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92. Intercity Buses: The Forgotten Mode
- Author:
- Randal O'Toole
- Publication Date:
- 06-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- The debate over President Obama's fantastically expensive high-speed rail program has obscured the resurgence of a directly competing mode of transportation: intercity buses. Entrepreneurial immigrants from China and recently privatized British transportation companies have developed a new model for intercity bus operations that provides travelers with faster service at dramatically reduced fares.
- Topic:
- Economics, Markets, Infrastructure, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- United States and China
93. Leashing the Surveillance State: How to Reform Patriot Act Surveillance Authorities
- Author:
- Julian Sanchez
- Publication Date:
- 05-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- Congress recently approved a temporary extension of three controversial surveillance provisions of the USA Patriot Act and successor legislation, which had previously been set to expire at the end of February. In the coming weeks, lawmakers have an opportunity to review the sweeping expansion of domestic counter-terror powers since 9/11 and, with the benefit of a decade's perspective, strengthen crucial civil-liberties safeguards without unduly burdening legitimate intelligence gathering. Two of the provisions slated for sunsetroving wiretap authority and the so-called “Section 215” orders for the production of records—should be narrowed to mitigate the risk of overcollection of sensitive information about innocent Americans. A third—authority to employ the broad investigative powers of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act against “lone wolf” suspects who lack ties to any foreign terror group—does not appear to be necessary at all.
- Topic:
- Defense Policy, Intelligence, National Security, Counterinsurgency, Governance, and Law
- Political Geography:
- United States
94. Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Future of Federal Housing Finance Policy: A Study of Regulatory Privilege
- Author:
- David Reiss
- Publication Date:
- 04-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- The federal government recently placed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-chartered, privately owned mortgage finance companies, in conservatorship. These two massive companies are profit driven, but as government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) they also have a government-mandated mission to provide liquidity and stability to the U.S. mortgage market and to achieve certain affordable housing goals. How the two companies should exit their conservatorship has implications that reach throughout the global financial markets and are of key importance to the future of American housing finance policy.
- Topic:
- Economics, Markets, Privatization, Financial Crisis, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- United States
95. Bankrupt: Entitlements and the Federal Budget
- Author:
- Michael Tanner
- Publication Date:
- 03-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- The U.S. government is about to exceed its statutory debt limit of $14.3 trillion. But that actually underestimates the size of the fiscal time bomb that this country is facing. If one considers the unfunded liabilities of programs such as Medicare and Social Security, the true national debt could run as high as $119.5 trillion.
- Topic:
- Debt, Economics, Human Welfare, Financial Crisis, Governance, and Health Care Policy
- Political Geography:
- United States
96. A Memo to Ban Ki-moon
- Author:
- Richard Gowan and Bruce D. Jones
- Publication Date:
- 06-2011
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Center on International Cooperation
- Abstract:
- Congratulations. You have not only won a second five---year term at the United Nations, but you also won with a minimum of fuss. In a month in which the Security Council has been rocked by disputes over Syria, all fifteen members backed you. Last week, the General Assembly gave you unanimous support.
- Topic:
- International Organization, United Nations, International Affairs, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- United States and Syria
97. Herbert Hoover: Father of the New Deal
- Author:
- Steven Horwitz
- Publication Date:
- 09-2011
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- Politicians and pundits portray Herbert Hoover as a defender of laissez faire governance whose dogmatic commitment to small government led him to stand by and do nothing while the economy collapsed in the wake of the stock market crash in 1929. In fact, Hoover had long been a critic of laissez faire. As president, he doubled federal spending in real terms in four years. He also used government to prop up wages, restricted immigration, signed the Smoot-Hawley tariff, raised taxes, and created the Reconstruction Finance Corporation-all interventionist measures and not laissez faire. Unlike many Democrats today, President Franklin D. Roosevelt's advisers knew that Hoover had started the New Deal. One of them wrote, "When we all burst into Washington ... we found every essential idea [of the New Deal] enacted in the 100-day Congress in the Hoover administration itself."
- Topic:
- Economics, Markets, Political Economy, Financial Crisis, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- United States and Washington
98. Publication Practices for Transparent Government
- Author:
- Jim Harper
- Publication Date:
- 09-2011
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- Government transparency is a widely agreed upon goal, but progress on achieving it has been very limited. Transparency promises from political leaders such as President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner have not produced a burst of information that informs stronger public oversight of government. One reason for this is the absence of specifically prescribed data practices that will foster transparency.
- Topic:
- Democratization, Political Economy, Politics, Communications, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- United States
99. The G20: Engine of Asian Regionalism?
- Author:
- Hugo Dobson
- Publication Date:
- 11-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- German Institute of Global and Area Studies
- Abstract:
- As a result of the emergence of the G20 as the self‐appointed “premier forum for international economic cooperation”, Asia's expanded participation in G‐summitry has attracted considerable attention. As original G7 member Japan is joined by Australia, China, Indonesia, India and South Korea, this has given rise to another alphanumeric configuration of the Asian 6 (A6). Resulting expectations are that membership in the G20 will impact Asian regionalism as the A6 are forced into coordination and cooperation in response to the G20's agenda and commitments. However, by highlighting the concrete behaviours and motivations of the individual A6 in the G20 summits so far, this paper stands in contrast to the majority of the predominantly normative extant literature. It highlights divergent agendas amongst the A6 as regards the future of the G20 and discusses the high degree of competition over their identities and roles therein. This divergence and competition can be seen across a range of other behaviours including responding to the norm of internationalism in promoting global governance and maintaining the status quo and national interest, in addition to claiming a regional leadership role and managing bilateral relationships with the US.
- Topic:
- Economics, Emerging Markets, Globalization, International Trade and Finance, Regional Cooperation, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- United States, Japan, China, Indonesia, India, Asia, South Korea, and Australia
100. Needing to Have A Voice: Linguistic Grouping in the Digital Networked Environment
- Author:
- Han-Teng Liao
- Publication Date:
- 07-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University
- Abstract:
- “[T]here isn't an economic internet and a social internet and a political internet; there's just the Internet,” U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said about the U.S.'s Internet freedom agenda, claiming that there should not be “walls that divide the Internet.”
- Topic:
- Environment, Globalization, Science and Technology, Communications, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- United States