From the Cover
The Perils of ‘Free’ Information
Contrary to some activists’ and academics’ claims, weak IP rights can suppress innovation and competition.
Behind the Issue
Unintended Consequences
The Podcast of Regulation
On April 2, 2025, President Trump announced the largest tariffs in more than a century, sparking a stockmarket crash and heightening fears of a potential recession. It shouldn’t be a surprise for our listeners; one of our episodes last year covered the sweeping tariffs then being proposed by candidate Trump. But now that the tariffs are actually here, tune in as Paul and Peter discuss the likely negative effects for the US economy and American consumers. Then stick around for the second half of the episode for an update on the status of the TikTok ban.
Features
The Fate of ‘Never Needed’ Regulations
What happened to regulations that were suspended during the Covid-19 emergency?
Restraining ‘Theft by the State’
In its 2023 decision on home equity theft, the Supreme Court showed property rights aren’t only for the rich.
How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love Index Funds
Can passive investing be both meddlesome and neglectful?
Should PM2.5 Regulation Be Decentralized?
Particulate controls yield large benefits in some places and bizarre policies in others.
All the Presidents’ Regulations
John Graham’s new book is a good starting place to understand recent federal regulatory policy and what may lie ahead.
Briefly Noted
The Climate Policy Warning in Democrats’ Defeat
At every turn in the debate, climate activists have been silent on the costs of their preferred policies or attested that those costs would be trivial.
TikTok, Public Choice, and the Theater of the Absurd
Public choice theory assumes that state agents act in their own interests, just like they do when they participate in ordinary (non-political) markets.
In Review
Final Word
Restrained by the Invisible Hand
The futility of protectionism is well-documented, and tariffs need no further debunking.
