollo program to subsequent decades of disappointment. Looking ahead, Fishman discusses how NASA and private companies can each have a distinct role in space.

EconomicsInnovationPethokoukisTechnology and Innovation
Blog Post
September 27, 2021
AEIdeas

The legacy of the Moon landing: My long-read Q&A with Charles Fishman

by James Pethokoukis | Charles Fishman

Charles Fishman recounts the accomplishments of the Apollo program, highlighting NASA’s use of computer chips that pushed the industry forward. Looking ahead, Fishman describes his vision of public and private space ventures.

EconomicsInnovationPolitical EconomyTechnology and Innovation
Blog Post
September 27, 2021
AEIdeas

Christian democratic losses and social-democratic gains, this time in Germany

by Stan Veuger

The more fragmented resulting German political landscape is starting to resemble that of the Netherlands and Belgium. If that means coalition negotiations will be of similar duration as well, Angela Merkel will remain chancellor for the foreseeable future.

Economics
Blog Post
September 27, 2021
AEIdeas

Looking at the puzzle of falling US birth rates

by James Pethokoukis

Birth rates have been on a downward trend since the beginning of the Great Recession, but the explanation goes beyond the economic downturn of the financial crisis. Shifting priorities among parents mean that boosting fertility is neither simple nor inexpensive.

AgingEconomicsPethokoukisUS Economy
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Foreign and Defense Policy

Blog Post
September 27, 2021
AEIdeas

Will Biden also accept Chinese IP theft?

by Derek Scissors

Chinese courts have declared that their firms can’t be sued anywhere in the world for theft of intellectual property. This is just one, recent event in decades of intellectual property theft and coercion by China and utter American failure to respond.

AsiaForeign and Defense Policy
Blog Post
September 23, 2021
AEIdeas

More empty talk on export controls

by Derek Scissors

If the Bureau of Industry and Security can’t restrict China from gaining certain foundational and emerging technologies for its military, for driving American companies out of business, and for repressing human rights, the bureau is harming the country.

AsiaForeign and Defense Policy
Blog Post
September 21, 2021
AEIdeas

Beyond AUKUS: 5 practical recommendations

by Zack Cooper

The AUKUS deal announced last week will aid Australia’s defense and could also help to stabilize the deteriorating military balance in Asia and reassure some countries of America’s commitment. The US should capitalize on this momentum.

AsiaDefenseForeign and Defense Policy
Blog Post
September 21, 2021
AEIdeas

Evergrande, and more important things

by Derek Scissors

The Evergrande Group, one of China’s largest lenders, is facing default on billions in debt. With the Chinese financial system largely a government arm, two other developments demand attention: China’s outstanding credit as a share of GDP is falling, and China is reducing its financial transparency.

AsiaForeign and Defense Policy
Blog Post
September 20, 2021
AEIdeas

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

by William C. Greenwalt

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.

DefenseForeign and Defense Policy
Blog Post
September 17, 2021
AEIdeas

Recollections on the 20th anniversary of 9/11

by Paul Wolfowitz

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.

Foreign and Defense PolicyIndia/Afghanistan/PakistanTerrorism
1 2 3 … 232

Tech Policy

Blog Post
October 01, 2021
AEIdeas

Privacy policy impasse as ‘crisis’

by Jim Harper

A recent congressional letter about consumer privacy to Federal Trade Commission chair Lina Khan is easy to deride as a partisan regulatory effort. But it offers a jumping off point for understanding privacy and — more importantly — for understanding our constitutional system of government.

Technology and Innovation
Blog Post
September 28, 2021
AEIdeas

5 questions for Charles Fishman on the Apollo program

by James Pethokoukis | Charles Fishman

Charles Fishman narrates the history of NASA, from its incredible success with the Apollo program to subsequent decades of disappointment. Looking ahead, Fishman discusses how NASA and private companies can each have a distinct role in space.

EconomicsInnovationPethokoukisTechnology and Innovation
Blog Post
September 28, 2021
AEIdeas

The FTC moves toward a command economy

by Mark Jamison

A recent memo from Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan outlines plans to discourage business success and normalize ex ante regulation — with damaging consequences for the US economy.

Technology and Innovation
Blog Post
September 27, 2021
AEIdeas

The legacy of the Moon landing: My long-read Q&A with Charles Fishman

by James Pethokoukis | Charles Fishman

Charles Fishman recounts the accomplishments of the Apollo program, highlighting NASA’s use of computer chips that pushed the industry forward. Looking ahead, Fishman describes his vision of public and private space ventures.

EconomicsInnovationPolitical EconomyTechnology and Innovation
Blog Post
September 27, 2021
AEIdeas

Bravo to The Economist — and classical liberalism, part II

by Claude Barfield

In the second of two pieces concerning The Economist’s defense of classical liberalism, AEI’s Claude Barfield discusses the pervasiveness of “illiberal” left-leaning ideologies within universities, newsrooms, and tech firms.

Technology and Innovation
Blog Post
September 24, 2021
AEIdeas

Bravo to The Economist — and classical liberalism, part I

by Claude Barfield

A recent piece from The Economist documents the threat that the populist right and, namely, the illiberal left pose to classical liberalism — with implications for tech regulation, academia, journalism, and a number of other fields.

Technology and Innovation
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