Benchmark Blog

Do social media platforms extract value from consumers?

How much do consumers value social media? Will Rinehart, analyzes the data and shows how much users get from using social media.

Deregulation before subsidies: Order matters

Sometimes, the order in which you do things matters. Senior Research Fellow Eli Dourado explains in a blog post.

When immigrants are and aren’t afraid of reporting crime

Research on crime reporting and immigration policies suggests that policymakers can protect public safety best by welcoming immigrants.

A progress report on the Emergency Broadband Benefit program

Last year, Congress set aside $3.14 billion to help low-income households pay for broadband service and devices. What can we learn about the program so far?

The approach to drone regulation that will change air space management

A sort of holy grail for drone policy has been a system of oversight that doesn't stifle innovation and doesn't overburden the legacy air traffic system. What would that look like in practice?

Immigrants are the wrong targets

Florida has recently taken a hardline approach to state immigration policy. Tristan Peterson and Josh T. Smith explain why this might backfire.

What a pathway for immigrants can do

Pathways for legal immigration will give policymakers a handle on today’s immigration problems and benefit the entire country.

The state of data privacy in 2023

If the states continue to pass privacy laws, data privacy regulation in 2023 will create a disjointed and dysfunctional online environment for everyone involved.

Afghan refugees are no threat to public safety

As the United States debates how to deal with the refugees created by its withdrawal from Afghanistan, a central concern is how bringing them to the country might affect public safety.

We’re better together

With an aging population and lower birthrates in the U.S., how do we ensure the long-term economic growth doesn't fall with it?

Bring back hydrogen lifting gas

According to one estimate, there are around 25 blimps worldwide. What will it take to bring back these majestic beasts of the sky?

Bringing ecotourism to crowded national parks

As national parks groan under the weight of growing crowds, policymakers need to consider their priorities.

Urban conservation is key to achieving Biden’s 30×30 initiative

How a few changes to our conservation policy can benefit both the environment and people who live near urban centers of biodiversity.

Putting internet policy back into perspective

What is required of our regulators now is an objective insight into the failings of the past, courage to break from those ways, and conviction to face whatever troubles we may find on the uncharted road ahead.

Jobs are the wrong target for the energy transition

Everyone wants jobs, and with a low-carbon energy transition underway, they especially want energy jobs. But is this a good idea?

The key to Biden’s 30×30 is private land

As the Biden Administration sets out on an ambitious conservation agenda, policymakers should carefully consider how to leverage private lands’ immense conservation potential.

The digital divide, digital equity, and the nature of the problem

The lesson from policymakers is clear. Cost might be a barrier for some, but lowering cost doesn’t get a lot of people newly connected.

Reducing bureaucratic touchpoints in market-based regulation

What are bureaucratic touchpoints and why do they matter? The renewable fuel standard gives us a in-depth look at why this can cause issues.

Competing for people

Our restrictive immigration policies mean the U.S. is losing out on high-skilled workers who are sorely needed here.

Is the sun setting on rooftop solar?

How public policy can keep up with the rapid advances in solar technology? And what we should do about rooftop solar subsidies.

Crises are times of non-complacency

"If the human species ends before we can spread sustainably across several star systems, I think it will be because of complacency."

Out of the weeds and into the skies

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), currently the regulatory body in charge of the skies, has made efforts to prevent clear safety concerns. Its most recent endeavors include pilot certification tests and drone registration requirements.

Banking on a brighter conservation future

One of the challenges that the Biden Administration has promised to tackle is conservation — committing to protect 30% of America’s land and water by 2030.

Our most overlooked tool for environmental improvement

It’s tempting to meet our biggest environmental challenges with equally big solutions that often come from the top down and are elegantly crafted to fit every situation. But meeting our most daunting environmental challenges will require more tailored solutions that consider the unique circumstances of time and place.

Crowdsourcing conservation

America has a wealth of natural assets that deserve to be managed carefully using the best available data. In order for agencies to achieve that goal, they need to provide clearer guidance on what regulations apply to crowdsourced projects and embrace partnerships with private groups.

Digital platforms and government actors

The debate over Free Speech on the Internet is a touchy issue, especially when we start talking about social media platforms and forums for democratic debate. Seemingly, everything boils down to a single question: Do you have a First Amendment right to social media, or not?

An in-depth look at the broadband infrastructure bills

Acolytes claim that massive broadband expenditures will close the digital divide, but all of the plans are unabashedly focused on infrastructure. In reality, only a small part of the digital divide will actually be solved by making broadband infrastructure available everywhere.

How local policy matters for immigrants

Immigrants should be able to trust the police. On March 17, the Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP) sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas asking him to end partnerships between Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and local police departments.

Fixing America’s wildfire problem: a tale in two parts

It’s time to start managing for fire, not against it. While a global pandemic may have overshadowed them, wildfires across the U.S. reached record levels in 2020. Nationally, 47,000+ fires burned over eight million acres, creating the third-largest burn area in the last decade.

A Year Online

Productivity gains came at a premium to personal well-being. In the year since many of us were pushed into remote work arrangements article after article have popped up to declare that remote work and flexible work arrangements are the “future of work.”