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Blog
Subsidy-free capitalism may require a constitutional amendment
Automobiles, electrification, ample consumer goods and mass marketing, a construction boom, and access to credit helped fuel the Roaring Twenties of a century ago.
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Frontier economics with Kendall Cotton
In this week’s episode we cover the diamond jubilee of the Philadelphia Society, the cost of government regulation in the UK, the…
Blog
Small banks targeted as FDIC cracks down on technology partnerships
Earlier this week, Politico’s “Morning Money” column reported an astonishing finding that almost certainly points to politicization in enforcement by federal bank regulators. The…
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Federal Times
Report Calls for Drastic Workforce Cuts at Regulatory Agencies
Federal Times covers CEI’s publication Shrinking Government Bureaucracy. The non-profit Competitive Enterprise Institute is all about shrinking government. In a newly released report…
Blog
Why Should Millennials Want to Shrink Government Bureaucracy?
Free markets and limited government are for every generation.
Blog
CEI Film ‘I, Whiskey: The Human Spirit’ on Tour
"I, Whiskey" is back on the road this fall with three festivals in California.
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Letter Opposing Raising the National Debt Limit
View Full Document as PDF Dear Speaker Ryan, Leader McCarthy, Whip Scalise, and Chairwoman McMorris Rodgers: We, the undersigned conservative organizations,…
Foundation for Economic Education
Eventually Amazon Will Fail – and That’s a Good Thing
The Federal Trade Commission has cleared the merger between Amazon and Whole Foods, sparking yet more fears that the retail giant is becoming too…
Blog
Happy 25th to the State Policy Network
The State Policy Network is an impressive organization that helps improve the effectiveness of nonprofit organizations and nonprofit leaders at the state level across the…
Blog
Why Economic Freedom Is the Best Weapon against Poverty
This blog post is adapted from a speech delivered to the Foreign Service Institute at the United States Department of State on August 29, 2017.
National Review Online
Operation Choke Point is Over – Perhaps
Supporters of the rule of law will be overjoyed to hear that the Department of Justice has officially closed down Operation Choke Point. In…
Blog
Occupational Licensing Reform in the Beehive State
Occupational licensing reform is a winner in terms of giving the working poor greater opportunities to earn a living…
Blog
Understanding Spontaneous Order with ‘It’s a Wonderful Loaf’
Sound economic thinking combined with an artistic, poetic presentation can reach both the hearts and minds of people across the political spectrum.
News Release
Shrinking Government Bureaucracy Provides Roadmap for Rethinking Federal Agencies
Dramatically decreasing federal regulations could boost the economy, unshackle job creators, and put more money back in Americans’ pockets.
Study
Rethinking the Securities and Exchange Commission
View Full Document as PDF The nation’s securities laws and the very existence of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) are premised…
Study
Rethinking the Department of Commerce
View Full Document as PDF The Department of Commerce’s mission statement is a charter for government interference in markets. It employs 47,000…
Blog
Happy India Independence Day
Today is the 70th anniversary of India’s independence from the United Kingdom, and the nation of 1.3 billion people has seen dramatic economic and social…
Blog
Anthem Film Festival Award Winners
In addition to dozens of panels, debates, and presentations over the four days of FreedomFest 2017, attendees were also treated to the movies presented at…
Blog
The Other Kind of Documentary
Nothing energizes a web video producer more than showing their film to a live audience.
Blog
FreedomFest Explores ‘New Frontiers’ in Liberty
CNN’s Chris Moody recently reported from FreedomFest, the pro-liberty political conference that’s been hosted for the last 10 years in Las Vegas.
