Scholar Commentary

One of the first things President Biden did when he assumed office was issue an executive order placing a moratorium on the sale of any new leases for oil and gas on federal land—at least until the Department of the Interior completes a review of climate impacts. What does that mean and how will it […]

Watch the recent webinar featuring special guest Charles Kenny who discusses his most recent book, The Plague Cycle, and why global cooperation during any public health crisis is essential. Charles is a senior fellow and the director of technology and development at the Center for Global Development. Last year, we saw countries close their borders […]

On December 19, the Hong Kong People’s Freedom and Choice Act failed to advance in the Senate due to objections from Senator Ted Cruz. The bill would allow people in Hong Kong to claim refugee status in the United States if they’ve faced persecution for their political beliefs. It’s a disappointing failure because just 11 days prior, the bill […]

Occam’s Razor needs to be applied more broadly in the debate over free speech online. If you think your political position is being suppressed by Facebook or Google or Twitter, it probably isn’t. More likely, your post was taken down because you violated a rule and then interpreted the takedown as a nefarious attempt at […]

Recently, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed a new rule regarding the administration of critical habitat designations for endangered species. Critical habitat designations on private land can discourage property owners from maintaining or restoring habitat for protected species. Because private lands provide essential habitat for endangered wildlife, it’s important that reforms boost the incentives […]

The U.S. economy is among the six topics selected for the first presidential debate on September 29, 2020, in Cleveland, Ohio. When it comes to the economic response to the COVID-19 pandemic President Trump and his Democratic opponent former Vice President Joe Biden are likely to agree on the basics. Listen to CGO Academic Director […]

That the people of Hong Kong revere American values and treasure their freedoms every bit as much as most Americans do is shown in the past year of the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. The question is how to provide refuge to those in need?

The current system for personal savings is broken and in need of a new option. It tells young and lower-income Americans not to save or invest unless you are ready to save for retirement or other government-approved goals.

These charts display the results of a recent CGO/YouGov poll measuring how people viewed tech companies, their impact on their lives, and the prospects of breaking them up.

Senior Research Fellow Will Rinehart joined Jim Lokay on The Final 5 (Fox 5 DC) to break down the President’s recent executive order on TikTok and WeChat, and how that could alter how the government handles private business.

On August 6, the White House gave TikTok’s parent company in Beijing, ByteDance, 45 days to sell off the social media app or face a ban in the United States. Senior Research Fellow, Will Rinehart argues against an outright ban in the U.S. in this Daily Caller op-ed.

Wednesday, July 29 marked the 10-year anniversary since the controversial implementation of SB 1070. Commonly called the “show-me-your-papers” law, supporters argued that it would reduce crime in communities. But has SB 1070 actually made Arizonans safer? New evidence suggests it has not.

William Rinehart at Utah State University discusses the news about big tech companies testifying before the House on antitrust, politics, and censorship.

On August 1, 2020, Senior Research Fellow William Rinehart had a conversation on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal with host Jesse J. Holden about last week’s big tech antitrust hearing implications.

Eli Dourado and Josh T. Smith analyze the most recent changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in their contribution to The Hill.

He wants social media companies to pay you for the data you produce. But loopholes abound, it’s too expensive, and other plans like it have failed, argues Will Rinehart in his latest op-ed in WIRED Opinion.

Public officials across Utah working desperately to fight off the pandemic, as it continues to touch nearly every aspect of our lives, have decided to turn to tech.

The “personal transporter” promised to change cities back in 2001. It didn’t. But its demise should be a warning for today’s urban mobility disrupters.