Reason Foundation
Search Reason
Economy and Economics 
"Thank goodness for Reason.... one sane voice fighting tons of nonsense."
John Stossel, ABC's 20/20
"Reason Foundation’s tolerance, civility, and consistency in defending individual liberty make it a haven for believers in a free society of all shades of opinion."
Milton Friedman, Nobel Laureate in Economics
"Reason has excellent discussions of economic, political, and social issues. It does not simply assume the case for free markets and free choice, but persuades readers with careful analysis."
Gary S. Becker, Nobel Laureate in Economics
Recent Research and Commentary
Crony Capitalism and Community Development Subsidies
Do commmunity development subsidies actually result in community development? Or have they been captured by vested interests?
June 11, 2013Every year, the federal government’s budget is loaded with hundreds of billions of dollars in taxpayer-funded subsidies. A little known piece of that pile of taxpayer cash giveaways is the nearly $20 billion spent each year on “community development” subsidies. While not as well known as farm subsidies or the special benefits of the mortgage interest deduction, the money spent on community development programs surpasses the $15 billion in subsidies the Department of Transportation uses to subsidize Amtrak and air traffic controllers, and equals the $20 billion in renewable energy subsidies from the Department of Energy. But do commmunity development subsidies actually result in community development? And to what extent have such subsidies been captured by vested interests?
A Labor Market Mired in Historical Lows is an Unhealthy Labor Market
June 7, 2013, 9:13amAnthony Randazzo, Adam Millsap
Today the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the headline unemployment rate was "essentially unchanged" at 7.6 percent. Since January, the unemployment rate has remained between 7.9 percent and 7.5 percent. While the May unemployment figures appear to indicate that the employment situation has stabilized, the reality is far less rosy. The number of persons not in the labor force remains has historic levels, and is up nearly two million from May of 2012.
Citizens Property Insurance Privatization: Crony Capitalism or Good Policy?
June 3, 2013, 8:19amOn Wednesday Citizens Property Insurance, Florida’s state-run windstorm and general insurance provider, will decide on whether or not to transfer a small portion of its existing policies into the hands of the private sector.
Developments in Local Government Privatization
Annual Privatization Report 2013 examines local government privatization trends
May 6, 2013Harris Kenny, Adam Summers, Steven Titch
This section of Reason Foundation's Annual Privatization Report 2013 provides an overview of the latest on privatization and public-private partnerships in local government. Topics include:
A. Mayor Emanuel Establishes Chicago Infrastructure Trust
B. Public-Private Partnerships for Parking Assets
C. Yonkers, New York Pursuing Innovative School Partnership Approach
D. City of Austin Releases Surprising Outsourcing Study
E. Georgia Contract Cities Continue to Evolve
F. Finding New Ways to Provide Parks and Recreation Amenities
G. Water and Wastewater Privatization Update
H. Solid Waste Collection Update
I. Non-Profit Partnerships for Animal Shelters Grow
J. ANALYSIS: Is Managed Competition Dead in San Diego?
K. ANALYSIS: San Diego, San Jose Lead the Way in Local Pension Reform
L. ANALYSIS: Despite Glossy Reports, Muni Broadband is Still a Net Money Loser
M. Local Government Privatization News and Notes
» Return to Annual Privatization Report 2013 homepage
Living in Operatic Times
On Estonia, it looks like the Krugmanloons were wrong and President Ilves was right
April 25, 2013The operatic scale of the financial crisis that has engulfed the world since 2007 has finally been recognised. April 7 sees the premiere, in Talinn, of Nostra Culpa, a 16 minute opera inspired by a “Twitter feud” in which Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves denounced New York Times pontificator Paul Krugman for asserting that Estonia’s response to the crisis had not been a success.
