Clermont, Florida Correspondent — Central Florida is the receiving end and I can report what it actually looks like. We're getting households with coastal incomes and no coastal commute. That's money arriving, and it's good for the tax roll and for the restaurants. It is also pricing out the people who were already here. A … Continue reading Will the rapid expansion of remote and hybrid work ultimately reduce or increase regional economic inequality?
Annual Symposium
Is the current level of federal spending on pandemic relief and infrastructure likely to produce sustained inflation, or will it prove temporary?
Owatonna, Minnesota Correspondent — The question has largely been answered since it was drafted, which is worth saying plainly. The Chairman retired the word transitory at the end of November. The November print came in at six point eight percent, the highest in forty years. The Fed accelerated the taper in December and signaled three … Continue reading Is the current level of federal spending on pandemic relief and infrastructure likely to produce sustained inflation, or will it prove temporary?
Did the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan demonstrate that the United States still lacks a coherent long-term strategy for limited military interventions?
Wheeling, West Virginia Correspondent — The exit looked chaotic because the strategy had been incoherent for years. We went in with shifting objectives — counterterrorism, then nation-building, then a residual presence — without a durable definition of success. August compressed twenty years of contradictions into two weeks. The thirteen killed at the gate and the … Continue reading Did the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan demonstrate that the United States still lacks a coherent long-term strategy for limited military interventions?
A substantial share of the country doubts the result of the November election. Where does responsibility for that lie, and what would it take to rebuild confidence?
Owatonna, Minnesota Correspondent — Responsibility is distributed, which is an unsatisfying answer and I think the correct one. Some of it belongs to the way the count unfolded. Several states forbid clerks from processing mail ballots before Election Day, so the in-person vote reported first and the mail vote followed, and the mail vote ran … Continue reading A substantial share of the country doubts the result of the November election. Where does responsibility for that lie, and what would it take to rebuild confidence?
Many of the changes to election procedure this year were made by courts, governors, and secretaries of state rather than by legislatures. Does that set a precedent worth worrying about regardless of which party it happened to benefit?
Prescott Valley, Arizona Correspondent — Yes, and I'd want the worry stated carefully, because the strong version of the argument is weaker than people think and the moderate version is quite strong. The Constitution assigns the manner of choosing electors to state legislatures. There's a live dispute about how exclusive that assignment is, and reasonable … Continue reading Many of the changes to election procedure this year were made by courts, governors, and secretaries of state rather than by legislatures. Does that set a precedent worth worrying about regardless of which party it happened to benefit?
Should the federal government create a standing capacity for rapid industrial mobilization in future national emergencies, or rely on ad-hoc measures?
Dayton, Ohio Correspondent — The ad-hoc approach produced impressive speed in places and costly confusion in others, and the difference was mostly whether somebody happened to know somebody. A modest standing capacity — pre-negotiated contracts, identified surge options for critical items, legal authorities that can be activated without an argument about whether they exist — … Continue reading Should the federal government create a standing capacity for rapid industrial mobilization in future national emergencies, or rely on ad-hoc measures?
Will the pandemic permanently change the relative political power of urban versus non-urban regions?
Wheeling, West Virginia Correspondent — Urban areas were hit harder by the disease early and by the policy response throughout, in most states. Non-urban places experienced it differently and often read the restrictions as calibrated to somewhere else. That sharpened differences that were already there. Whether power shifts depends on migration, recovery paths, and how … Continue reading Will the pandemic permanently change the relative political power of urban versus non-urban regions?
How should the United States weigh the public-health benefits of mask and lockdown mandates against their effects on social trust and voluntary compliance?
Clermont, Florida Correspondent — Mandates can raise compliance in the short run when the rule is clear and the evidence is strong. When rules shift frequently, appear internally inconsistent, or stay in place after the local data have changed, trust erodes and voluntary compliance falls with it. The weighing matters because future emergencies will also … Continue reading How should the United States weigh the public-health benefits of mask and lockdown mandates against their effects on social trust and voluntary compliance?
Is the growing use of emergency powers by both federal and state executives a temporary necessity or a lasting shift in governance norms?
Prescott Valley, Arizona Correspondent — Emergency powers are built for temporary extraordinary conditions. Their expanded use across every level this year has created precedents and habits that won't disappear on their own. Some authorities get rolled back. Others stay available and stay tempting. Whether it's a lasting shift depends on whether legislatures reassert limits and … Continue reading Is the growing use of emergency powers by both federal and state executives a temporary necessity or a lasting shift in governance norms?
Will the combination of pandemic spending and monetary expansion ultimately force a reevaluation of the independence of central banks?
Owatonna, Minnesota Correspondent — Large fiscal expansion paired with aggressive monetary support blurs a separation that was already less clean than the textbooks suggest. When a central bank becomes the essential enabler of deficit spending, political pressure on its decisions increases regardless of anyone's intentions. A reevaluation is already underway in the argument. It will … Continue reading Will the combination of pandemic spending and monetary expansion ultimately force a reevaluation of the independence of central banks?
