Max Gulker
Senior Policy Analyst, Reason Foundation
Max Gulker, Ph.D., is a Senior Policy Analyst at Reason Foundation.
Gulker’s research and writing bring a fresh perspective to social policy issues and debates. Gulker's recent research topics include welfare and work requirements, the impact of recent government policy on urban poverty, childcare, and cash assistance. Rather than traditional top-down approaches, Gulker looks for social policy alternatives where the private, public and non-profit sectors empower, rather than dictate to, people, families, and communities in need.
Prior to joining Reason Foundation, Gulker spent five years with the American Institute for Economic Research, where he wrote on social policy, including employment, education and healthcare, and emerging technology, including cryptocurrency, tech antitrust, and the sharing economy. Gulker has appeared on television news outlets including the Fox Business Channel, print media including the Wall Street Journal, and podcasts including Kibbe On Liberty. He has presented research, given speeches, and participated in panels at conferences on economics, technology and politics.
Gulker received his BA in Economics from the University of Michigan in 2000 and his Ph.D. in economics from Stanford University in 2008. Prior to entering the policy research field, he spent several years in the private sector, consulting on litigation including antitrust, intellectual property, bankruptcy and shareholder class actions.
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Refocusing U.S. welfare policy on economic opportunity
This study examines how the welfare system and banking, housing, criminal justice, and labor market regulations reduce and undermine opportunities for low-income Americans.
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Calls to regulate AI ignore how consumers help shape innovation
If we set up tight guardrails against AI evolution and innovation, we may miss out on the benefits of a technology revolution.
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Discretionary government power often backfires, no matter its target
The left and right should be concerned about discretionary and targeted power wielded by regulators and the executive branch.
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Examining day-to-day crypto volatility and why it’s important
Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other cryptocurrencies frequently exhibit daily price drops during bull markets and increases during bear markets far in excess of traditional assets.
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FTC Chair Lina Khan’s consolidation of power is a feature of her approach to antitrust, not a bug
New Brandeisians, led by Lina Khan, seek to move away from the consumer welfare standard of antitrust enforcement.
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Cutting California’s budget deficit and reforming state government
Gov. Newsom should start to eliminate regulations stifling things like infrastructure and housing projects and right-size government.
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Can the FTC block technology mergers based on future market predictions?
The bid to block Meta from acquiring Within will test the FTC’s argument that potential future concentration is enough to stall the merger.
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Cannabis markets: Growth, innovation, and burdensome regulation
As the legal cannabis market matures in some states, the regulatory regime in place threatens to stifle cannabis producers and retailers.
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Privatization and Government Reform News: Impact of occupational licensing, ESG investing, and more
Plus: Outsourcing sewer and water operations, nuclear power for the Air Force, and more.
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Three economists receive Nobel for hotly debated work on banking and financial crises
Bernanke, Diamond, and Dybvig’s work, when framed by the events of 2008, has drawn both intense praise and intense criticism.
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Privatization and Government Reform News: Expensive ambulances, Jackson’s water crisis, FDA reform, and more
Plus: Promising results for a jail diversion program, why Congress should ignore the NCAA, and more.
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California Proposition 1 (2022): Amends the state constitution to protect abortion rights, guarantee reproductive freedom
The amendment was passed by the state legislature in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Clinic.
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Privatization and Government Reform News: Rethinking K-12 transportation, water needs, and more
Plus: Paying for highways and bridges, housing costs and regulations, and more.
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What the movement to break up big tech gets wrong about our digital economy
The uncertainty, fast-moving innovation, and large pool of ideas that characterize online platforms make new competition inevitable.
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Privatization and Government Reform News: Trends in aviation, Arizona water P3s, and more
Plus: Michigan budget issues, government failures in Flint, and more.
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Child care policy debates need more focus on the prominent role that informal care plays
The informal sector is at least as large and important to parents as a daycare, and its results strain low-income parents disproportionately.
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Sen. Manchin’s proposed reforms to the child tax credit would be a step back in fighting poverty
History shows that work requirements for cash assistance to poor Americans often work much better as political sloganeering than as real programs.
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Reconsidering the Way We View and Measure Poverty
The Biden administration's increase to the child tax credit will likely help many families, but we also need to change the way we measure and address poverty.