Crowdfund Insider
“Sarbanes-Oxley Is Shutting Out Average Investors from the Early Growth Stages of the Next Cisco & Starbucks”
Crowdfund Insider covers John Berlau’s testimony on Sarbanes-Oxley before the Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Securities, and Investment (Financial Services). … In…
Blog
Restore Economic Opportunity by Repealing Occupational Licensing Rules
To increase growth, we need to get rid of some of the unnecessary barriers to economic opportunity that have arisen in recent years – such…
Blog
OMB Director Mick Mulvaney Discusses the Trump Administration’s Regulatory Reform Efforts
The following is an excerpt from remarks delivered by Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney on The Path Forward of Regulatory Reform held at CEI…
The New York Times
U.S. Reopens Harley Settlement, Cutting Funds for Pollution Reduction Plan
The New York Times covers the Harley-Davidson settlement recently changed by the Trump administration. Last year the United States government fined Harley-Davidson…
InsideSources
Department of Energy Invests Additional $46M in Struggling Solar Energy Sector
InsideSources covers a coalition letter, including CEI, urging the House Appropriations Committee to cut the SunShot program. When it comes to solar power,…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Supporting Amendment #388 to the National Defense Authorization Act [H. R. 2810]
View full document as PDF Dear Representative: The undersigned organizations write in strong support of Representative Warren Davidson’s amendment #388 to H.
The Regulatory Review
Constructively Improving Railroad Regulations
Edward R. Hamberger, President and CEO of the Association of American Railroads, mentions a piece by Fred Smith and Marc Scribner regarding regulations of the…
The Daily Caller
RAWA: One Casino Billionaire’s Quest to Kill Internet Gambling
The Daily Caller covers the Restoration of America’s Wire Act and cites a paper written by Michelle Minton on the subject. Enter the…
News Release
CEI Statement on Senate Confirmation of Neomi Rao to head Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
Today, the Senate voted to confirm Neomi Rao as Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), the office tasked with the critical job of…
Washington Examiner
Shift to E-Commerce Is Saving Time, Creating Jobs
Washington Examiner cites Anna St. John’s piece on a class action suit involving the Metropolitan Museum of Art and how similar suits can harm cultural…
Blog
Conservatives International Brings Pro-Liberty Activists Together
Our friends at Conservatives International published a great short video this week featuring CEI’s own Iain Murray.
OneNewsNow
Up for Debate: Is Amazon Getting Too Big?
OneNewsNow discusses the Amazon-Whole Foods deal with Iain Murray. A free market strategist says consumers shouldn’t worry about Amazon gaining a monopoly on…
Blog
Fred Smith on Free Markets, Trump, and Climate Change
Fred Smith talks with the PanAm Post at a recent conference on international politics in Miami, Florida.
Washington Examiner
No, Amazon Isn’t a Monopoly Just Because It Bought Whole Foods
Amazon announced a deal last week to purchase the grocery chain Whole Foods for nearly $14 billion. The company’s largest proposed transaction to date,…
Fortune
States Are Secretly Trying to Tax Your Online Purchases
States and localities currently cannot tax online purchases made from companies outside their own borders. Yet over the past two decades, state and local…
Blog
Is Greed Really Good for Business?
Is the for-profit world only about making profits and nothing else?…
News Release
CEI Comments on Amazon’s Plan to Buy Whole Foods
Amazon’s recent announcement of its plan to buy the grocery chain Whole Foods has set off a series of questions and speculation. CEI experts on…
Blog
The Key to Prosperity in the Southern Hemisphere and around the World
We have the potential to put developing economies on a path to avoid the mistakes made in America and among our European friends.
The Denver Post
Colorado’s Costly “Demand-Side Management” Bill Makes No Sense
At the end of the legislative session, the Colorado General Assembly had an opportunity to stop a nonsensical electricity program that will cost Xcel Energy…
Hot Air
Change: DoJ No Longer Sharing Lawsuit Payouts with Activist Groups
Hot Air covers the DOJ’s rule change to disallow settlement payments to activists groups. An important — and expensive — incentive for legal…
Blog
Emoluments Clause Does Not Ban Sales to Foreigners
The Constitution is not hostile to the free market or international trade. Indeed, many…
Blog
CEI in Wonderland: The 2017 CEI Dinner Movie
This year, inspired by Lewis Carroll's famous characters, our theme was “Through the Looking Glass: Washington Gets Curiouser and Curiouser.”…
Blog
Through the Looking Glass: Washington Gets Curiouser and Curiouser
The following remarks were delivered by CEI President Kent Lassman at CEI’s Annual Dinner and Reception held on June 7, 2017. Thank you. Despite her…
Blog
Capitalism for the Little Guy
One of the single greatest achievements in human history has been playing out almost unnoticed over the past few decades.
