The Power of Independent Thinking

←  PUBLICATIONS



Stay Connected
Get the latest updates straight to your inbox.



The Lighthouse®

The Lighthouse® is the weekly email newsletter of the Independent Institute.
Subscribe now, or browse Back Issues.


Volume 22, Issue 52: December 30, 2020

By Graham H. Walker (The Beacon, 12/29/20)
One reason that human liberty is good is that humans have value. Independent Institute’s policy work reflects a natural law tradition of human liberty and worth that combines Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian wisdom, as reflected in the works of Cicero, Seneca, Augustine, Aquinas, Locke, Montesquieu, Smith, Jefferson, Madison, Bastiat, Tocqueville, Acton, C.S. Lewis, and many others. READ MORE »



By Jayanta Bhattacharya and Sunetra Gupta (Wall Street Journal, 12/17/20)
Contrary to Anthony Fauci and Bill Gates, lockdowns need not extend into 2022. For healthy younger people, especially minorities and the poor, lockdown harm far outstrips Covid harm. With vaccines and our knowledge of who is at risk, the most responsible approach is “focused protection” for the vulnerable—coupled with a nearly-immediate end to lockdown for everyone else. READ MORE »


By John C. Goodman (Forbes, 12/7/20)
With telecommuting becoming more common, the U.S. labor market is becoming both more accommodating for workers and more competitive, enabling employers to hire workers in distant places. To maximize the benefits for all parties involved, Congress must lift the regulations that have created unnecessary barriers to efficiency and choice. READ MORE »



By Luka Ladan (Catalyst, 12/11/20)
Too many government restrictions are nonsensical, eroding the people’s faith in the public sector and even triggering open backlash that diminishes our pandemic response. The worst offenders are bans on outdoor public dining, mask mandates even when no one is around, and arbitrary limits on the number of people allowed to attend small gatherings. READ MORE »

Infectious Diseases and Government Growth
By Nathan P. Goodman et al.


By Richard K. Vedder (Forbes, 12/21/20)
In the prestigious Ivy League, applications for next fall’s entering class are booming, as prospective students push to get into the most prestigious school they can get into. At the same time, many American colleges are suffering enrollment declines, mostly among male students. READ MORE »





  • Catalyst
  • Beyond Homeless
  • MyGovCost.org
  • FDAReview.org
  • OnPower.org
  • elindependent.org