Cato Event Podcast

Join Sphere Education Initiatives for an exclusive book release event for Centers of Progress: 40 Cities That Changed the World on Wednesday, October 11th at 7:30 pm eastern. Hear from the author, Chelsea Follett, about these extraordinary cities, the impact they have had on advancing human progress, and learn about the key conditions that allowed for their success. Following the presentation will be an overview of classroom resources developed by Sphere alumnus, Sean Kinnard, for use in your classroom.In Centers of Progress: 40 Cities that Changed the World, Chelsea Follett examines a diverse group of cities, ranging from ancient Athens to Song‐​era Hangzhou. But some common themes stand out: most cities reach their creative peak during periods of peace; most centers of progress also thrive during times of social, intellectual, and economic freedom, as well as openness to intercultural exchange and trade; and centers of progress tend to be highly populated. Because, in every city, it

Disagreements over the necessity or wisdom of policies to advance economic equity have riven the country and Washington in recent years. Is equity a goal to be pursued by a vigorous policy agenda? Would doing so prove to be counterproductive? Debating this issue will be leading student debaters from the Washington Urban Debate League in Washington, DC, with an expert panel of judges from across the ideological spectrum offering feedback and insight.A project of the Cato Institute, Sphere Education Initiatives works with grades 5–12 educators and administrators to provide them with the knowledge, experience, professional development, and viewpoint‐​diverse resources to bring difficult conversations on the most pressing issues to the classroom and equip our country’s students to engage in civil discourse.The Washington Urban Debate League uses debate to make transformative educational opportunities available for students in the DC area. Peer‐​reviewed research shows that competitive debate is one of t

Please join us for a thought‐​provoking evening with author and award‐​winning investigative reporter Matt Taibbi. Matt will discuss government suppression of speech, the significance of First Amendment principles, and why a free press is needed to preserve our democracy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Please join us for a thought‐​provoking evening with author and award‐​winning investigative reporter Matt Taibbi. Matt will discuss government suppression of speech, the significance of First Amendment principles, and why a free press is needed to preserve our democracy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Health care in the United States is not a free market. In many ways, U.S. residents are less free to make their own health decisions than residents of other nations. State and federal governments subsidize low‐​quality medical care and penalize high‐​quality care. They block innovations that would otherwise reduce medical prices. The harms are so wide‐​reaching, the way Congress funds veterans benefits even increases the likelihood of war. In his new book Recovery: A Guide to Reforming the U.S. Health Sector, Michael Cannon exposes the barriers that government places in the way of better, more affordable, and more secure health care. Recovery explores how making health care as universal as possible requires dismantling these obstacles. Please join us for a discussion with the author and a panel of experts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are states rational? Much of international relations theory assumes that they are. But many scholars believe that political leaders rarely act rationally. John J. Mearsheimer will argue that rational decisions in international politics rest on credible theories about how the world works and emerge from deliberative decisionmaking processes. Using these criteria, he will describe how most states are rational most of the time, even if they are not always successful, and will discuss implications for formulating foreign policy. Join Mearsheimer and Ashley Tellis, a scholar with extensive policy experience, for a discussion of whether states behave rationally. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There is no question that certain places, at certain times in history, have contributed disproportionately toward making the world a better place. In this book forum, Chelsea Follett will discuss her debut book that tells the story of 40 of those places, ranging in diversity from ancient Athens to Song‐​era Hangzhou to post–World War II New York. She will note some common themes that have emerged, including that most cities reach their creative peak during periods of peace, tend to be highly populated, and thrive during times of social, intellectual, and economic freedom, as well as openness to intercultural exchange. Noting that change is a constant, but progress is not, she suggests in her book that studying the past can teach us about fostering innovation in the present. Jack Goldstone will provide insights into the historical causes of progress and prosperity. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Globalization has come under fire over the past two decades as the world has lived through an international financial crisis, terrorist attacks, a pandemic, and the return of war in Europe. Johan Norberg will explain why, despite such turmoil, the free market has still made the past 20 years the best time in human history by almost any measure of well‐​being. He will discuss why trade protectionism, industrial policy, and other proposals from the left and the right are mistakes that should not be repeated. The market, a system based on cooperation and exchange, still offers the best way to address and think about current issues, including the rise of China, the role of Big Tech, and inequality. Chris Griswold will provide a critique of markets from a conservative perspective and suggest policies to limit globalization. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The American national security state—and its accumulated millions of pages of classified records—has become a fixture of our political, social, and cultural life. Yet prior to World War I, the United States had no systematized government classification system, and its actual defense and foreign policy–related secrets were few. That changed with the United States’ entry into World War I, when through legislation and regulatory policy, the Wilson administration created the forerunners of the modern U.S. intelligence community. The secret electronic and human surveillance techniques and processes that started under President Woodrow Wilson mushroomed in scale during and after World War II.Defenders of the current secrecy system claim it is vital to the safety of Americans at home and abroad. But what does the actual history of the past 100 years show? Have the FBI, CIA, NSA, and other federal agencies and departments truly used secrecy to protect us or instead to keep knowledge of their own misdeeds fr

