Cato Event Podcast

Since the 2008 financial crisis, there has been a convergence of monetary policies by major central banks aimed at keeping benchmark interest rates near zero and supporting asset prices in the hope of stimulating economic growth. Yet global growth is still sluggish and the risk of asset bubbles is mounting. The distinguished speakers at this conference will consider the risks of unconventional monetary policy, the steps that need to be taken to normalize policy, and the fundamental question of rules versus discretion in the conduct of monetary policy. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Since the 2008 financial crisis, there has been a convergence of monetary policies by major central banks aimed at keeping benchmark interest rates near zero and supporting asset prices in the hope of stimulating economic growth. Yet global growth is still sluggish and the risk of asset bubbles is mounting. The distinguished speakers at this conference will consider the risks of unconventional monetary policy, the steps that need to be taken to normalize policy, and the fundamental question of rules versus discretion in the conduct of monetary policy. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Since the 2008 financial crisis, there has been a convergence of monetary policies by major central banks aimed at keeping benchmark interest rates near zero and supporting asset prices in the hope of stimulating economic growth. Yet global growth is still sluggish and the risk of asset bubbles is mounting. The distinguished speakers at this conference will consider the risks of unconventional monetary policy, the steps that need to be taken to normalize policy, and the fundamental question of rules versus discretion in the conduct of monetary policy. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Since the 2008 financial crisis, there has been a convergence of monetary policies by major central banks aimed at keeping benchmark interest rates near zero and supporting asset prices in the hope of stimulating economic growth. Yet global growth is still sluggish and the risk of asset bubbles is mounting. The distinguished speakers at this conference will consider the risks of unconventional monetary policy, the steps that need to be taken to normalize policy, and the fundamental question of rules versus discretion in the conduct of monetary policy. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Since the 2008 financial crisis, there has been a convergence of monetary policies by major central banks aimed at keeping benchmark interest rates near zero and supporting asset prices in the hope of stimulating economic growth. Yet global growth is still sluggish and the risk of asset bubbles is mounting. The distinguished speakers at this conference will consider the risks of unconventional monetary policy, the steps that need to be taken to normalize policy, and the fundamental question of rules versus discretion in the conduct of monetary policy. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Since the 2008 financial crisis, there has been a convergence of monetary policies by major central banks aimed at keeping benchmark interest rates near zero and supporting asset prices in the hope of stimulating economic growth. Yet global growth is still sluggish and the risk of asset bubbles is mounting. The distinguished speakers at this conference will consider the risks of unconventional monetary policy, the steps that need to be taken to normalize policy, and the fundamental question of rules versus discretion in the conduct of monetary policy. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The way human history is taught is misleading, argues Matt Ridley. Far too much emphasis is placed on the “top-down twitch” — the belief that change comes from on high: the politicians who run countries, scientists who discover truths, inventors who make breakthroughs, men and women who head companies. In fact, Ridley says, bottom-up progress through evolution is far more crucial. From the natural forces that formed the universe and human life itself to the cultural mechanisms that have shaped everything from our educational system and global financial structure, to the products we buy and the language we speak, “evolution is far more common, and far more influential, than most people recognize.” See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Economist and historian Robert Higgs has advanced our understanding of the causes, means, and effects of government power and the need to deconstruct statism and re-establish institutions that protect and advance liberty, prosperity, and peace. His work has engaged such issues as health care, the environment, law and economics, urban development, race discrimination, agriculture, immigration, war and peace, economic development, government spending and debt, welfare, money and banking, presidential power, civil liberties, the Great Depression, science, unemployment, and far more.His new book offers general readers keen analysis and engaging wit, informed by humility and compassion. Higgs examines the moral and practical imperatives of individual liberty, entrepreneurship and innovation, peace, economic growth, personal responsibility, civic virtue, and the rule of law. Taking a Stand’s 99 short, accessible chapters present a powerful and uplifting vision for the future. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and o

