Cato Institute

Cato Podcast

Each week on Cato Podcast , leading scholars and policymakers from the Cato Institute delve into the big ideas shaping our world: individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace. Whether unpacking current events, debating civil liberties, exploring technological innovation, or tracing the history of classical liberal thought, we promise insightful analysis grounded in rigorous research and Cato’s signature libertarian perspective. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Author

Cato Institute

Category

Government

Podcast website

www.cato.org

Latest episode

Jul 9, 2026

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Episodes

Would New Legislation Actually Make Kids Safer Online? 11.04.2023

State legislatures and Congress hope to create new rules to protect young people online, but those proposals come with their own costs and risks to privacy for young people. Jennifer Huddleston discusses her new paper analyzing the proposals. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What Do Americans Think of Central Bank Digital Currency? 10.04.2023

The federal impositions that would be enabled by central bank digital currency (CBDC) are hard to overstate. A new poll from the Cato Institute indicates that the more Americans know about it, the less they like it. Cato’s Emily Ekins describes what the poll tells us. Related Study: Central Bank Digital Currency: Assessing the Risks and Dispelling the Myths Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy f...

Cannabis Legalization vs. Nanny Statism in Ireland 07.04.2023

As Ireland ponders cannabis legalization, Paul Meany suggests that the debate is an opportunity to more clearly establish that individuals are morally entitled to make these kinds of decisions for themselves. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

About That Xi and Putin Meeting ... 06.04.2023

War in Ukraine has supposedly brought China and Russia closer together. Facts on the ground make that narrative less compelling. Eric Gomez comments on the recent meeting between Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The U.S. Has Too Many Classified Documents 05.04.2023

Federal agencies are already swimming in classified documents, and most of that secrecy is unwarranted. The problem promises to get worse. Patrick Eddington detail the scope of the problem and how it ought to be addressed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Assessing the Risks and Dispelling the Myths Surrounding Central Bank Digital Currency 04.04.2023

Central bank digital currencies are still not widely understood, but that's not stopping governments from moving ahead with the new technology. Nick Anthony is coauthor of a new Cato Institute paper exposing some of the myths and risks of CBDCs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All the President's Budget Assumptions 03.04.2023

Presidents are known to make rosy assumptions when they propose budgets to Congress. How realistic are they? Cato's Adam Michel comments on the recent White House budget proposal. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

United States v. Hansen 01.04.2023

When are your words of mere encouragement to a friend criminal under federal law? Tommy Berry details a case that holds serious implications for freedom of speech. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

TikTok Grandstanding and National Security 31.03.2023

Congressional anger at the popular app TikTok could be better aimed at making Americans' data more secure from snoopers and hostile foreign governments. Cato's Jennifer Huddleston and Will Duffield discuss the recent Congressional hearing on TikTok. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The House-Passed 'Parents Bill of Rights' Is Unconstitutional 30.03.2023

Congress wants to promote transparency in public schooling, but its means are dubious. Neal McCluskey discusses the House-passed "parents bill of rights." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

SEC Moves to Revamp Retail Trading 29.03.2023

Securities and Exchange Commission leadership seems to believe that some big changes to how trades get executed will better protect retail traders. Jennifer Schulp says it's not clear retail traders are currently poorly served. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Consequences of Big Electric Vehicle Handouts 28.03.2023

Getting certain members of Congress to sign off on big ticket legislation sometimes means cutting some deals that mitigate the impact of your bigger goals. In the case of electric vehicle subsidies, Scott Lincicome says the negative impacts are typical for industrial policy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shielded: How the Police Became Untouchable 24.03.2023

In Shielded: How the Police Became Untouchable , author Joanna Schwartz details the myriad ways police have been immunized or otherwise protected from the consequences of violating Americans' rights. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Equalities of Outcome/Opportunity/Permission 23.03.2023

When policymakers pursue “equality,” which equality should they pursue? Deirdre McCloskey believes neither "equality of outcome" nor "equality of opportunity" is a great option. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PTSD, Veteran Mental Health, and Psychedelics 22.03.2023

Psychedelics show enormous promise in the treatment of PTSD and depression. Those treatments are largely unavailable domestically to veterans and others who might be helped. Call it a casualty of the War on Drugs. Jesse Gould runs the Heroic Hearts Project to help overcome those hurdles for veterans who might benefit from psychedelic treatment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more infor...

The Fiscal Impact of Immigration in the United States 21.03.2023

How does immigration affect the public treasury? In most scenarios, that effect is positive. Alex Nowrasteh is coauthor of the new paper, " The Fiscal Impact of Immigration in the United States ." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Appreciating Israel Kirzner 20.03.2023

What are the big takeaways from the insights of the long career of Austrian economist Israel Kirzner? Economist Peter Boettke has some ideas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game 17.03.2023

It took 30 years and one dedicated young man to get New York to throw out its ban on pinball. Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game tells the story of Roger Sharpe, a journalist at GQ and a pinball aficionado. Austin and Meredith Bragg are the film's directors. The film is in theaters and available for streaming today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Panic at the Chatbot 16.03.2023

Fears of artificial intelligence have been goosed recently with the emergence of services like ChatGPT that can deliver longform coherent text addressing fairly specific prompts. Cato's Will Duffield says many of the fears it has inspired are unfounded. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

FDIC Sets Bad Precedent in SVB Failure 15.03.2023

Shareholders are getting hosed by the failure of Silicon Valley Bank, but depositors ought to be more on the hook for losses than, say, depositors at other banks. Norbert Michel discusses the bad precedent set by the FDIC. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shelter from the Storm: How a COVID Mortgage Meltdown Was Averted 14.03.2023

In his new book, Shelter from the Storm , Cato's Mark Calabria details his time as head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency during one of the most turbulent times for housing finance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nigeria's Disastrous Rollout of Central Bank Digital Currency 13.03.2023

Nigeria's experience with central bank digital currencies should give pause to advocates for the privacy killing monetary innovation. Cato's Nick Anthony comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Search Warrants and the Police Killing of Breonna Taylor 11.03.2023

Police killed Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky three years ago. The warrants that led to her death remain a black eye for the judicial branch there. Julie Kaelin is a circuit judge in Louisville who has tried to reform warrant approval in Kentucky. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Home Equity Theft at the Supreme Court 10.03.2023

The Cato Institute has filed a brief in the Supreme Court case of Tyler v. Hennepin County . Tommy Berry details the argument against the government's taking of Ms. Tyler's home and all the equity it contains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Local Consequences of Certificate of Need in Health Care 09.03.2023

Ron Shultis of the Beacon Center in Tennessee details some of the local costs that certificate of need laws can impose on health care consumers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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