The Lighthouse®
Higher education in America is in crisis: It’s too costly, it fails to educate students adequately, and the payoff for graduates and society is declining. Fortunately, Independent Institute Senior Fellow Richard K. Vedder offers numerous correctives in his new book, Restoring the Promise: Higher Education in America. Taken together, reforms such as adopting Income-Share Agreements, creating three-year degrees, having schools cover student-loan defaults (“skin in the game”), fostering competitive institutions of quality control, and ending federal involvement would help spark a renaissance in higher education.
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By Samuel R. Staley (FOXBusiness, 4/26/19)
Young adults today start businesses much less often than did their counterparts in the 1980s and ‘90s. The reasons are complex, but one consequence is straightforward: Without a vibrant entrepreneurial class, the American free-enterprise system will suffer. Therefore, helping Millennials get onto the startup field will promote not only their prosperity and well-being—but everyone else’s, too.
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Catalyst
By Benjamin Powell (The Hill, 4/29/19)
State occupational licensing laws can be a significant barrier to upward mobility, especially for low-income professions, which require on average almost one year of education or training, the passing of an exam, and the payment of $260 in fees. Arizona hasn’t solved the problem, but it is easing the burden for new residents by recognizing licenses issued by other states.
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By John C. Goodman (Forbes, 4/15/19)
America’s senior citizens suffer from discrimination by numerous unfair public policies. To remedy the injustice, we must make several changes, such as abolishing the Social Security earnings penalty, allowing Medicare Advantage and Accountable Care Organizations to take full advantage of telemedicine, giving seniors access to Health Savings Accounts, and stopping the double taxation of senior savings.
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By Ronald L. Trowbridge (The Orange County Register, 5/4/19)
California’s political culture is fixated on income redistribution, identity politics, and diversity (in the trendy, narrow sense that excludes intellectual diversity). For anyone whose politics is based on free markets and individualism, the Golden State is anything but golden.
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Volume 21, Issue 18: May 7, 2019
Higher education in America is in crisis: It’s too costly, it fails to educate students adequately, and the payoff for graduates and society is declining. Fortunately, Independent Institute Senior Fellow Richard K. Vedder offers numerous correctives in his new book, Restoring the Promise: Higher Education in America. Taken together, reforms such as adopting Income-Share Agreements, creating three-year degrees, having schools cover student-loan defaults (“skin in the game”), fostering competitive institutions of quality control, and ending federal involvement would help spark a renaissance in higher education.
READ MORE »
By Samuel R. Staley (FOXBusiness, 4/26/19)
Young adults today start businesses much less often than did their counterparts in the 1980s and ‘90s. The reasons are complex, but one consequence is straightforward: Without a vibrant entrepreneurial class, the American free-enterprise system will suffer. Therefore, helping Millennials get onto the startup field will promote not only their prosperity and well-being—but everyone else’s, too.
READ MORE »Catalyst
By Benjamin Powell (The Hill, 4/29/19)
State occupational licensing laws can be a significant barrier to upward mobility, especially for low-income professions, which require on average almost one year of education or training, the passing of an exam, and the payment of $260 in fees. Arizona hasn’t solved the problem, but it is easing the burden for new residents by recognizing licenses issued by other states.
READ MORE »
Making Poor Nations Rich
Entrepreneurship and the Process of Economic Development
Entrepreneurship and the Process of Economic Development
Edited by Benjamin Powell
By John C. Goodman (Forbes, 4/15/19)
America’s senior citizens suffer from discrimination by numerous unfair public policies. To remedy the injustice, we must make several changes, such as abolishing the Social Security earnings penalty, allowing Medicare Advantage and Accountable Care Organizations to take full advantage of telemedicine, giving seniors access to Health Savings Accounts, and stopping the double taxation of senior savings.
READ MORE »
By Ronald L. Trowbridge (The Orange County Register, 5/4/19)
California’s political culture is fixated on income redistribution, identity politics, and diversity (in the trendy, narrow sense that excludes intellectual diversity). For anyone whose politics is based on free markets and individualism, the Golden State is anything but golden.
READ MORE »
The Beacon: New Blog Posts
- California’s Governor Plugs Up Jerry Brown’s Water Tunnel Plan, by K. Lloyd Billingsley
- Five Years to the National Debt Death Spiral, by Craig Eyermann
- Comparative Economic Systems, by Randall G. Holcombe
- California Online College a Great Deal for No-Bid Recruitment Boss, by K. Lloyd Billingsley
- Medicare Trust Fund Is Running Out of Money, by Craig Eyermann
- Is the Right to Work “Controversial”?, by K. Lloyd Billingsley
- Governor Newsom and CARB Queen Mary Nichols Like High Gas Prices, by K. Lloyd Billingsley
Catalyst: New Articles
- But What About Traffic? The Case for Road Pricing, by Scott Beyer
- Let Kids Be Kids Again: Their Future Depends on It, by Ben Wilterdink
- Debate in America has Grown Too Fossilized: Take a Journey Outside Your Comfort Zone, by Ross Marchand
- Two Paths to Improve How Localities Pay for Services and Amenities, by Nick Zaiac
- The Importance of Design Thinking, by Ryan Khurana
