Mercatus Center at George Mason University

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Susannah Barnes has a fabulous post this morning for Labor Market Matters on how to address falling fertility rates. "The puzzle is that women do want to have more children...When women have more flexibility at work, they tend to have more babies." https://lnkd.in/esr7KC8f

See my new Forbes article, "New Supreme Court Decisions Help Restrict Federal Government Overreach," https://lnkd.in/emsucVXJ

While the incrementalist in me has a certain wariness about the uncertain impact of striking Chevron, I think its improper to suggest that public policy must be led by scientists/technical experts at each and every turn. Don't get me wrong: science must deeply inform every decision. That said, we must also respect the limits of scientists themselves. In the AI space, scientists might know the tech but what they can't speak to with authority is AI impact. A problematic trend in AI policy is that decisionmakers often turn to technical experts for takes on labor dynamics, economic growth, national security and other domains far afield of their knowledge. The result has been overactive imaginations, half baked ideas and policy that is generally wanting. All public policy is inherently interdisciplinary and is pulled by factors such as philosophy, budgets, economics, human behavior, and many other forces beyond science. While it would be nice to assume we can cook up policy recommendations in the lab, the reality is that policy is compromise. In a democracy we must both empower and invest trust in non-scientific experts - especially in congress- to engage. https://lnkd.in/eqeERMB5

Could flexible work arrangements be the solution to falling fertility rates? Susannah Barnes explains how worker flexibility can positively impact fertility. https://lnkd.in/eptKE76f

New! Ben Klutsey chats with Josiah Ober on Pluralist Points about the challenges of scaling democracy as populations grow and diversify. https://lnkd.in/e4xRx8pj

NEW EPISODE: Ben Klutsey and Josiah Ober, a professor of political science and classics at Stanford University, discuss how democracy arose in history and how we can help it endure today. Check it out on the Pluralist Points Podcast. https://lnkd.in/egq4BFby

Chevron deference is dead, but what's next for regulators? Patrick McLaughlin breaks down the implications of SCOTUS's Loper Bright decision in his latest Third Order piece. https://lnkd.in/eB7bDrnm

Trade lawyers & history majors like to blame free trade for societal ills. But as Christine McDaniel notes, we've never had free trade. Blaming something that isn’t happening won’t solve the very real problems that need to be addressed. https://lnkd.in/eBcGi5eZ

Holy smokes - where does the time go? 😯 This month marks 18 years with the Mercatus Center at George Mason University!  To people outside of our nonprofit, I like to describe Mercatus as the home of brainy economists and heterodox thinkers who work to discover what aspects of institutions and culture help societies prosper. 💡 It's all about ideas. 🎓 Whether it is raising money for scholarships so young people can study economics at GMU, or researching real world public policy issues such as ocean health and 🐟 overfishing, or in this era of polarization, how can markets work properly if there is a breakdown in social trust and civil discourse, and what can we do about it? 🎉 Lots of experiments and innovative work is always happening here, not to mention fascinating hallway conversations. Together, we ask ourselves hard questions so our board and donors don't have to. This is meaningful, fun and creative work. My Mercatus peeps have encouraged me, helped me grow, taught me new things, your stories and wisdom informed my book! What a journey. Feeling grateful. ❤️