Blog
Remembering Aaron Wildavsky
Aaron Wildavsky, born on this day in 1930, died tragically and all too young in 1993, but left behind an incredible legacy in the public policy…
News Release
CEI Reviews Trump Budget on Regulation, EPA, Transportation and Infrastructure
Policy experts offered their first takes on President Trump's budget, with a focus on regulatory reform, the EPA, and transportation and infrastructure reforms.
Blog
Cheers to Whiskey, the ‘Oil of Conversation’
Whiskey culture is characteristically welcoming, with whiskey makers and aficionados ever eager to share a dram and a story.
Blog
Center for American Progress’ Make-Work Scheme Needs Details
A debate over income inequality and job growth is worth having.
The Hill
Congress Must Put an End to Online Taxation Without Representation
The recent reintroduction of the misnamed Marketplace Fairness Act (MFA) is the latest in the effort to expand taxes on internet sales. Proponents of taxing…
Blog
The Politics of Children’s Literature
Liberty-loving individuals with children in their lives should take a second look at what’s on the shelf.
Blog
Learn Liberty on Capitalism and Liberation
Learn Liberty’s recent video, featuring historian Thaddeus Russell, highlights how capitalism created an environment where women were increasingly free to make their own decisions and…
Forbes
New Trump Executive Order Seeks To Boost Agriculture And Rural America
“My farmer died.” —Punchline to the old joke about why a USDA employee is weeping at his desk The ratio of number of farmers…
Forbes
The March For Science Should Demand Separation of Science And State
My second youngest son wanted to head downtown to D.C. for the March for Science. I had to explain to him that’s not quite…
Blog
Archbridge Institute Releases Optimistic New Research on Economic Mobility
The best way to encourage more economic mobility is to foster a cultural and regulatory environment where innovation, openness, and change are encouraged.
Blog
How Payday Lenders & Check Cashers Help the Poor
Our friends at Reason TV have another fascinating video out on the ethics and politics of short-term financial services like payday lending and check cashing.
Los Angeles Times
Let Richard Branson Kill United Airlines
Los Angeles Times highlights Marc Scribner’s comments on how government policy has lead to poor airline service. Yes, airlines on the continent come…
Blog
White House Should Drop Support for Cronyism of Export-Import Bank
With the Trump administration’s early emphasis on deregulation, there was hope that cronyist agencies such as the Export-Import Bank, Overseas Private Investment Corporation, and Economic…
The Huffington Post
Resisting Executive Excess Means Relearning Lessons from the Past
Defenders of checks and balances should be happy that a circuit split on President Trump’s executive order on immigration means that the Supreme…
InsideSources
Trump’s Budget Targets Agency That Helps Foreign Workers
InsideSources discusses President Trump’s proposed budget with Iain Murray. “President Trump’s proposed budget is the clearest sign yet that he is moving…
Blog
Restraint, Humility Needed at Federal Trade Commission
As President Trump evaluates candidates to chair the Federal Trade Commission, he should look for a person who appreciates the importance of letting markets evolve…
News Release
CEI Calls Trump Budget Clearest Sign Yet of Move to Shrink Federal Government
"“The President's budget proposal is just the starting point. Congress has a responsibility to the American taxpayer to demand value for the taxpayer dollars spent…
The Conservative Online
Market Institutions Never Evolved For The Environment; And That’s Why It Can’t Be Properly Protected
As Joseph Schumpeter noted, free markets had a good first century (the 1750s to 1850s). A market economy produced massive improvements in the quality of…
Blog
On Tour with U.S. Chamber’s ‘Let’s Grow’ Campaign
While the policy landscape is far from perfect, we have the best opportunity in a long time to clear the field for growth and prosperity…
Washington Post
Last night, conservatives gave up on conservatism
The Washington Post discusses President Trump’s policy proposals from his address to a joint session of Congress with CEI President Kent Lassman. The…
Blog
Low-Cost Private Schools a Success for Developing World Families
Education reform advocates in the United States have a lot to learn from low-cost private schools in the world's poorest communities.
