Cato’s Handbook on Affordability provides a set of policy recommendations for reducing unnecessary government-imposed costs. There’s the usual stuff you’d expect, much of which is US-focused.But a few bits are worth thinking about here too.In the chapter on healthcare, Cato suggests automatic removal of prescription-only requirements from medicines. They write:Eliminate prescription regulation. The FDA makes medicines…
Potential deregulations
Potential deregulations
08 Sep 2026 Leave a comment
in economics of regulation, labour economics, labour supply, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA Tags: economics of immigration
This U.S. Citizen Is Suing ICE for Arresting Him 3 Times. His Lawsuit Is Moving Forward.
05 Sep 2026 1 Comment
in labour economics, labour supply, law and economics, politics - USA, property rights Tags: constitutional law, economics of immigration
Despite carrying a REAL ID, Leo Garcia Venegas has been repeatedly detained by immigration agents. Now he’s suing to block immigration raids targeting Latinos on private construction sites.
This U.S. Citizen Is Suing ICE for Arresting Him 3 Times. His Lawsuit Is Moving Forward.
Disappointing
01 Sep 2026 1 Comment
in human capital, labour economics, labour supply, politics - New Zealand, population economics Tags: economics of immigration
The ACT Party has announced a new policy that would:Remove the existing Permanent Resident visa category;Require all Resident Visa holders to receive a 5 year travel facility, replacing the current two-year initial travel condition;Require all Resident Visa holders to be physically present in New Zealand for at least 730 days within any rolling five-year period,…
Disappointing
Federal Court Rules Speech-Based Deportations Violate the First Amendment
30 Aug 2026 1 Comment
in labour economics, labour supply, law and economics, politics - USA Tags: economics of immigration, free speech
The decision goes further than other similar recent rulings.
Federal Court Rules Speech-Based Deportations Violate the First Amendment
Immigration and Macroeconomic Outcomes in OECD Countries
10 Aug 2026 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, econometerics, economic history, human capital, labour economics, labour supply Tags: economics of immigration
OECD countries experienced declining native population growth and rising net immigration over 1990-2024. We compile a new dataset of net immigration rates to OECD countries from all origins and show that most of the increase came from non-OECD countries and was predominantly high-skilled. Push factors, network effects, and policy indices explain little of the large…
Immigration and Macroeconomic Outcomes in OECD Countries
The power of incentives with illegal migration
08 Aug 2026 Leave a comment
in Economics of international refugee law, international economic law, international economics, International law, labour economics, labour supply, law and economics, politics - USA Tags: economics of immigration
At the end of June the Spanish Supreme Court ruled that migrants arriving by sea could not be summarily deported. A few weeks later 60,000 people from Morocco crossed in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, almost doubling their population in a few days. People smugglers exploit situations. This is why you need harsh preventive measures.…
The power of incentives with illegal migration
Goldman’s Demand for “One Case” of Immigration Obstruction Fails Spectacularly When DHS Offers 7,000 in New York Alone
27 Jul 2026 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, labour economics, labour supply, law and economics, politics - USA Tags: economics of immigration
An over-30-point primary loss would ordinarily produce a degree of introspection and self-reflection in a politician. Indeed, even such a…
Goldman’s Demand for “One Case” of Immigration Obstruction Fails Spectacularly When DHS Offers 7,000 in New York Alone
Oren Cass Again Swings and Misses in His Attempt to Discredit Economists
21 Jul 2026 Leave a comment
in human capital, labour economics, labour supply, politics - USA Tags: economics of immigration
TweetHere’s a letter to the Financial Times. Editor: Oren Cass’s attempt to discredit economists’ support for a policy of liberal immigration is flawed (“Mass immigration is not the silver bullet economists think it is,” July 10). For example, consider this question that he poses rhetorically: “If employers believe they will always have access to a…
Oren Cass Again Swings and Misses in His Attempt to Discredit Economists
Going “All In”: The Supreme Court Delivers Major Wins for the Trump Administration Over Immigration Enforcement
28 Jun 2026 Leave a comment
in politics - USA Tags: constitutional law, economics of immigration, racial discrimination
Below is my column on Fox.com on the two immigration decisions yesterday from the Supreme Court. One of the cases…
Going “All In”: The Supreme Court Delivers Major Wins for the Trump Administration Over Immigration Enforcement
Caplan-Jones UATX Debate Video
17 Jun 2026 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, Austrian economics, development economics, labour economics, labour supply, law and economics, liberalism, libertarianism, politics - USA Tags: economics of immigration
Here’s the full video from my recent immigration debate at UATX with Garett Jones. Coleman Hughes moderates. (A great guy, and not only did we finally meet in person for dinner; he also came to UATX karaoke!) Here are more debate details from the UATX Substack. I’ve got multiple post-debate commentary essays in my queue,…
Caplan-Jones UATX Debate Video
Superannuation affordability options
09 Jun 2026 Leave a comment
in economic growth, fiscal policy, income redistribution, labour economics, labour supply, macroeconomics, politics - New Zealand, Public Choice, public economics Tags: ageing society, economics of immigration, population bust
Lyric Waiwiri-Smith at The Spinoff asked me what I thought the options might be for dealing with rising superannuation costs. Her story’s here, along with comment from Max Rashbrooke and Shamubeel Eaqub. My most-preferred option is ongoing increases in immigration rates, coupled with shifting to CPI-indexation of super benefits and indexing the age of eligibility to healthy…
Superannuation affordability options
My Opening Statement for the UATX Caplan-Jones Immigration Rematch
04 Jun 2026 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, development economics, growth disasters, labour economics, labour supply, liberalism, libertarianism, politics - USA Tags: economics of immigration
Garett Jones is the best critic of immigration in all of social science. In fact, it’s not even close. To the best of my knowledge, he is the only such critic who has seriously tried to show that the social costs of immigration are even more astronomical than the social benefits of immigration. In fact,…
My Opening Statement for the UATX Caplan-Jones Immigration Rematch
What do Muslim immigrants think?
31 May 2026 Leave a comment
in defence economics, economics of crime, economics of media and culture, economics of religion, law and economics, liberalism, politics, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA Tags: economics of immigration
Tomas Pueyo has collated a huge amount of public opinion data from Muslims in Western countries. He finds: Depending on the country of origin and destination:~10-40% of Muslims are moderate & well integrated~20-50% are conservative, religious, pious~25% are fundamentalists~Of which 15% (pp) are radical Islamists Some findings in the US: He concludes: In summary, the…
What do Muslim immigrants think?
Reform’s trolling policy
17 May 2026 Leave a comment
in labour economics, labour supply, politics Tags: British politics, economics of immigration
The Guardian reports: A Reform government will not put any migrant detention facilities in any constituency with a Reform MP. Nor will we put them where Reform controls the council. And of the remaining areas, we will prioritise Green controlled parliamentary constituencies and Green controlled councils to locate the detention centres. Put simply, if you…
Reform’s trolling policy
Migrant Income and Long-Run Economic Development
13 Apr 2026 Leave a comment
in development economics, labour economics, labour supply Tags: economics of immigration
We study how international migrant income prospects affect long-run development in origin areas. We leverage the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis exchange rate shocks in a shift-share identification strategy across Philippine provinces. Initial migrant income shocks are magnified six-fold over time, increasing domestic income, education levels, migrant skills, and high-skilled migration. Remarkably, 74.9 percent of long-run…
Migrant Income and Long-Run Economic Development
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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