Jason Sorens

Senior Research Fellow

Jason Sorens, Ph.D., is Senior Research Fellow at AIER. He is also Principal Investigator on the New Hampshire Zoning Atlas. Jason was formerly the director of the Center for Ethics in Society at Saint Anselm College. He has researched and written more than 20 peer‐​reviewed journal articles, a book for McGill‐​Queens University Press titled Secessionism, and a biennially revised book for the Cato Institute, Freedom in the 50 States (with William Ruger).

His research is focused on housing policy and land-use regulation, U.S. state politics, fiscal federalism, and movements for regional autonomy and independence around the world. He has taught at Yale, Dartmouth, and the University at Buffalo and twice won awards for best teaching in his department. He lives in Amherst, New Hampshire.

March 3, 2026

The Economics of Zoning, Explained

What are zoning laws, how do they work, and what are their economic effects?

The Economics of Zoning, Explained
The Daily Economy2/20/26

Rents, AI, and Commodity Prices: What Drove State-Level Growth in 2024?

Localized price data from the BEA show specific patterns of growth and inflation reshaped the economic map of the United States in 2024.

Rents, AI, and Commodity Prices: What Drove State-Level Growth in 2024?
The Daily Economy2/6/26

Census Migration Data Show the Value of Freedom

Americans prefer to live where they can keep what they earn and be left alone — even if the freebies are better elsewhere.

Census Migration Data Show the Value of Freedom
The Daily Economy1/15/26

Are Institutions Buying Up Single-Family Homes?

Institutional investors own less than one percent of single-family homes, and their impact on prices is modest. New evidence suggests their presence may reduce rents.

Are Institutions Buying Up Single-Family Homes?
The Daily Economy12/26/25

Regime Uncertainty: a Drag on the American Economy

Dealmaking politics have left businesses unsure of the rules, holding back on investments, Tariffs can be priced in. Uncertainty can't.

Regime Uncertainty: a Drag on the American Economy
The Daily Economy11/21/25

Let Neighborhoods Work: Bans on Home Businesses Are Out of Control

Building a business out of your garage is a quintessentially American origin story. In many places, it's also against the law.

Let Neighborhoods Work: Bans on Home Businesses Are Out of Control
The Daily Economy11/17/25

Fannie Mae Set to Scrap 620 Credit Score Minimum — Should You Care?

The minimum score was arbitrary anyway, and lenders are able to price risk accordingly.

Fannie Mae Set to Scrap 620 Credit Score Minimum — Should You Care?
The Daily Economy10/31/25

One Vote Away: The Balanced-Budget Amendment That Almost Passed

Decades after Congress missed a golden opportunity, it’s time to get serious about controlling runaway federal debt.

One Vote Away: The Balanced-Budget Amendment That Almost Passed
October 8, 2025

Have Mount Laurel Obligations Made New Jersey Housing More Affordable? A Synthetic Control Analysis of Housing Supply and Cost

This paper investigates the effect of affordable housing obligations in New Jersey on cost of living, cost of housing, and actual housing production. New Jersey’s Mount Laurel court cases established…

Have Mount Laurel Obligations Made New Jersey Housing More Affordable? A Synthetic Control Analysis of Housing Supply and Cost
The Daily Economy10/2/25

I Was a Victim of Cancel Culture. Don’t Perpetuate It.

Attacking people for their bad ideas doesn't make us safer. Silencing speech violates first principles — even if "they started it."

I Was a Victim of Cancel Culture. Don’t Perpetuate It.