In late November world leaders will gather in Paris at the United Nations Climate Change Conference for what is viewed as the last great chance for a sweeping international agreement to limit carbon dioxide emissions. The consequences of this gathering may be enormous. Please join us to hear distinguished climate scientists and legal experts assess the issues sure to drive the debate before, during, and after the Paris meeting.Conference attendees will receive a free print edition of the new ebook Lukewarming: The New Climate Science That Changes Everything, by Patrick Michaels and Paul Knappenberger, being released in the next several weeks. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Many people have heard of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, two prospective “mega-regional” trade agreements involving the United States. But less is known about some of the other trade and economic architecture that is emerging across the globe. For example, the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) is a customs and economic union among Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and the Russian Federation, which took effect on January 1 of this year. The EAEU plans to expand to include other countries in the immediate region and to forge union-wide free trade agreements with external countries, as it already has with Vietnam.What exactly is the EAEU and what are its rules and goals?  How does it complement or clash with World Trade Organization rules? What does this relatively new entity mean for regional trade and investment?  How will the emergence and evolution of the EAEU interplay with the TPP, TTIP, other mega-regionals, and the WTO?  And, last

In late November world leaders will gather in Paris at the United Nations Climate Change Conference for what is viewed as the last great chance for a sweeping international agreement to limit carbon dioxide emissions. The consequences of this gathering may be enormous. Please join us to hear distinguished climate scientists and legal experts assess the issues sure to drive the debate before, during, and after the Paris meeting.Conference attendees will receive a free print edition of the new ebook Lukewarming: The New Climate Science That Changes Everything, by Patrick Michaels and Paul Knappenberger, being released in the next several weeks. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In late November world leaders will gather in Paris at the United Nations Climate Change Conference for what is viewed as the last great chance for a sweeping international agreement to limit carbon dioxide emissions. The consequences of this gathering may be enormous. Please join us to hear distinguished climate scientists and legal experts assess the issues sure to drive the debate before, during, and after the Paris meeting.Conference attendees will receive a free print edition of the new ebook Lukewarming: The New Climate Science That Changes Everything, by Patrick Michaels and Paul Knappenberger, being released in the next several weeks. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In late November world leaders will gather in Paris at the United Nations Climate Change Conference for what is viewed as the last great chance for a sweeping international agreement to limit carbon dioxide emissions. The consequences of this gathering may be enormous. Please join us to hear distinguished climate scientists and legal experts assess the issues sure to drive the debate before, during, and after the Paris meeting.Conference attendees will receive a free print edition of the new ebook Lukewarming: The New Climate Science That Changes Everything, by Patrick Michaels and Paul Knappenberger, being released in the next several weeks. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

After 6 years of negotiations, a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement among 12 countries on 4 continents was struck in Atlanta this month. The deal, should it be ratified and implemented, would constitute the world’s largest trade agreement since the Uruguay Round produced the World Trade Organization in 1995.But ratification is not assured. Objections to the TPP’s terms from Congressional Democrats and Republicans alike ensure that 2016, in the midst of the political debates, elections, and conventions, will provide the backdrop for a national referendum on the TPP and on trade and globalization more broadly.Join Cato trade policy scholars for a discussion of the most salient issues going into 2016 and what needs to happen to ratify and implement the TPP. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

