November, 2010
Greetings!
EVENTS
November 30, 2010
POLICY FORUM: Profiting from Ivory Towers?
Washington, D.C. | 12:00pm
December 2, 2010
STUDENT FORUM: Why Is There a Third World? Explaining Persistent Poverty in Africa and What's Being Done About It
Washington, D.C. | 3:30-6:00pm
December 8, 2010
POLICY FORUM: Spending Cuts or Devaluation? Resolving the Financial Crisis in the Baltic Countries
Washington, D.C. | 12:00pm
December 14, 2010
The U.S. Generalized System of Preferences: Helping the Poor, But at What Price?
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 Journalism Internship Program
Deadline: January 31st
The Institute for Humane Studies Journalism Internship Program places aspiring journalists at media companies and non-profit investigative newsrooms. Talented writers and communicators -- who support individual liberty, free markets, and peace -- have the opportunity to learn or improve their journalism skills and expand their professional network.
Koch Internship Program
Deadline: December 15th
The Koch Internship Program is a paid internship through the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation that is offered in the summer, fall, and spring for young professionals who want to become effective advocates for individual liberty, free markets, and economic freedom. Based in the Washington, DC area, the Koch Internship Program combines meaningful work, career training, and networking to help students become excited, equipped, and engaged.
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. On 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: Tea Party Extremism
Cato intern and Political Science PhD student Emily Ekins was a guest this month on the Stossel show. She discussed her ground-breaking research on the tea party. What she finds may challenge what you've heard via the media.
Video: Business Expansion? Wait and See
The folks at Bankrupting America produce a humorous short video highlighting how government created uncertainty is costing Americans jobs and opportunities. Check out their archive of other clever videos here.
NEW BOOKS
Realizing Freedom (free e-book)
At a time when interest in libertarianism is rising and people are considering the ideas of freedom, some for the first time, Cato's Tom Palmer lays out a fundamental outline of the history, theory, and practice in his most recent book. Written from his perspective as scholar, journalist, and activist, Palmer's incisive articles range in subject from the theory of justice, multiculturalism, and democracy, to limited government, globalization, property rights, censorship, individual liberty, and more. Check it out for yourself in this month's Cato On Campus free e-book..
Holiday Issue
As we find ourselves in the thick of both the holiday season and final exams, we hope that all you passionate young liberty advocates are considering your summer plans. Especially with the current state of the job market, there is no better way to get your foot in the door with a prospective employer, network with libertarian movers 'n shakers, and make lasting friendships than a summer internship. Whether you're interested in spending time at Cato or some other liberty-oriented organization, Cato On Campus has the resources to help you find an internship that's best suited for your interests and career goals.
Speaking of the holidays, we, together with the D.C. Forum for Freedom, are hosting our last student event of the calendar year this Thursday, Dec. 2nd. The title of the discussion is "Why Is There a Third World?," and will feature speakers from Cato, the Mercatus Center, and USAID. A holiday-themed reception follows the discussion/debate, so view the details and register here while you still can. For those outside the D.C-area, you can watch the event live online and participate in the discussion (though you'll have to take care of your own refreshments).
For those of you who are new to the Cato On Campus family, or for those who want to know more about what we have to offer, we encourage you to visit our revamped "About Us" page. There you'll find links and descriptions of our various student programs and opportunities. We hope that our resources will enable you to be a more active and effective freedom fighter on your campus and beyond.
To prove that we really are sincere in our effort to give you easy access to important ideas, we're offering a free Cato e-book to all of our newsletter subscribers. Be sure to tell your friends and fellow students that they too can get a free e-book (but not a free lunch!) if they sign up for our monthly online newsletter. We hope that you have a happy holiday, and that each of you will spend some small part of your upcoming vacation deepening your knowledge and commitment to the ideas of liberty. We're here to support you in those efforts, and we'll see you back on the front lines in 2011!
Sincerely,
Joey Coon
www.CatoOnCampus.org
News
Cato On Campus Event and Holiday Party
We have recently announced our final DC Forum for Freedom event of 2010! It's called, 'Why Is There a Third World? Explaining Persistent Poverty in Africa and What's Being Done about It.' The event will be held Thursday, December 2, at 3:30pm at the Cato Institute. Scholars from the Cato Institute, Mercatus Center, and USAID will discuss and debate the case of development in Africa. Many claim that foreign aid is necessary and just. Yet others argue that development is hampered by intervention -- even "free" money -- that distorts local markets. Come hear the breakdown of ideas, and contribute to the discussion. The event will be followed by a special holiday party in Cato's Winter Garden.
