Business
Is Universal Basic Income Inevitable?
UBI is moving from theory to live policy debate. Here is what drives the interest, what pilot evidence suggests, and why cost and design choices determine feasibility.
Topic
Federal Budget
14 analyses
Federal Budget
Corrections Reform: What Works, What Fails, and What It Costs
The U.S. runs one of the world’s most expensive incarceration systems with weak outcomes. The evidence points to reforms that reduce recidivism and improve public safety.
Business
Religious Institutions Should Pay Taxes
Argues that religious institutions should pay taxes, describing religion as a multi-billion dollar industry subsidized by American taxpayers and pointing to the wealth of some church leaders.
Economics
Affordable Education Requires Reform
Education is a pillar of modern society. Rather, it would be if it were not rife with inequality and greed.
Economics
Drug Testing Welfare Recipients Is Illogical
Drug testing welfare recipients isn’t worth the cost, the post argues. States that tested reported few positive results, and welfare recipients use drugs at a lower rate than the general population.
Economics
Legalization of Cannabis
Makes the case for legalizing cannabis nationwide, citing lower enforcement costs, fewer possession arrests, new tax revenue and jobs, and its medical use as a substitute for opiates.
Alternative Energy
Balancing the Federal Budget: Summary
Pulls the Balancing the Federal Budget series into a master plan and argues that balance can be achieved, but it won’t be easy. It pairs more spending on science, education and infrastructure with cuts to defense and a single-payer health care system meant to lower costs.
Economics
Balancing the Federal Budget: Taxes
The objective of a taxation system is to cover federal expenditures, but it’s falling short in the United States.
Federal Budget
Balancing the Federal Budget: Income Security
Function 600 aims to provide for those who are unable to provide for themselves.
Economics
Balancing the Federal Budget: Defense
Examines how $585 billion of defense spending is used, calls parts of it potentially wasteful, and proposes fewer overseas bases, a review of military contracts, and more support for United Nations efforts.
Alternative Energy
Balancing the Federal Budget: Non-Defense
Non-defense discretionary spending has stayed low and steady as a share of GDP, the post argues, and should grow rather than be cut. It walks through what this spending funds, from health research and transportation to education, science, law enforcement and diplomacy.
Economics
Balancing the Federal Budget: Health Care
Health care spending has increased rapidly since 1960, but why? This part of the budget series traces the growth in Medicare and Medicaid spending and asks whether it is sustainable.
Economics
Balancing the Federal Budget: Social Security
The Social Security program is the largest spending category in the Federal Budget and it is running out of money.
Economics
Balancing the Federal Budget: Introduction
An in-depth look at the Federal Budget, beginning with a high-level summary of federal tax revenues, spending, the largest spending categories and the national debt.