How do economics and game theory explain the dating scene in D.C.? To find out, join us on October 27 at 6:00 p,m. for a reception and book forum with journalist Jon Birger, author of Date-onomics: How Dating Became a Lopsided Numbers Game. Using a combination of basic economic principles, demographics, game theory, and number crunching, Jon Birger explains America’s curiously lopsided dating and marriage market among single, college-educated, looking-for-a-partner women.Birger investigates not only the consequences of this unequal ratio of college-educated men to women on dating but also a host of other social issues. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It has been a dizzying year in the world of surveillance: In June, nearly two years after Edward Snowden shocked the world with unprecedented leaks revealing the scope of National Security Agency spying, Congress moved to limit the bulk collection of domestic communications data via the USA FREEDOM Act — first introduced at a Cato conference in 2013 — but how much privacy protection will the law’s reforms truly provide?Meanwhile, courts and policymakers struggle to keep up with a rapidly evolving array of high-tech threats to privacy, each posing difficult policy questions. Should encryption technologies be engineered to include back doors for government, as some law enforcement officials have proposed? How should companies respond to ever-growing demands for user data on a borderless Internet — and what consequences will the answer hold for America’s technology sector and global freedom? What tools can individuals rely on to protect themselves from intrusive states and malicious hackers? Does cybersecurity r

It has been a dizzying year in the world of surveillance: In June, nearly two years after Edward Snowden shocked the world with unprecedented leaks revealing the scope of National Security Agency spying, Congress moved to limit the bulk collection of domestic communications data via the USA FREEDOM Act — first introduced at a Cato conference in 2013 — but how much privacy protection will the law’s reforms truly provide?Meanwhile, courts and policymakers struggle to keep up with a rapidly evolving array of high-tech threats to privacy, each posing difficult policy questions. Should encryption technologies be engineered to include back doors for government, as some law enforcement officials have proposed? How should companies respond to ever-growing demands for user data on a borderless Internet — and what consequences will the answer hold for America’s technology sector and global freedom? What tools can individuals rely on to protect themselves from intrusive states and malicious hackers? Does cybersecurity r

It has been a dizzying year in the world of surveillance: In June, nearly two years after Edward Snowden shocked the world with unprecedented leaks revealing the scope of National Security Agency spying, Congress moved to limit the bulk collection of domestic communications data via the USA FREEDOM Act — first introduced at a Cato conference in 2013 — but how much privacy protection will the law’s reforms truly provide?Meanwhile, courts and policymakers struggle to keep up with a rapidly evolving array of high-tech threats to privacy, each posing difficult policy questions. Should encryption technologies be engineered to include back doors for government, as some law enforcement officials have proposed? How should companies respond to ever-growing demands for user data on a borderless Internet — and what consequences will the answer hold for America’s technology sector and global freedom? What tools can individuals rely on to protect themselves from intrusive states and malicious hackers? Does cybersecurity r

It has been a dizzying year in the world of surveillance: In June, nearly two years after Edward Snowden shocked the world with unprecedented leaks revealing the scope of National Security Agency spying, Congress moved to limit the bulk collection of domestic communications data via the USA FREEDOM Act — first introduced at a Cato conference in 2013 — but how much privacy protection will the law’s reforms truly provide?Meanwhile, courts and policymakers struggle to keep up with a rapidly evolving array of high-tech threats to privacy, each posing difficult policy questions. Should encryption technologies be engineered to include back doors for government, as some law enforcement officials have proposed? How should companies respond to ever-growing demands for user data on a borderless Internet — and what consequences will the answer hold for America’s technology sector and global freedom? What tools can individuals rely on to protect themselves from intrusive states and malicious hackers? Does cybersecurity r

It has been a dizzying year in the world of surveillance: In June, nearly two years after Edward Snowden shocked the world with unprecedented leaks revealing the scope of National Security Agency spying, Congress moved to limit the bulk collection of domestic communications data via the USA FREEDOM Act — first introduced at a Cato conference in 2013 — but how much privacy protection will the law’s reforms truly provide?Meanwhile, courts and policymakers struggle to keep up with a rapidly evolving array of high-tech threats to privacy, each posing difficult policy questions. Should encryption technologies be engineered to include back doors for government, as some law enforcement officials have proposed? How should companies respond to ever-growing demands for user data on a borderless Internet — and what consequences will the answer hold for America’s technology sector and global freedom? What tools can individuals rely on to protect themselves from intrusive states and malicious hackers? Does cybersecurity r