Mercatus Center

The Mercatus Center at George Mason University stands out as a leading academic hub for market-driven concepts, connecting scholarly theories with practical challenges in the world. This research center focuses on enhancing the understanding of market dynamics to better people's lives by providing training for graduate students, conducting in-depth research, and applying economic principles to tackle significant societal issues. Our goal is to create knowledge and insights regarding the institutions that influence the ability to thrive, aiming to discover lasting solutions that help individuals achieve freedom, prosperity, and peace. Established in 1980, the Mercatus Center operates from both the Arlington and Fairfax campuses of George Mason University.

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There’s a Better Way to Fight Harvard

1 week ago | mercatus.org | Tyler Cowen

Tyler Cowen: There’s a Better Way to Fight HarvardI agree with the critics: The school has become too left-wing. The question is what to do about it. When should you escalate? One of my core principles in my personal life is to escalate the negative as little as possible. That has made me relatively happy, because most of my energies stay focused on positive interactions. But is it good politics? Can you ever win that way?
Everyone's Using AI To Cheat at School. That's a Good Thing.

2 weeks ago | mercatus.org | Tyler Cowen

There’s an epidemic of cheating in American education right now. The cheaters are the students of course, but the names of the cheating aids might be familiar to you: ChatGPT,Claude, Gemini, Grok, and Llama. These characters are capable of doing extraordinary things: writing your persuasive essay in under a minute; knowing virtually all of history; and performing first-rate synthetic analyses of complicated questions.
Reducing Waste and Fraud in SNAP

3 weeks ago | mercatus.org | Keith Hall

Abstract: The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the largest federal nutrition program in the United States, has experienced a troubling rise in improper payments. Overpayment rates climbed from just over 2 percent in 2012 to over 10 percent in 2023—costing taxpayers approximately $10 billion annually.
How to Survive Artificial Intelligence

3 weeks ago | mercatus.org | Tyler Cowen

This is the most important essay we have run so far on the artificial intelligence revolution. I’m excited for you to read it. Given its importance, tomorrow I’ll be hosting a conversation about it with its authors, Tyler Cowen and Avital Balwit, at 4 p.m. ET. This conversation, like all our livestreams, is for paying subscribers only. (Sign up here to join our community.)And click here to mark Tuesday’s conversation in your calendar. — BariAre we helping create the tools of our own obsolescence?
Is Classical Liberalism for Losers?

1 month ago | mercatus.org | Tyler Cowen

Tyler Cowen: Is Classical Liberalism for Losers? For many on the right, the past decade has proven that liberalism is not strong enough to fight off illiberal challengers. They say it’s time to strike back—and use the power of the state. Are classical liberals a bunch of pathetic losers? Losers both because they have lost in the political realm, while simultaneously handing over key institutions to the illiberal left?
High School Never Ends-Especially in Washington

1 month ago | mercatus.org | Tyler Cowen

No matter what people may say, often what they care about most when it comes to policy is exactly what they cared about in the high school cafeteria: Who is rising or falling in status. As great apes, we obsess over the social hierarchy. Who is being praised and who is being excoriated? Who is hot and who is not? That may sound like gossip, but it is also a big part of our politics.
The Federal Trade Commission’s Request for Information (RFI) on the Identification of Anticompetitive Regulations That Fall Within the Scope of Section 3(a) of the President’s April 9, 2025, Executive Order on Regulatory Barriers

1 month ago | mercatus.org | Alden Abbott

Request for Public Comment Regarding Reducing Anticompetitive Regulatory Barriers Agency: Federal Trade Commission Comment Period Opens: April 21, 2025 Comment Period Closes: May 26, 2025 Comment Submitted: April 24, 2025 Docket No. FTC-2025-0028 We are pleased to respond to the Request for Information (RFI) from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC or Commission),[1] for comments on the identification of anticompetitive federal regulations, as defined in section 3(a) of the President’s April 9,...
Hannah Gais on the Far-Right Rallies and Social Media Presence

1 month ago | mercatus.org | Hannah Gais

On this episode of Virtual Sentiments, host Kristen Collins chats with Hannah Gais on the far-right rallies and social media presence on platforms like Telegram and X. Hannah explores the events of the Unite the Right rally, the storming of the capital on January 6th, the far-right in the wake of the first and second Trump presidencies, and the dangers of expanding domestic terrorism laws. **This episode was recorded in December 2024.
The Conventional Wisdom Is That China Is Beating Us. Nonsense.

1 month ago | mercatus.org | Tyler Cowen

The Conventional Wisdom Is That China Is Beating Us. Nonsense. One of the biggest soft power victories in all of world history occurred over the last few years. Hardly anyone has noticed. Even before Trump’s “Liberation Day” and the market volatility it ushered in, a deep pessimism had already set in among the pointy-headed class of which I am a reluctant member.
Introduction: A Principled Approach to Tax Expenditures

2 months ago | mercatus.org | Veronique de Rugy

While a handful of tax provisions correct for distortions introduced in the tax code—for example, the double taxation of investment and savings—most tax expenditures distort markets, raise prices, favor special groups, or violate the principle of tax neutrality. Eliminating tax expenditures should be combined with lowering marginal tax rates across the board to avoid increasing the tax burden on the economy as a whole.