Fiscal Policy Report Card on America’s Governors 2020
Governors play a key role in state fiscal policy. They propose budgets, recommend tax changes, and sign or veto tax and spending bills. When the economy is growing, governors can use rising revenues to expand programs or they can return extra revenues to the public through tax cuts. When the economy is stagnant and budget deficits appear, governors can respond by raising taxes or trimming spending. A new report from Cato scholars Chris Edwards and David Kemp grades governors on their fiscal policies from a limited‐government perspective.
- “Fiscal Policy Report Card on America’s Governors 2020,” by Chris Edwards and David Kemp
- “Focus on Fiscal Leadership: Release of the 2020 Fiscal Report Card on America’s Governors,” Cato Event, October 5, 2020
- “The ‘New Hampshire Advantage’ and Sound Fiscal Policy,” Podcast featuring Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH) and Caleb O. Brown
School Choice Myths: Setting the Record Straight on Education Freedom
Are there legitimate arguments to prevent families from choosing the education that works best for their children? Opponents of school choice have certainly offered many objections, but for decades they have mainly repeated myths either because they did not know any better or perhaps to protect the government schooling monopoly. In a new book, 14 of the top scholars in education policy debunk a dozen of the most pernicious myths.
Pandemics and Policy
The third great crisis of the 21st century has already inflicted a greater toll in lives lost and economic hardship than 9/11 and the 2008 financial collapse combined. And just as the COVID-19 pandemic has upended our daily lives, it has transformed the political landscape, with governments at all levels exercising emergency powers rarely seen outside the context of total war. With so much at risk, what’s needed now is sober, realistic assessment of the choices ahead—a guide to policies that can stem the damage while avoiding permanent transformation of American life and law. The Cato Institute aims to meet that need with its new series, Pandemics and Policy.
New Cato Journal Tackles Key Issues in Monetary Policy
The Fall 2020 issue of the Cato Journal covers several key topics in monetary policy: (1) the risk to the Federal Reserve’s independence and credibility as it drifts into fiscal policy; (2) the effectiveness of negative interest rates as a tool of monetary policy; (3) the impact of financial transactions taxes; and (4) the lessons that can be learned from the classical gold standard.