Inequality: American Buy, Borrow, and Die vs. Scandinavian Wage Compression
Wealthy Americans are able to avoid taxes through an accounting strategy known as “buy, borrow, and die.” It’s why Donald Trump is able to pay as little as $0 in federal income taxes some years. But, as Peter and Paul discuss, it turns out that the strategy might work differently than researchers used to think. Then, in the second half of the show, they discuss a surprising finding about income equality in Scandanavia, which isn’t a product of any of popular progressive redistribution policies like welfare benefits or parental leave. Rather, it’s because of significant wage compression and reduced income for highly educated workers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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35:25
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35:25
Is Public Funding Actually Bad for Public Media?
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which subsidizes National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service, received half a billion dollars from the federal government each year. While budget battles over the amount of funding are routine, there are more fundamental questions at stake. Join Peter Van Doren and Paul Matzko as they dig into the surprising, partisan history of the origins of public media and the unintended consequences of government subsidies.In conjunction with Regulation Magazine Summer 2025 edition. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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31:57
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31:57
Is YouTube Good or Bad? The Perils and Promise of ‘Free’ Information
Every minute, over 500 hours of content are uploaded to YouTube. Some of those videos likely infringe on existing intellectual property rights. In his Regulation cover article, law professor Jonathan Barnett argues that protections for intellectual property, including on platforms like YouTube, have become too weakened. That has resulted in a massive redistribution of wealth from IP holders to online platforms and users. Yet by lowering the functional costs of sharing ideas and data, the internet has generated an explosion in creativity, which is ostensibly the purpose of granting IP rights in the first place. Join Peter and Paul as they discuss whether there’s an optimal degree of strictness for intellectual property rights.In conjunction with Regulation Magazine Spring 2025 edition. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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31:14
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31:14
PM2.5 and Decentralizing Pollution Standards
One of the hottest debated topics in environmental pollution policy is PM2.5, particulate matter that is so small it can bypass your respiratory system’s filters and enter your bloodstream. Everyone agrees that it’s a potential problem, but Paul and Peter discuss why a single national standard for PM2.5 might be an expensive mistake that actually hurts public health by misallocating attention and resources.In conjunction with Regulation Magazine Spring 2025 edition. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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27:21
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27:21
Trade Policy as an Act of Self-Immolation
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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Unintended Consequences is the podcast of Regulation magazine, produced by the Cato Institute. Hosted by Peter Van Doren and Paul Matzko, the show explores how government interventions can have surprising—and often negative—consequences. Drawing from Regulation's in-depth policy analysis and cover stories, each episode unpacks the gap between policymakers’ intentions and the real-world outcomes that follow. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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