Publications

Central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) have only recently become a widely discussed topic among influential figures in academia, media, and public policy institutions. However, initiatives to implement CBDCs around the globe have existed for years, especially in countries with autocratic governments, such as China and Russia. As of September 2023, 131 countries have said they […]

Central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) have only recently become a widely discussed topic among influential figures in academia, media, and public policy institutions. However, initiatives to implement CBDCs around the globe have existed for years, especially in countries with autocratic governments, such as China and Russia. As of September 2023, 131 countries have explored CBDCs. […]

Since the Great Recession, the total number and percentage of U.S. renters has hit an all-time high.1 Moreover, the Federal Reserve has raised interest rates several times since the start of 2022, making owning a home, considered by many to be “the American dream,” unattainable for millions. Due to these and other extenuating circumstances, more […]

Artificial intelligence (AI), automation powered by AI, advanced algorithms, and other emerging technologies are changing the landscape of the global financial services industry, including in the United States. AI offers numerous benefits to financial companies seeking to lower costs and provide speedier decisions for consumers and other businesses, but it also comes with significant threats […]

Artificial intelligence (AI), automation powered by AI, advanced algorithms, and other emerging technologies are now being used in criminal courts across the United States, raising serious concerns about civil rights and the trustworthiness of these tools. Mapping Pretrial Injustice, a website created by the Movement Alliance Project and MediaJustice, notes that “most states” now use […]

Over the next decade, artificial intelligence (AI), automation powered by AI, and other emerging technologies will play an increasingly larger role in the global economy. The McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) estimates “between 400 million and 800 million individuals could be displaced by automation and need to find new jobs by 2030 around the world, based […]

In recent years, America has experienced a remarkable trend: foreign individuals and corporations have been amassing millions of additional acres of U.S. agricultural land. Although some organizations have downplayed the significance of this development, there are substantial economic, national security, and freedom-related reasons policymakers should be deeply concerned. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture […]

Legislation making its way through the Texas Legislature would establish a universal education savings account (ESA) program open to all children in the Lone Star State. These accounts would cover tuition, fees, and curricula for eligible children at private and parochial schools, as well as textbooks and uniforms, private tutoring services, transportation costs, and educational therapies. […]

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) metrics are a popular kind of social credit scoring, one that poses a significant threat to individual liberty and free-market economies, both in the United States and abroad. ESG is regularly used by corporations and investors as a tool to impose progressive values and environmental policies on other businesses, governments, […]

Quick Bullets: Coal is formed when plant debris from mostly swampy areas is gradually buried, compacted over millions of years, and made into rock by heat and pressure deep underground.  In a coal power plant, coal is burned and used to make steam, which turns a turbine and produces electricity. Coal generated 35 percent of […]

Hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as "fracking," has a litany of common misconceptions too many believe. Authors Linnea Lueken and Tim Benson debunk the four most persistent in this policy brief.

ESG standards are designed to create a “great reset of capitalism” and to “revamp all aspects of our societies and economies, from education to social contracts and working conditions.”

Legislation making its way through the Texas Legislature would establish a universal education savings account (ESA) program open to all children in the Lone Star State. These accounts would cover tuition, fees, and curricula for eligible children at private and parochial schools, as well as textbooks and uniforms, private tutoring services, transportation costs, and educational therapies. […]

 Q. Is climate change real?  A. The Earth’s climate is always changing. Any assertion of a climate crisis, however, is a sham.   Q. What if you are wrong?  A. If the science starts to turn, we can and will quickly react. In the meantime, climate alarmism is killing millions of people, impoverishing millions more, and […]

When a less expensive drug is available and comparable to a more expensive one, corporations and government purchasers have developed policies that force the patient to try the cheaper drug first by requiring prior authorization (PA) to skip to a more expensive alternative. This has pulled cost out of the system, but also has delayed […]

One-in-five (about 30 million) Americans are bound by noncompete agreements. Noncompete agreements are routinely executed to prevent valuable, and sometimes proprietary information from traveling with employees when they change jobs. Technology companies thrive in a highly competitive environment where the coin of the realm is novelty, so it is understandable that many such employers ask […]

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is considering House Bill 1427, legislation that would raise the minimum wage in the Keystone State to $15 per hour, beginning January 1, 2024. Furthermore, beginning January 1, 2025, HB 1427 would increase the minimum wage by an annual cost-of-living adjustment calculated by the secretary using the percentage change in the […]

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is considering House Bill 1500, legislation that would raise the minimum wage in the Keystone State to $15 per hour, by January 1, 2026. The legislation would incrementally raise the minimum wage beginning with an increase to $11 per hour beginning January 1, 2024. Then increasing to $13 per hour beginning […]

The South Carolina Senate is considering Senate Bill 291, legislation that would raise the minimum wage in the Palmetto State to $15 per hour, immediately effective upon the passage of the legislation. Also known as the “South Carolina Minimum Wage Act” this bill would bring forth a substantial increase from South Carolina’s current minimum wage of […]

The South Carolina House of Representatives is considering House Bill 3805, legislation that would raise the minimum wage in the Palmetto State to $17 per hour, immediately effective upon the passage of the legislation. Also known as the “South Carolina Minimum Wage Act,” this bill would bring forth a substantial increase from South Carolina’s current minimum […]

The South Carolina Legislature is considering House Bill 3526, new legislation that would eliminate the imposition of the income tax on individuals, estates, and trusts in the Palmetto State.  Throughout recent legislative sessions, many elected officials have turned their sights towards state revenue and budgets. Legislative sessions have been particularly unique following the COVID-19 economic […]

The Oklahoma House of Representatives is considering House Bill 1986, legislation that would raise the minimum wage in the Sooner State to $13 per hour by January 1, 2026. This would be a substantial increase from Oklahoma’s current minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.  HB 1986 would raise the minimum wage incrementally beginning with an increase […]

The Oklahoma Senate is considering Senate Bill 156, legislation that would raise the minimum wage in the Sooner State to $10 per hour by January 1, 2026. This would be a substantial increase from Oklahoma’s current minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.  SB 156 would raise the minimum wage incrementally beginning with an increase to $8.25 […]