Manhattan Insights

Gender identity has quickly emerged as one of the most contentious topics in American cultural politics. However, the roots of this conflict can be traced back to a series of seemingly unrelated decisions made by overlooked political, legal, and educational actors years ago. Leor Sapir, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute, joins Reihan Salam to discuss the institutional origins of this intense cul...

American democracy is in decline, or so it's been argued by political scientists and media pundits. But what if those proclaiming its demise are unintentionally eroding the nation's civic health, giving rise to the very outcome they fear? Jason Willick is a columnist at the Washington Post who writes about politics, law, and foreign affairs. He's also an observer of the so-called "American democra...

Americans have always been known to vote with their feet, even more than at the ballot box. With black Americans leaving cities in the North East and Midwest, the South is becoming an attractive destination for freedom and opportunity. Mene Ukueberuwa, a member of the Wall Street Journal Editorial board, leads this episode of Manhattan Insights. His guest, Charles Blain, is the President of the Ur...

As federal spending on Medicare and Social Security grows in the coming years, the U.S. will be forced to make hard choices. What would it take to put the country on a stronger fiscal foundation? Is entitlement reform genuinely an insurmountable political challenge, as widely believed? Chris Pope is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a political scientist whose work focuses on health-c...

New Yorkers like to think of their city as the greatest in the world, but the attitude of "New York exceptionalism" has its downsides. Residents often tolerate policies that they wouldn't put up with elsewhere, like the rising levels of housing costs. Eric Kober knows New York inside and out. A senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and an adjunct lecturer at the Yale School of Architecture, he...

During the Covid pandemic, everyone from Elon Musk to Joe Rogan to the Goldman Sachs asset-management division packed up their headquarters and moved to Texas or Florida, states that famously have zero income tax. Are these high-profile cases outliers, or do they represent an emerging trend in our newly remote world? How can policymakers position their states to succeed in an era of interstate tax...

This summer, the Supreme Court will decide the Students for Fair Admissions cases that challenge the legality and constitutionality of affirmative action in higher ed. Regardless of the ruling, several questions remain unanswered. Are racial preferences popular or unpopular? Will universities comply with a judicial mandate for equal treatment? And what is the next frontier for advocates of color b...

When the pandemic hit, it threatened to cause not only a health and economic catastrophe, but a financial one. While businesses closed and jobs lost, emergency relief programs for renters and mortgages helped avoid a wider crisis in housing markets. Mark Calabria, senior advisor at the Cato Institute, was the former director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. He joins Manhattan Insights (with...

Many American cities are grappling with decreasing foot traffic, vacant office buildings, escalating crime, and dwindling tax revenues amidst hefty public pension obligations. These issues risk creating an urban "doom loop" — a vicious cycle that compounds these problems. Arpit Gupta from the Manhattan Institute and NYU's Stern School of Business joins Manhattan Insights to discuss the urban real...

A growing number of states are embracing school choice by implementing universal educational savings accounts (ESAs) for all families, with Arizona, Iowa, Florida, and Utah being among them. However, ensuring the success of these programs is a critical concern. How can we navigate the challenges and overcome obstacles to make these programs beneficial for all families? Jenny Clark, the founder and...

The U.S. was once highly successful in attracting high-skilled immigrants who contributed to many of the nation's signature innovations in the twentieth century. In recent years, however, our current immigration system has placed us at a disadvantage in the competition for twenty-first-century talent, while simultaneously alienating both sides of the political spectrum. Caleb Watney, co-founder of...

Many fear the future of politics in a diversifying America is destined for ever more intense conflict between whites and nonwhites, driven by the excesses of racial identity politics. But there is another possibility—that the separate and distinct racial categories invented by the Census Bureau and further entrenched by elite institutions no longer reflect the more blended reality of American life...

Chicagoans head to the polls to elect a new mayor, and the choice is stark. Paul Vallas, a moderate running on a platform of public safety and school choice, faces Brandon Johnson, an unapologetic progressive endorsed by the city teachers' union. Aaron Renn joins Manhattan Insights to discuss the city's long-term trajectory, and the reforms it must implement in order to thrive. You can find Aaron'...

Manhattan Insights is an intellectual engine for advancing economic opportunity, individual liberty, and the rule of law in America and its great cities. Featuring the nation's sharpest scholars, journalists, activists, and civic leaders, this show offers a deeper understanding of the policy issues and cultural challenges shaping our future.