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Six months after the high‐​profile failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, the Cato Institute’s Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives will host Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Vice Chairman Travis Hill to discuss the state of banking and economic conditions, recent regulatory actions, and the outlook for banks and bank regulators. Following his remarks, Hill will take questions in a moderated discussion. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The National Center for Health Statistics reported that more than 107,000 people died from drug overdoses in 2021. More than three‐​quarters of overdose deaths involved opioids. Recent research estimates the number of adults living with opioid use disorder (OUD) ranges from 6.7 million to 7.6 million. These estimates suggest that 1–2 of every 100 U.S. residents has OUD.In the United States, federal and state laws require people with OUD who seek treatment with methadone to travel to government‐​approved opioid treatment programs (OTPs), which limits access to methadone treatment. Increasing access to OUD treatment would reduce the number of people who seek drugs in the dangerous black market and, in turn, reduce the risk and incidence of overdose deaths.Please join our distinguished panel to discuss ways to reform current methadone laws to destigmatize people with OUD, respect their humanity, and improve their access to methadone treatment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the past few years, a new intellectual trend has appeared among America’s Christian conservatives: “post‐​liberalism.” Its pioneers include a handful of Catholic scholars called “integralists”—who want to integrate the state and religion—and other public figures known as “national conservatives.” These post‐​liberals blame some social ills and social change that they see as problematic on the classical liberal tradition that constitutes the very founding principles of the United States: individual liberty, religious freedom, free markets, and separation of church and state. Kevin Vallier will critique post‐​liberals using insights partly drawn from Catholic theology and explain why a reintegration of state and religion is good for neither the state, nor religion, nor liberty. Mustafa Akyol and Mark Tooley will share their thoughts on liberalism from Islamic and Protestant perspectives. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Argentina’s chronically undisciplined monetary and fiscal policies have resulted in economic stagnation and recurring debt crises, devaluations, and defaults. This year, the inflation rate has surpassed 100 percent. The leading presidential candidate, Javier Milei, has proposed dollarization as a necessary policy to fix the economy. Economist Emilio Ocampo, Milei’s adviser on dollarization, will explain the need for Argentina to replace the peso with the dollar and discuss how the country can accomplish that goal. He will address issues related to monetary sovereignty, the sufficiency of reserves to carry out the reform, and central bank debt. Manuel Hinds will draw on the successful dollarization of El Salvador that he implemented in 2001 and that of other dollarized countries in the region to provide remarks on the particular case of Argentina. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The United States has traditionally taken a more permissionless approach to new technologies, allowing entrepreneurs to connect directly with consumers in the market, while Europe has taken a more regulatory approach that requires government approval first.Europe seems to be continuing its more regulatory approach when it comes to AI, but will the United States continue its less regulatory one? What impact might regulations around issues like privacy or content moderation have on the development of AI around the globe? With the EU and UK already acting on AI, is the United States risking losing global policy leadership through its policy inaction?Like many general‐​purpose technologies, we should be hesitant of the rush to regulate AI out of fear or disruption. We also must consider the benefits as well as risks when it comes to new technologies and their accompanying policy framework. How can we take the lessons of the United States’ leadership in technology and technology in the past and apply the