Topic: Policy

Sanguine about the State: A Critique of Political Science

“Political scientists should be less sanguine about the concept of the state itself and more welcoming to the concept of governance through spontaneous order. And that is because non-state organization entails less coercion.” ~ James E. Hanley

Politics and Quality of Life: The Role of Well-Being in Political Outcomes

Nature Unbound: Bureaucracy vs. the Environment

Direct Democracy in the United States: Petitioners as a Reflection of Society

Coronavirus and Economic Recovery

Freedom in the 50 States: An Index of Personal and Economic Freedom

Financial Founding Fathers: The Men Who Made America Rich

Guide to U.S. Economic Policy

The Problem of Policymaker Ignorance

“Policymakers are forever in search of causal knowledge and powers – to both know enough and be capable of bringing about specific states of social affairs – that no mortal can possess.” ~ Scott Scheall

How Much Can We Trust Supposed Earmark Reforms?

“Every time Americans are assured they will be ‘insured’ against earmark abuses, it is made to sound like real reform. But that insurance is far more image than substance. Perhaps that is why for some K Street lobbyists, ‘It means joy, rapture, hallelujah.’” ~ Gary M. Galles

Do Voters Make Poor Choices?

“The choices individuals make do not affect election outcomes. They make the choices that make them feel the best—and its difficult to say that by doing that, they are making bad choices.” ~ Randall G. Holcombe

Why President Biden’s Climate Goals Are Fictional

“President Biden’s climate goals have something in common with many science fiction movies. The future that seems so far away is in reality too temporally close to make the story plausible.” ~ James E. Hanley