Federal Privatization Update
Annual Privatization Report examines privatization and public-private partnership trends at the federal level
April 15, 2013Adam Summers, Anthony Randazzo, Steven Titch, Victor Nava
The federal section of Reason Foundation's Annual Privatization Report 2013 provides an overview of the latest on federal government privatization and public-private partnerships. Topics include:
A. BCFC Outlines $795 Billion in Federal Budget Savings
B. Congress Takes on Postal Service Reform—Again
D. ANALYSIS: Google, Facebook, Antitrust and the “Public Good”
E. ANALYSIS: Private Sector is Best-Positioned to Lead Cybersecurity Policy
F. ANALYSIS: Privatization of Financial Regulation is Not Impossible
View Resources by Type
StudiesBlog PostsOp-EdsReason.comReason.tv
- Julian Morris Discusses European Bailout Fever on Fox Business
July 24th, 2012 - How Free Markets Will Beat Climate Change: Q&A with UCLA's Matthew Kahn
July 5th, 2012 - Washington's Parasitic Economy with The Weekly Standard's Andrew Ferguson
June 22nd, 2012 - Surprise: Economic Mobility is Alive and Well in America!
June 21st, 2012 - Anthony Randazzo Talks Greece, Spain, and Euro Dissolution on The Alyona Show
June 19th, 2012 - Will Seattle Become the Capital of Social Entrepreneurship?
June 14th, 2012 - Hemp History Week: Ending the War on George Washington's Favorite Crop
June 4th, 2012 - Haiti's Pepe Trade: How Secondhand American Clothes Became a First-Rate Business
May 23rd, 2012 - Tom Easton on Dodd-Frank: "A Terrible Law"
May 12th, 2012 - The Vampire Economist and the Moral Molecule
May 10th, 2012 - Anthony Randazzo Discusse Restoring Trust in Mortgage Backed Securities on Fox Business
May 10th, 2012 - John Stossel on Journalism, How he became Libertarian & his new book "No They Can't"
May 7th, 2012 - What We Saw at Occupy Wall Street's May Day Protest in NYC (feat. Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello)
May 2nd, 2012 - Charles Murray: Why America is Coming Apart Along Class Lines
April 25th, 2012 - Matt Ridley on Ideas having Sex, Free Trade, & Apocalyptic Science w/ Reason's Kennedy
April 16th, 2012 - Matt Welch Discusses 2012 Election, Judicial Activism & "Social Darwinism" on Melissa Harris-Perry
April 10th, 2012 - 5 Keys to Restoring America's Prosperity: John B. Taylor
April 3rd, 2012 - Matt Welch Discusses Obama's Symbolic Presidency with Varney
March 8th, 2012 - Julian Morris Discusses Whether Capitalism is "Outdated" & "Crumbling" on Freedom Watch
January 25th, 2012 - Will The Supreme Court End New York's Rent Control Laws?
January 18th, 2012 - Ranking Economic Freedom with The Heritage Foundation's James Roberts
January 18th, 2012 - 3 Reasons Conservatives Should Cut Defense Spending Now!
January 10th, 2012 - Ron Paul Expects "Dramatic Good News" Night Before Iowa Caucus
January 3rd, 2012 - Veronique de Rugy Talks "Automatic Budget Cuts" and Defense Spending on Freedom Watch
December 6th, 2011 - Peter Schiff Talks to The One Percent: "The Economy is about to implode...we're not even near the bottom yet"
December 1st, 2011
Featured Research
- Taxpayer's Guide to the Stimulus
Where is all that stimulus money going? - State Governments Face Deficits and Fiscal Trouble Because of Spending
From 2002 to 2007, state spending rose 50 percent faster than inflation - Is America Following the Policies that Caused Japan's "Lost Decade"?
Federal government is repeating many of the same mistakes that created Japan's Lost Decade
Related Topics
Experts: Economy and Economics
RSS Feeds: Economy and Economics
Media Contact
Chris MitchellDirector of Communications
Email
(310) 367-6109
Support Reason
Your tax-deductible gift can help us promote individual liberty, choice, and free minds and free markets.