January, 2011
Greetings!
EVENTS
January 26, 2011
POLICY FORUM: Location-Tracking Technology and Privacy
Washington, D.C. | 12:00pm
January 28, 2011
POLICY FORUM: Cloning "Superman": What Other Countries Already Know about Scaling Up Good Schools
Washington, D.C. | 12:00pm
January 28, 2011
STUDENT FORUM: Debating Social Welfare Policy in the 21st Century: What's the Best Way Forward?
Washington, D.C. | 3:30pm
February 8, 2011
BOOK FORUM: Inflated: How Money and Debt Built the American Dream
Washington, D.C. | 12:00pm
- More Events -
Cato events are broadcast live online, so tune in if you can't make it in person. See the full schedule of Events here.
OPPORTUNITIES
IHS Koch Summer Fellowship Program
Deadline: January 31st
The Institute for Humane Studies' Charles G. Koch Summer Fellowship Program is a competitive internship program that combines paid public policy internships with career advancing seminars, guest lectures, and an amazing network. Placements for the program are in the DC-area and around the country at State-based think tanks.
Koch Associate Program
Deadline: rolling until March 1st
The Koch Associate Program is a challenging job opportunity for professionals who are passionate about free-market ideas, and want to become more effective at advancing liberty throughout their careers. The Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation's aim is to develop the capabilities of the Associates through the program by providing management training, professional development, and the knowledge and skills necessary to achieve their career potential.
Institute for Justice Maffucci Fellowships
Deadline: rolling
The Institute for Justice is seeking fellows for its internship program. The fellowship includes assisting with exciting research projects, helping track situations and legislation across the country, and providing valuable administrative support to staff on a variety of tasks.
State Policy Network Opportunities Database
The State Policy Network strives to connect individuals with liberty-advancing communities. With this new resource, SPN catalogues the following opportunities for students and young professionals: free seminars, essay competitions, paid internships, career mentoring, social networks, and scholarships.
Talent Market Opportunity Database
Talent Market's mission is to promote liberty by providing talent for critical roles within the free-market nonprofit sector.
Multimedia
Video: Cato Analyzes Obama's State of the Union Address
The State of the Union address has long been used by presidents to inform, rally support, and give their take on what's going on in the country. Cato scholars took this opportunity to evaluate President Obama's speech and analyze the strength of his policy positions, including what he does well and what he could do to improve. This one video could give you the "inside scoop" for what to expect in politics over the next twelve months.
Video: Police Taking Stuff
In the U.S., individuals are guaranteed a trial and are assumed innocent until proven otherwise. Not so with your stuff! In this brief video, the Institute for Justice explains that police and prosecutors may seize personal property if they "believe" that it may be criminally related. Find out more about Civil Asset Forfeiture and how to stop this abuse -- it'll only cost you two and a half minutes!
Video: Against the Four Loko Ban
In the most recent winning entry to Cato On Campus' YouTube contest, Will Massey, a junior at Hampden-Sydney College, explains why the recent ban on the alcoholic energy drink Four Loko is actually a less safe policy. Check it out, and submit your own video to our contest.
NEW BOOKS
Liberty of Contract
By David N. Mayer
Alarmed by the explosive growth of government, Americans today are more interested than ever in the U.S. Constitution and the limits it places on government power. Liberty of Contract powerfully illuminates a key limit: the right of individuals to enter into contracts with one other. It examines the history of the liberty of contract and shows how this right has been continuously diminished by court decisions and by our country's growing regulatory and welfare state.
Downsizing Government (free e-book)
By Chris Edwards
The federal government is running massive budget deficits, spending too much, and remains in a prolonged financial crisis. Without a change of direction in Washington, average working families will be faced with huge tax increases and a lower standard of living. Find out how to fix the problem with this month's Cato On Campus free e-book.
Spring Semester Kick-Off Issue
We're only a few weeks into 2011 and Cato On Campus is already off to a busy start. With the help of our good friends at the D.C. Forum for Freedom, we're hosting a student event this Friday, January 28th titled Social Welfare Policy in the 21st Century. Our debate panel features an impressive group of scholars including Cato's own Michael Tanner, Isabel Sawhill from the Brookings Institution and former Associate Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and Peter Edelman, a professor at the Georgetown University School of Law and the highest ranking member of Clinton's staff to resign over 1996 welfare reform legislation. It's bound to be a "Clash of the Titans," and not like that lame 2010 remake, but the rough and tumble 1981 film. If you're not able to join us at the Institute, then you can still watch and interact live with our speakers here.
