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November 8, 2024

It’s Time for Conservatives to Reclaim Our Place in Ed Reform

As the results of the election came into focus Tuesday night, Chuck Todd made a keen observation on NBC: Republicans’ biggest gains among Hispanic voters came in Florida and Texas, states that “have been very aggressive about expanding school choice.” That’s not a coincidence. Conservatives have long understood that school choice is a winning issue, especially in…

November 7, 2024

Key Data on Federal Benefits Paid to Illegal Immigrant Households

Soaring illegal immigration during the Biden-Harris administration was a major campaign theme, with a pre-election Harvard poll finding Americans considered immigration the second-most important issue—right behind inflation and ahead of the economy. An AP exit poll seconded that ranking, with 39 percent of voters citing the economy as their top issue, followed by immigration at 20 percent—up from three…

November 7, 2024

Introducing the “More Accurate Consumer Price Index”

Abstract Particularly since the 1990s, federal statistical agencies have worked to improve the ability ofvarious price indexes to measure changes in the cost of living. However, in recent years, somehave sent mixed signals to researchers about the relative merits of different measures. As aresult, academic and policy researchers routinely use theoretically and empirically inferior priceindexes…

November 5, 2024

Never Let a Crisis End

New York City’s perennial housing crisis—the city has regularly declared a housing “emergency” since 1971—is back on the city council’s agenda, with two proposals to address it. On the surface, the two plans, one championed by Mayor Eric Adams, the other by City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, seem complementary; both promise more housing. But a…

November 5, 2024

Harvard Professor Edward Glaeser on the U.S. Housing Crisis

Why are U.S. housing prices so high? Edward L. Glaeser, the Fred and Eleanor Glimp Professor of Economics at Harvard University, is an expert in housing and urban economics. His work highlights the relationship between housing supply, urban growth, and economic prosperity, offering insights for policymakers to create more sustainable and equitable urban environments through…

November 4, 2024

Again, Tariffs Didn’t Make American Manufacturing Great

Nationalist/populist conservatives, including the Republican nominee, claim that US economic history supports their views of trade protectionism. Donald Trump says “tariff” is “the most beautiful word in the dictionary” and that America “in the 1890s was probably the wealthiest it ever was” because of its tariff system. First, per capita GDP is, conservatively, seven times higher…

November 1, 2024

Latest Student Loan Cancellation Proposal Could Be Biggest Yet

The Biden administration unveiled its fourth major student loan cancellation scheme last week. While the administration’s past three cancellation plans have suffered defeats in the courts, officials apparently hope that things will be different this time. The new plan offers loan cancellation to borrowers experiencing “hardship.” If you’re wondering what “hardship” means, so am I. It is…

November 1, 2024

Kamala Harris’s Policy Book Doesn’t Even Mention Immigration

The record surge in illegal immigration during the Biden-Harris administration, its consequences and costs, and what to do about it are all major issues in this year’s election. Recent polling suggests addressing immigration is voters’ second biggest priority, right after inflation and ahead of the economy. Yet Vice President Kamala Harris’s “policy book” doesn’t even mention immigration, much…

October 31, 2024

The Republican Marriage Advantage: Partisanship, Marriage, And Family Stability In The Trump Era

The Donald Trump era has scrambled the relationship between partisanship and many of the most important social axes of American life—class, gender, region, and now even race and ethnicity. Since 2016, for instance, the White working-class has moved strongly into the Republican camp, the rich have migrated towards the Democratic Party, young women have headed left, and, more…

October 30, 2024

A SNAP Reform Framework Focused on the Future

No matter the outcome of next week’s election, we can be certain that the new President and Congress will confront urgent policy and legislative challenges. One priority issue for the new Congress will be renewing the Farm Bill. True to its name, the Farm Bill authorizes a wide range of programs to support farmers and…