Body Scanners: The Naked Truth
Public clamor is quickly escalating this month due to new body-scanner machines being rolled out at airports, and invasive pat-down procedures for any conscientious objectors to the nudie-machines. Cato scholar David Rittgers walks through several reasons why the public is right on this one, and the politicians and lobbyists are wrong. The new procedures are not only ineffective at detecting terrorists and their devices, but are also not cost effective at a time when all of Washington is supposed to be cutting back. Yet privacy is the biggest issue upsetting Americans. If you want to know what to expect as you travel for the holidays, check out this article.
Cato scholar Jim Harper also addresses this issue from a 'Strip-or-Grope' vs. Risk Management approach.
FEATURED ARTICLES
Can a Libertarian Be Thankful?
As we return to a normal schedule following the Thanksgiving holiday, Cato executive vice president David Boaz provides some interesting insight. He notes that while many bemoan the liberties being lost daily to an overactive congress and paternalistic government, it helps to step back and consider how much there is to be thankful for -- including the freedom to do the aforementioned bemoaning. Among many key freedoms, Boaz lists Rule of Law, Property and Contracts, Self-government, and Equality as important elements of the American life that stand out historically as great advances. This Thanksgiving Day, if you're used to being disgruntled at government intrusion into your life, that's fine, America isn't heaven. But, as Boaz highlights, "Compared to countries that lack the rule of law, equality, property rights, free markets, and freedom of speech and worship, it certainly is."
They Do Things Differently in America
Many Europeans and Latin Americans can't understand why the American public has rejected President Obama and his policies, says Alvaro Vargas Llosa, son of Nobel prize winner Mario Vargas Llosa and a liberty scholar. He notes that the reason non-Americans are confused is that they don't understand what makes the U.S. different from most other countries; "With exceptions, whenever there was revulsion against big government in Europe and Latin America, it was the leaders who dragged, and eventually persuaded, the population to their view; in the United States, it is usually the other way around -- a libertarian sentiment at the grass roots is eventually seized upon by certain leaders." Vargas Llosa says that this is key to America's future success, and gives several reasons in this article.
The Psychology of a Libertarian
Libertarians have long been viewed as feisty contrarians with base morals and poor social skills. However, based on some new research, Cato's Gene Healy explains that many of the perceptions about libertarians are not necessarily correct -- and that some of them are. Several researches have collected personal surveys from tens of thousands of self-identified conservatives, liberals, and libertarians and have authored a study entitled "Understanding Libertarian Morality." From that data, Healy notes, the study found that libertarians focus more on rational analysis than "gut" feelings. That causes the stereotypical social aversion to libertarians, but also highlights their importance in a society that faces a "looming fiscal crisis" and needs people who are good at "facing the hard truths."
POLICY STUDIES
How Does Your Governor Rank?
Policy Analysis
By Chris Edwards
Cato has recently released the new "Fiscal Policy Report Card on America's Governors," an annual report that grades all 50 state governors' job performance based on fiscal responsibility. Cato scholar Chris Edwards examines the tax and spending decisions made by governors since 2008. Governors who have cut taxes and spending the most receive the highest grades, while those who have increased taxes and spending the most receive the lowest grades. Only four governors were awarded an "A" in this latest report card -- how does your state's governor rank?
Restaurants, Regulation, and the Supersizing of America
Regulation Magazine article
By Michael Anderson and David Matsa
Is fast food making people fat? That's the question two scholars, Michael Anderson of UC-Berkeley and David Matsa of Northwestern, address in the recent edition of Cato's Regulation magazine. Common knowledge and common sense have said for years that the abundance of fatty fast foods is causing the increasing obesity of Americans. However, in a new study, Anderson and Matsa present empirical evidence that challenges that belief. Their research comes at an important time, as governments are increasing regulations and mandating that nutrition information and calorie counts be posted. Are government regulations helping to slim America, or simply fattening bureaucracy?
Fixing Transit: The Case for Privatization
Policy Analysis
By Randal O'Toole
In a new report by Cato free-market environmentalist Randal O'Toole, the case is made for drastically reordering the American transportation sector. The report demonstrates that since government began controlling and subsidizing urban transportation, quality, ridership, and various other metrics show massive declines. To foster productivity and remove yet another burden on taxpayers, O'Toole makes the case for transitioning the transit industry to private providers, who are more accountable to users and more sensitive to balance sheets.
OTHER PUBLICATIONS
The Economics of Freedom: What Your Professors Won't Tell You
Students For Liberty has recently published a new book, with the Atlas Economic Research Foundation, designed to provide a foundation in the principles of liberty. The book features a significant portion of Frederic Bastiat's articulate and well-reasoned essays, along with a forward by F.A. Hayek and a closing essay by Tom G. Palmer. This book is part of SFL's Bastiat Project, which is an effort to provide students with the intellectual ammunition to counter the prevalence of bad economic thinking that is pulsing through our society. The project also includes an essay contest, applying lessons in the book to current public policy issues. Check out the essay contest here.