Richard Morrison is a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, where his work focuses on the relationship between economic and political freedom. He has been widely cited for his research on corporate governance and finance regulation, in particular environmental, social, and governance (ESG) theory. He is also the host of the Free the Economy podcast.
He was previously a senior editor at CEI and managing editor of the blog OpenMarket. He also served as the program manager of CEI’s Center for Advancing Capitalism, where he coordinated outreach to the business community, universities, and other key allies. Before re-joining CEI in 2014, he was manager of communications at the Tax Foundation, where he was also the host and producer of the weekly Tax Policy Podcast. Prior to that he served as CEI’s director of media relations and director of new media between 1999 and 2010, during which he hosted the podcast Liberty Week.
He received his Bachelor of Arts in Government from Claremont McKenna College.
Authored by Richard Morrison
News
SEC seeks end to costly climate-related mandates
The Securities and Exchange Commission today proposed rescinding the costly, Biden-era rules mandating that companies provide climate-related information in registration statements and annual reports. The SEC cited a return to the…
BP embraces petroleum again
British Petroleum is reportedly reembracing its core mission of producing petroleum instead of ESG-related ventures it has been trumpeting and spending money on.
SEC’s climate disclosure rule is redundant and vulnerable to legal challenge
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released its final climate disclosure rule today, mandating public companies disclose information related to greenhouse gas emissions.
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Educating for liberty with Richard Lorenc
- By: Richard Morrison
Our guest for this week’s episode is Richard Lorenc, formerly of the Foundation for Economic Education and Iron Light and now President…
Free the Economy podcast: George Washington, entrepreneur with John Berlau
- By: Richard Morrison
In this week’s episode we cover terrible advice on poverty from the United Nations, reforming the way we regulate banks, and…
Free the Economy podcast: Free speech and financial regulation with Peggy Little
- By: Richard Morrison
In this week’s episode we cover reforming the federal government’s stock trading database, banning AI exports, a climate lawsuit from…
Op-Eds/Articles
National Review
The Insane Climate Bureaucracy That Never Was
- By: Richard Morrison
On Friday, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Paul Atkins made one of the most important announcements in the history of modern financial regulation. His…
The Daily Economy
‘Violent Saviors’: William Easterly’s Book on Imperialism and Conquest
- By: Richard Morrison
While framed as a book about economic development theory and the history of colonialism, William Easterly’s latest tome is actually something grander and more…
The Daily Economy
Breakneck: Dan Wang Explores the Strange Symmetry of US and China
- By: Richard Morrison
The title of Dan Wang’s book Breakneck focuses on the People’s Republic of China (PRC) specifically, but it is really about the self-conscious great-power…
Studies
Corporate Social Irresponsibility
- By: Richard Morrison
Executive summary State and municipal governments across America are engaged in a massive transfer of public resources to private corporate interests in the name of…
Threats Then and Threats Now
Executive summary In 1971 Lewis Powell, a prominent Republican lawyer who would go on to serve on the Supreme Court, wrote a memo warning…
The SEC’s Costly Power Grab
- By: Richard Morrison
The concept known as environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing has gained an increasingly high profile in recent years, with advocates producing a large…
Citations
Reuters
A back-of-envelope evaluation of national tax rates and freedom levels
- By: Richard Morrison
Reuters cited CEI’s expert on tax rates & political systems Richard Morrison, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute: “Low-freedom countries may…
Big Business Took A Beating From Conservatives Over Woke Marketing In 2023, But Did It Change Anything?
- By: Richard Morrison
CEI’s Richard Morrison is cited in Daily Caller on ‘woke marketing:’ “Regardless of what InBev’s senior management or board members believe in their…
The Hill
The rise and fall of ESG investing
- By: Richard Morrison
The Hill cites CEI’s Richard Morrison on ESG investing: In response, influential free-market groups such as the Committee to Unleash…
Regulatory Comments
CEI Comments on the Consolidated Audit Trail
- By: Richard Morrison
Securities and Exchange Commission Notice of Proposed Rulemaking“Concept Release on Consolidated Audit Trail and Other Audit Trails and Data Sources” CFR Parts 240 and…
CEI Comments on Federal Reserve Notice of Proposed Rulemaking: Prohibition on Use of Reputation Risk or Other Supervisory Tools to Encourage or Compel Banking Organizations to Engage in Politicized or Unlawful Discrimination
- By: Richard Morrison
The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) is pleased to have the opportunity to comment on the Federal Reserve’s current notice of proposed rulemaking,…
CEI Comment on SEC ‘Investment Company Names’ Rule
- By: Richard Morrison
Introduction The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) is pleased to have the opportunity to comment on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) current notice of…
Podcast Episodes
Taxing the Rich with Jared Walczak
- By: Richard Morrison
This week we cover America’s low-income churn, reforms to civil asset forfeiture, changes to vehicle emissions testing, a shout out to the new podcast Everyday...
State Budgets and Bailouts with Thomas Savidge
- By: Richard Morrison
This week we cover promising new classroom technology, increasing productivity (and avoiding layoffs) with AI, and the repeal of the SEC’s climate disclosure rule. Our...
Fighting for Freedom with Kent Lassman
This week we cover bank privacy, SNAP benefits, a new study on tariffs, and a great new podcast about ideas and innovation. Our guest this...