In other news, the University of Pennsylvania's annual global ranking of top think tanks asked scholars, policy makers, journalists, and regional and subject area experts to nominate the best think tanks in the world. The Cato Institute makes the top 25 in a dozen categories! Congratulations to all of our hardworking colleagues who not only make Cato a great place to work, but also contribute to the success of one of the world's top public policy institutions. Here at Cato On Campus we're doing our best to take the quality research, analysis, and commentary supplied by Cato scholars and deliver it into the hands of students and young people interested in learning more about the ideas of liberty.
Speaking of commentary, President Obama's State of the Union address was last night, and Cato policy scholars were standing by to weigh in and offer analysis. You can check out their comments in a video that Cato staff stayed up all night to crank out. More than half a dozen Cato scholars analyze many of Obama's claims. Don't forget to pass it on to your friends; it's probably the first full analysis video of the speech available this morning.
We're also pleased to announce a new student opportunity. Select Cato internship applicants will be invited to attend Liberty & Current Issues: Connecting Libertarian Ideas to Public Policy, a policy seminar co-sponsored with the Institute for Humane Studies. Taking place June 2-8 in Washington, DC, the seminar features top academic faculty and Cato policy scholars. Apply for Cato's summer internship semester for a chance to attend this fantastic summer seminar.
In addition to our other summer offerings we're now accepting applications for Cato University, the Cato Institute's premier educational event of the year. This annual program brings together outstanding faculty and participants from across the country and, often, from around the globe -- all sharing a commitment to liberty and learning. Apply for our Bastiat Scholarship today!
Sincerely,
Joey Coon
www.CatoOnCampus.org
P.S. Due to our newsletter expansion, we've been able to offer free e-books in each edition. Spread the word to your friends and classmates so we can continue to provide these resources!
News
Edelman v. Sawhill v. Tanner -- Debate at Cato Institute
Cato On Campus welcomes the new semester with a debate featuring three acclaimed welfare scholars. With almost a century of combined experience in the field, and with drastically different viewpoints, the panelists will surely contribute interesting ideas for discussion and debate. Peter Edelman is a Georgetown Law professor and was the highest ranking Clinton official to resign in protest over welfare reform legislation in 1996. Isabel Sawhill is a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and was formerly the Associate Director of the Office of Management and Budget. Michael Tanner is a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute, a prolific writer, and an acclaimed policy expert. Please join us for "Debating Social Welfare Policy in the 21st Century: What's the Best Way Forward?" on January 28th at 3:30pm at the Cato Institute. Check out their viewpoints and bios, and register here.
International Students for Liberty Conference
The International Students For Liberty Conference is fast approaching! Students for Liberty is a remarkable organization that seeks to connect and educate students with regard to the ideas and advancement of liberty. Their international conference is the largest gathering of pro-liberty students in the world, and promises world-renowned speakers, fantastic networking opportunities with the nation's top liberty organizations, and countless encounters with other students passionate about liberty. Furthermore, there will be a live taping of the STOSSEL Show on Saturday night. Registration is still open, so register today!
Are Public Schools Hazardous to Public Education?
This week is National School Choice Week, when advocates gather across the nation to shine a spotlight on effective education options. Cato's Education Policy scholar Andrew Coulson explains, in a two page overview, why we should consider a market approach to schooling rather than our existing monopoly approach. For a dose of modern statistical evidence, check out his corresponding analysis.
In light of this week's national focus on education, the Cato Institute is hosting an international panel for an event, Cloning "Superman": What Other Countries Already Know about Scaling Up Good Schools, that will discuss the way forward and what the U.S. can learn from other countries' experiences. Register for Friday's event here.
10 Days of Internships
This is a perfect time to fill out applications for the summer internship you have (or maybe haven't) been thinking of. Many liberty-related organizations have application deadlines approaching in the coming weeks and months, some of which we recently highlighted in an initiative over the holidays called, "10 Days of Internships." With at least ten organizations to consider, you're sure to find something that strikes your interest. Don't miss out!