Blog
“I, Whiskey” Screens at the Oxford Film Festival
Richard Morrison and Amanda France recently presented the CEI film "I, Whiskey: The Human Spirit" at the Oxford Film Festival.
The Wall Street Journal
Letter to the Editor: Both Parties Have Many With Trump Trauma
Over a year ago, Paul Krugman coined the term “Trumpenfreude,” meaning the glee or satisfaction experienced by Democrats watching the Republican Party slit its own…
Blog
Celebrate Hans Rosling’s Fact-Based Optimism about Our World
Fans of free markets and limited government were often especially disposed admire Hans Rosling, given his relentless debunking of scare stories that are often used…
Blog
Companies Make a Play for Hearts and Minds with Super Bowl Ads
Corporations are in trouble – people see more bad than good in corporate America, even though they may like and enjoy their products.
Blog
Deregulate to Speed Recovery from ‘Creative Destruction’ of Trade and Innovation
Government regulation limits the ability of individuals and businesses to recover from normal economic setbacks.
Blog
The Super Bowl: Not Just for Football Fans
The Super Bowl is perennially one of the most-watched TV events around the world, so it’s no surprise that millions of people find reasons to…
Blog
Harry Potter and the City Council Chambers
The MacIver Institute documents the temptation of local governments to spend taxpayer money on “economic development” projects and tourist events.
Blog
Burns Night Cheers
Tonight, friends at home and abroad gather both for Burns Night and the International I, Whiskey Watch Party to salute the individuals— freedom fighters, innovators,…
Blog
Learn Liberty Asks: Are Millennials Actually Lazy?
Jared Meyer, discusses his book "Disinherited: How Washington Is Betraying America’s Young" with Learn Liberty’s Evan Swarztrauber.
Blog
Where Have All the Startups Gone? New Research from eBay and EIG
Recently eBay’s public policy team here in Washington, D.C. presented a fascinating program on economic growth and new business start-ups.
Blog
‘I, Whiskey’ Honored at Southern Shorts Film Festival
At the Southern Shorts Awards in Roswell, Georgia last weekend, I, Whiskey: The Human Spirit made its big screen debut as one of the top…
Blog
“I, Whiskey” on the Festival Circuit
This weekend the producers of the CEI film "I, Whiskey: The Human Spirit" will be in Roswell, Georgia for the Southern Shorts Film Festival and Awards Presentation…
Blog
Chamber of Commerce CEO Lays Out 2017 Agenda
U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Thomas Donohue gave his annual “State of American Business Address” to a packed hall at the Chamber’s H…
Blog
A Federal Gift Clause Could Help ‘Drain the Swamp’
If President-elect Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress are serious about coming through on the campaign promise to “drain the swamp,” it would serve them…
Forbes
Trump Must Take On The Cronyism Challenge
For President-elect Donald Trump to deliver on his “make American great again,” promise, economic growth must again exceed today’s anemic rate. Reforming tax policy, reducing…
Foundation for Economic Education
Lower Costs, Not Regulations, Will Save the Environment
I have a long bus commute to work in Washington DC. Most mornings I am engrossed in reading the latest news or a scholarly article,…
Blog
Join the ‘I, Whiskey’ International Watch Party
After a successful Virtual Watch Party campaign focused on fans in the United States, we’ve now launched an International Watch Party for our friends around…
Daily Caller
Activists Urge Trump To Stop Obama’s Anti-Business ‘Midnight Litigation’
The Daily Caller reports on a letter CEI and other organizations sent to Mike Pence. Obama’s agencies are poised to file economy-stunting environmental…
News Release
GM’s Deceptive Advertising: Company First Claimed It Repaid Bailout Money, Now Admits It Didn’t
Washington, D.C., September 20, 2010 – Contrary to claims by General Motors earlier this year, the company has now admitted that it did not repay its…
Blog
The Libertarian Holiday Gift Guide
Cheers to the brilliant production team at Reason TV, who have provided some welcome comedy this holiday season with their new video, “The Libertarian Holiday…
Blog
5 Great Books on Politics and Public Policy from 2016
A lot of interesting books on politics, economics, and public policy were published over the last twelve months. It can be difficult, though, finding the gems…
Blog
Some Advice for Trump Appointees
Your role in the new administration is to propose ways of restoring limited government – by privatization, deregulation, extending property rights, and taking on the…
The Claremont Review of Books
Bullying Culture
Wall Street Journal columnist Kimberley Strassel has written an insightful, important book on the Left’s efforts to drive market-friendly voices from the public square. A…
Tulsa World
Credit Reports Used by Insurance Companies
Tulsa World
What’s the Best Way to Create More Jobs?
