Cato Event Podcast

Indigenous peoples’ land rights around the world have long been violated or weakened by hostile or wrong-headed government policies. Tim Wilson will explain why property rights are human rights, and how legal impediments still undermine the ability of Aboriginal and other indigenous Australians to use their land titles as they see fit, including with various ownership structures. Karol Boudreaux will discuss how legal, social, and technological developments on the five continents are increasingly devolving property rights to indigenous and local people. Both speakers will discuss how this shift toward rights can help reduce poverty, improve governance, discourage land grabs, reduce conflict, and manage natural resources and the environment. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Americans swim daily in a sea of mandated disclosures. These disclosures accompany every trip to the doctor’s office, every credit card statement, every purchase of a song on your smartphone. Their intent is to transform every person into a well-informed consumer, able to make sound choices whether considering a range of medical treatments or a range of credit card features. But are the reams of information produced through mandated disclosures actually helpful? Are we making better choices? Is the enormous expense of compiling, distributing, and reviewing the information worth the benefit to the consumer? In their book, More Than You Wanted to Know: The Failure of Mandated Disclosure, law professors Omri Ben-Shahar and Carl E. Schneider conclude that these disclosures have utterly failed to achieve their goals and that widespread reliance on them is misplaced. Please join Professor Ben-Shahar and distinguished commentators for a spirited discussion of the use and misuse of mandated disclosure in our dai

The disappointing aftermath of the Arab Spring produced pessimism about the spread of liberalism in much of the Muslim world. Sudanese-born author Amir Ahmad Nasr will draw from his profoundly personal and critically acclaimed book to discuss the real ramifications of the digital revolution and the social movements it helped unleash. He will make the case for an assertive liberalism and explain how the power of the internet is a force for good in transforming ideas and identities in Islamic societies. Souad Adnane will explain why such optimism is justified now that the door has opened for people to question dogmas and think about new possibilities for social change even if the initial goals of the Arab Spring were not achieved. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Each year, thousands of young professionals descend on Washington with the hope of landing the perfect job at a think tank, on Capitol Hill, or in related fields. With so many bright, talented interns and recent graduates vying for the same opportunities, how can you distinguish yourself from the pack?Join the Cato Institute and America’s Future Foundation for a crash course in creative networking and career advancement — an event specifically designed for young professionals. Speakers will discuss topics related to post-graduate professional success, with a special focus on policy research and analysis, and the role of ideas generated within the nonprofit network in the broad public policy debate. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The most publicized bailout of the financial crisis was the TARP bill that provided capital injections to a wide range of banks. But most of the assistance to financial firms was provided through a less publicized set of emergency lending programs authorized by Section 13-3 of the Federal Reserve Act. This emergency lending authority supported the Fed’s rescue of AIG, a massive set of guarantees for Citibank, which would have failed without them, and an alphabet soup of lending ‘facilities’ that supported a small set of Wall Street dealers with almost unlimited cheap credit for a period of years.When Congress examined this issue during the Dodd-Frank Act, they placed new limits on emergency lending that are contained in Section 1101 of the legislation. These limits are clearly intended to limit 13-3 lending to programs that are truly broad based (as opposed to bailing out a small set of insider Wall Street institutions) and to exclude the use of the program for bailouts of institutions that are actually insol

