Manhattan Insights

Progressives have long dominated the environmental movement, advocating government spending and bureaucratic oversight as the solution to climate change. Countless local and federal regulations have been aimed at mitigating environmental harm, often hampering productivity. Is this really the best way to preserve our planet? Some conservatives believe we should instead turn to innovative, market-dr...

The pandemic transformed urban housing markets, prompting increased demand for residential space and spurring a shift toward remote work. Many remote employees have left large cities for smaller ones, but housing demand remains strong in major urban centers. As cities' populations fluctuate, the pro-development YIMBY (Yes In My Backyard) movement has gained momentum with supporters advocating for...

Rapid advances in artificial intelligence, genome editing, and materials science are poised to dramatically change the way we live, work, and learn—but is that a good thing, or is it a prospect we should dread? As it stands, conservatives are divided on that question, with some embracing technological breakthroughs and others fearing the threat they pose to human dignity.    Jon Askonas has been u...

New York has long been at the forefront of the drug crisis. In 2022, over 3,000 city residents died of a drug overdose, the highest number on record. The proliferation of inexpensive yet lethal drugs, such as fentanyl and methamphetamine, poses an escalating challenge to New York City. However, there is hope to tackle these issues through collaboration and partnerships within the city's criminal j...

In their efforts to ensure their children's happiness, a growing number of millennial and Gen X parents are turning to therapists, school psychologists, and other mental health professionals for help. Yet there is mounting evidence that this therapeutic turn has backfired. Rather than inculcate the virtues of self-discipline and independence, these efforts have yielded a generation of children fil...

The school choice movement gained significant momentum in the wake of the pandemic shutdowns, which exposed the weaknesses of traditional public schools and the challenges of remote learning. As parents became increasingly aware of the quality and content of their children's education, many began to explore alternative schooling options. By offering a diverse range of choices, including charter sc...

The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to hear the case of Grants Pass v. Johnson has brought homelessness back into the national legal spotlight. The case revolves around the question of whether the homeless have a constitutional right to camp on public property, and its outcome could overturn prior lower court rulings that have contributed to the West Coast's homelessness crisis. Six years ago, the N...

Radical DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) ideology has overtaken elite universities and, increasingly, American public life. Few reporters have followed the "woke" takeover of American universities and the corrosion of its institutions more closely than our guest. Our guest Aaron Sibarium, a Yale University alum, now reports on elite institutions that he is the very product of and investigates t...

The field of criminology has transformed in the last quarter century. Evidence-based crime policy has been replaced by misperceptions about the nature of crime and criminal offenders. Concurrently, progressive policies and programs have also reshaped the criminal justice system. However, 70 years of social science research shows that "social control" is one the most important factors in preventing...

Two decades ago, a four-year college degree was widely regarded as the key to boosting incomes. However, recent years have witnessed a paradigm shift in conventional wisdom about the value of a college education. Over half say college isn't worth the cost, compared with 40% a decade ago. Are the skeptics right? What's the average return? Who is it working for, and who isn't it? Two prominent persp...

The role of immigration in shaping the nation's economy remains a hotly contested area of debate. Factors such as the real economic benefits of high-skilled versus low-skilled immigrants, the impact of immigration on native employment, and the role of policy in shaping these dynamics stand at the forefront of this national conversation. While immigration is accepted to have wide-ranging effects on...

As the 2024 election draws near, voters in early primary states will soon decide who will be on the ballot for president in November. Will the race be a rematch between former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden? And what impact, if any, will the current president's lagging popularity and the former president's legal troubles have on the contest? To shed light on the presidential race a...

In 2021, New Yorkers elected Eric Adams as the 110th mayor of New York City. Since assuming office, the Adams administration has grappled with a migrant crisis inundating the city's homeless services, staggering budget deficits caused by a decade of mismanagement, and a growing unease among citizens regarding safety on public transit, among other issues. The Adams mayoral campaign promised to rest...

In Phoenix, Arizona, a massive downtown homeless encampment known as "The Zone" was recently cleared out following legal battles and a court order. For years, the area was filled with hundreds of tents lining the blocks of streets, leading to a rise in crime and serious complaints from local residents and businesses. At its height, The Zone held about 1,000 people. Earlier this year, a successful...

The role of science, its applications, and ethical implications have been focal points of many public debates in recent years. From the challenges posed by COVID to the complexities of climate change, the question of what qualifies as evidence and the definition of science itself have become partisan issues. In November 2022, our guest Joe Simonson reports, the Biden administration's Office of Sci...

In the period since 2020, consumer prices have increased by 18 percent. While the inflation rate has slowed from its peak, core inflation remains significantly higher than the pre-pandemic average. This prompts the question: what factors are behind this inflation surge, and what can we learn from it in terms of America's economic future? Stephen Miran is an adjunct fellow at the Manhattan Institut...

On the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War, the Iranian-backed terrorist organization Hamas launched a brutal surprise attack on Israel that involved the killing of small children, the elderly, and hundreds of other vulnerable women and men. In the U.S., the atrocity  has sparked both outrage and a disturbing surge in antisemitism and anti-Zionism, particularly on social media and on college ca...

The clash between "woke" progressivism and classical enlightenment ideals has tested the foundational pillars of modern liberalism—free speech, due process, equal treatment, objective truth, and beyond. This battle is most fiercely fought on university campuses across the English-speaking world. At the heart of the trendy concept of "wokeness" lies the ideology of cultural socialism. Rooted in the...

Over the past half decade, panic has spread among politicians in California, as a mysterious startup bought over 50,000 acres in Solano County. In fact, "California Forever" is an effort backed by Silicon Valley investors to develop a new city with tens of thousands of homes in farmland outside San Francisco. The utopian vision for the city promises safe, walkable neighborhoods, vibrant public spa...

For residents of American cities, the stench of cannabis smoke on the streets has noticeably escalated in recent years. More concerning is the growing presence of addicts hooked on lab-produced meth and fentanyl in communities across the country, resulting in more than 100,000 overdose deaths in 2021 and again in 2022. One thing is clear: America is in the thick of a drug crisis. What is the natur...

The trade-off between the economy and the environment is considered by many to be the defining issue of our time. Activists on the left now champion regulations to reduce carbon emissions at the expense of future economic growth. Other, self-described "degrowth" advocates take a more radical stance, calling for policies to lower incomes and shrink the global population. Alex Trembath is a deputy d...

The notion that "all politics is local" appears to be less true as the years pass. But despite the increasing focus on national issues among Americans, local leaders continue to wield significant influence when it comes to matters like education, finances, and law enforcement. Additionally, these officials remain open to guidance from interest groups. Sarah Anzia is an associate professor of publi...

American environmentalism is at a crossroads. Laws championed by environmental activists of the past are now hindering the reforms advocated by today's environmentalists, who deem them crucial to combat climate change. But lost in this debate between preservationists and climate hawks is a realistic understanding of the effects that "green" rules and regulations have on the everyday citizen. Nowhe...

This summer, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered rulings on such contentious issues as voting rights, student loans, and race-conscious college admissions. Amidst dissent from academics, journalists, and activists who challenge the Court's decisions, we confront a pressing question: should Americans be concerned about the Supreme Court's long-term legitimacy? Ilya Shapiro is a Manhattan Institute sen...

Throughout July, the Manhattan Institute conducted an extensive survey of likely 2024 Republican primary voters in key states—Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. Among other surprising findings, the GOP base is more unified on modern cultural debates surrounding identity politics than on long-standing disputes over abortion and gun rights. They remain hawkish on foreign policy and market-orie...