Cato Daily Podcast

Downtowns built 100 years ago are still viable, so why are they so hard to build today? Andrew Cline is president of the Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy. We talked about what's instructive about the changes in New Hampshire's zoning rules that have left so many towns unable to renew themselves.

The history of government control over how and where people live is told in Nowhere to Live: The Hidden Story of America's Housing Crisis. Jim Burling is the book's author.

The major questions doctrine from the Supreme Court places some limits on the kinds of questions the executive branch can handle alone. Are there similar "too large" delegations at the state level? Adi Dynar of the Pacific Legal Foundation comments.

The Human Freedom Index is now in its tenth year. What have we learned about the state of and trends in human freedom? Author Ian Vasquez explains.

How would states respond to the threat posed by central bank digital currency? Niklas Kleinworth of the Idaho Freedom Foundation has considered how states have and should respond to the looming possibility of a federal CBDC.

Federal courts won't be deferring to federal agencies as often going forward. How does that change Congress's need for expertise when legislating? Joe Luppino-Esposito of the Pacific Legal Foundation has a few ideas.

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been tasked with identifying regulatory and spending reforms to shrink government. The new report for the informal agency from the Cato Institute identifies trillions in spending cuts and other reforms. Cato’s Alex Nowrasteh and Ryan Bourne detail the substantial spending and regulatory cuts.

States with certificate of need laws, where incumbent firms get to shut down their would-be competitors' plans, had more difficulties handling the pandemic. Jaimie Cavanaugh of the Pacific Legal Foundation explains.

Evidence suggests breastfeeding protects babies against short- and long-term health problems, so why license those who would help women do it? Cato's Jeff Singer and coauthor Sofia Hamilton discuss their new paper.