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By returning the focus of the Catholic Church to the plight of the poor, Pope Francis has become much loved and admired. His prestige and influence is commensurate with his humanity and humility. But is Francis right about capitalism and its consequences? Is it true that capitalism is a form of exploitation that leads to poverty and inequality? Or is it the only proven way of dramatically reducing poverty and, even, achieving unprecedented material abundance? Please join our distinguished panel for a discussion of Pope Francis’s economics, and the Papal interpretation of economic history and the state of the world. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Without congressional reauthorization, E-Verify, the electronic employment eligibility verification program, will sunset on September 30. E-Verify is intended to screen illegal immigrants out of the job market by turning off the “jobs magnet” that attracts them to American soil.Many policymakers want to mandate E-Verify as part of an enforcement-only immigration policy. But its high error rate will delay or prevent employment for many current U.S. citizens, legal immigrants, and migrant workers. Furthermore, E-Verify is incapable of meaningfully locking unlawful immigrants out of America’s job market. If E-Verify is ever made permanent, and its inadequacy in stemming the flow of illegal migrants made apparent, the likely outcome will be the creation of a biometric identification system capable of regulating our lives in areas far outside of immigration enforcement. Join us for a discussion of E-Verify and its many perils. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Magna Carta was a milestone that circumscribed the power of the sovereign for the first time in human history. In his new book, distinguished British historian and television personality David Starkey looks at the origins of the Great Charter in the 13th century, its significant early revisions, and the ways in which it has been interpreted and reinterpreted by subsequent generations. Starkey explains how core principles of this quintessentially English document migrated to the North American colonies and eventually became the cornerstone of the U.S. Constitution. He also explores how the Magna Carta indirectly led to the enshrinement of human rights in such documents as the Bill of Rights. Please join us for a discussion of the past and current state of constitutional politics in the western world—including the assault on our freedoms by the proponents of multiculturalism and political correctness. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It has long been a public policy goal—and social ideal—to bring black and white children together in the same schools. It is a goal, however, that has not been met. In this forum we will discuss several reasons for this, including federal policies that have all but assured segregated housing and, hence, segregated public schools. We will also look at potential ways to solve these problems that are both ambitious and realistic about what can be accomplished. We hope you’ll join us for this crucial conversation. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

For many centuries, only the politically connected and elite prospered in India, while the rest of the population lived in poverty. Since 1991, however, 250 million people have been lifted out of poverty and are finding new ways of unlocking their potential. India Awakes explores an inherited British bureaucracy, which created layers of rules and regulations, and it shows how globalization and economic liberalization are leading to social change. Join us to see a segment of the documentary from the Free to Choose Network. Film host Johan Norberg will discuss how individuals from different parts of India are breaking down the centuries-old caste system through new opportunities, entrepreneurship, and by obtaining property and other legal rights.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Next week marks the one-year anniversary of the start of America's War with ISIS. But after 12 months and more than 5,000 airstrikes—and with some 3,500 U.S. soldiers on the ground—Congress has yet to hold a vote on authorization for our latest Middle East war.Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) calls this situation "inexcusable." He has been a leader in the effort to get Congress to live up to the most solemn responsibility with which the Constitution entrusts it. "How much longer will we allow war to be waged without Congress even being willing to have a debate about the strategy and scope of the mission?" he asked from the Senate floor recently. "How much longer will we keep asking service members to risk their lives without Congress doing the basic job" of taking an up-or-down vote on the war?Join us on August 6 as we discuss the dangerous growth of executive war powers and how Congress can reclaim its constitutional prerogatives over war and peace. See acast.com/privacy for

From Cato University 2015: Summer Seminar on Political EconomyThe Cato Institute’s premier educational event, this annual program brings together outstanding faculty and participants from across the country and, often, from around the globe in order to examine the roots of our commitment to liberty and limited government, and explore the ideas and values on which the American republic was founded. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

From Cato University 2015: Summer Seminar on Political EconomyThe Cato Institute’s premier educational event, this annual program brings together outstanding faculty and participants from across the country and, often, from around the globe in order to examine the roots of our commitment to liberty and limited government, and explore the ideas and values on which the American republic was founded. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

From Cato University 2015: Summer Seminar on Political EconomyThe Cato Institute’s premier educational event, this annual program brings together outstanding faculty and participants from across the country and, often, from around the globe in order to examine the roots of our commitment to liberty and limited government, and explore the ideas and values on which the American republic was founded. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

From Cato University 2015: Summer Seminar on Political EconomyThe Cato Institute’s premier educational event, this annual program brings together outstanding faculty and participants from across the country and, often, from around the globe in order to examine the roots of our commitment to liberty and limited government, and explore the ideas and values on which the American republic was founded. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.