Unleash the power of small business. The US Senate just passed a bill called the Small Business Jobs and Credit Act. The thrust of the…
Brietbart
A Better ‘Pledge’: Congress Shall Make No Law
When I think of a “Pledge” I’m reminded of my fraternity days and being hazed and lightly humiliated. House Republicans are offering their “Pledge to…
Brietbart
The Progressive Era’s Derailment of Classical Liberal Evolution
It is true that where a considerable part of the costs incurred are external costs from the point of view of the acting individuals…
Blog
How Ridesharing Platforms Help the Economy
We have been saying for a while that ridesharing platforms like Lyft are different from traditional transportation firms, not just in the technology they use,…
Blog
Ratios, Not People: The Wrong Approach to Inequality
Thomas Piketty, the best-selling author of Capital in the 21st Century, has a new paper on economic inequality with coauthors Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman.
Foundation for Economic Education
San Francisco Turns against Its Own Startup Airbnb
San Francisco is the birthplace of Airbnb. Even so, politicians in this city have created some of the most restrictive home-sharing regulations in the…
Blog
RealClear Radio Hour: Western and Soviet Politics
In this episode, historian Andrew Roberts and Russian émigré Alexander Markovsky compare Western and Soviet politics.
Study
Free to Prosper
The 115th Congress is poised to tackle regulatory reform. Check out CEI's recommendations to move America toward economic growth, prosperity, and liberty.
Foundation for Economic Education
How AirBNB Awakens Dormant Capital
Every day, modern liberal economies create wealth. That wealth translates into better health, better education, art, literature, and the finer things of life. We only…
Independent Journal Review
It’s Time For The New President And Congress To Think Big When It Comes To Cutting Government Waste
Political revolutions don’t come around often: Margaret Thatcher in Britain in 1979, the fall of the Berlin Wall in Eastern Europe in 1990, the Contract…
Blog
Free Market Opportunities for the Trump Administration
This election has given us one more demonstration that knowledge is dispersed and “trusting the experts” to know the future is foolish. The unexpected success…
Blog
RealClear Radio Hour: The Nanny State Down Under and the Robot Revolution
In this week’s episode, Topher Field discusses lifestyle regulation madness Down Under and Katherine Mangu-Ward ushers in the robot revolution.
Blog
Audience Reactions to “I, Whiskey”
Since releasing the new film I, Whiskey: The Human Spirit last month, we’ve had an excellent response from people around the country.
Foundation for Economic Education
An Existential Threat to the UK’s Sharing Economy
A UK Employment Tribunal has ruled that drivers who use the Uber platform should be regarded as employees. This qualifies them for various statutory…
Staff & Scholars
Clyde Wayne Crews
Fred L. Smith Fellow in Regulatory Studies
- Business and Government
- Consumer Freedom
- Deregulation
Richard Morrison
Senior Fellow
- Antitrust
- Business and Government
- Capitalism and Free Enterprise
Fred L. Smith, Jr.
Founder; Chairman Emeritus
- Automobiles and Roads
- Aviation
- Business and Government
Ryan Young
Senior Economist
- Antitrust
- Business and Government
- Regulatory Reform