FEATURED ARTICLES
Rent-Seeking: A Primer
Many of us are familiar with the idea of rent -- for houses, cars, movies, etc. -- and while we might not like paying it, we understand why we must. But when we hear the term "rent seeking," it's often with a negative tone and we're unsure about what exactly it means. Thankfully, economics professor Sandy Ikeda has a knack for explaining complex ideas in a clear, concise format. In this article she explains that rent-seeking, which is technically a neutral term, has come to mean the hijacking of the political apparatus for unfair economic gain that does not create value for the economy on the whole. Looking at how profit-seeking, conversely, creates true value for the whole economy and supports a free market, she also explains how rent-seeking undermines the rule of law and leads to a downward social and economic spiral.
For more excellent articles from Foundation for Economic Education, check out their daily email In Brief and their monthly magazine The Freeman.
Of Facemasks and Texting -- A Deadly Connection?
In Cato's most recent edition of Regulation Magazine, humorist and columnist Tim Rowland presents some striking similarities between football helmets and texting while driving, highlighting Frederic Bastiat's concept of the seen and the unseen. Rowland shows that as helmets in professional football have become more advanced -- intended to protect players -- concussions have become much more prevalent as players no longer fear injuring themselves. Similarly, new data reveals that anti-texting laws have been met with an increase in texting-related accidents, not a decrease. Apparently, texting drivers "now keep their phones in their laps, out of view of the cops" and take their eyes off the road more often than before. As the Superbowl approaches, this study reminds us that the intentions of even the most benevolent policymakers often result in unintended consequences.
Consumerism Is Keynesianism
"One of the most pernicious and widespread economic fallacies is the belief that consumption is the key to a healthy economy," says economics professor Steven Horwitz. He explains that, in fact, this belief stems from "misguided Keynesian thinking." Horwitz demonstrates that the real way to drive an economy is to provide producers -- who develop products, provide jobs, and supply our needs -- with the proper system of confidence. "Wealth is created through acts of production that rearrange resources in ways people value more than alternative arrangements," not by encouraging people (and/or governments) to spend all of their (our?) money on what already exists. At its root, consumerism was fostered by Keynesian ideas. Therefore, those who equate capitalism with consumerism need some education.
Ask the Expert: Can Businesses Transact with Gold on the Internet?
Jim Harper, Director of Information Policy Studies at the Cato Institute and government regulation guru, presents the case for transacting business on the Internet with precious metals as currency and the reasons why governments aren't likely to support it. Companies have offered platforms that facilitate alternative payment methods in the past. However, the U.S. government has cracked down on these ventures, citing that the anonymity and lack of oversight would draw attention from some individuals with criminal intentions. There are additional reasons why governments may be interested in stomping out this concept of free-market business interaction, and Harper speculates on a few of those issues as well.
POLICY STUDIES
"Why Is Africa Poor?"
By Greg Mills
Development Briefing Paper
From television ads to Hollywood movies, Africa has long been the poster child of poverty and of the need for international aid. Yet for years this focus has not returned outcomes that match with inputs. Conversely, however, other regions have sprung up without such assistance. Mills notes that examples of successful development exist around the world, explaining that "as Asian countries have shown, African countries must liberalize their economies to grow." In addition to change from within, such as African governments bolstering rather than undermining the business environment, external governments must also contribute, but not in the conventional or typical sense. "Western governments must also help -- by ending or reducing foreign aid to African regimes." Mills' study shows that by more closely aligning governments and citizens, real change can happen.
In Medicine, Money Matters: Real Health Care Reform Would Change Incentives.
By David A. Hyman
Policy Analysis
As with mechanics, actors, bicycle messengers, and office workers, who all naturally adapt behavior to the incentives around them without much special consideration, the health care system should be regarded in the same way -- and yet it's not. Law professor David A Hyman digs into the incentives behind the heath care industry. He observes that our current approach to problems in the health care system simply exacerbates them. This is causing us to get "more of what we already have -- a dysfunctional non-system that delivers uncoordinated care of widely varying quality at high cost." As Hyman notes, the issue of misaligned incentives is not unique to health care, but the highly political approach to the problems is what prevents true reform. If you've wanted to understand what's broken about the health care system and what can and cannot be done to fix it, then this brief article is a must read.