Executive Summary: The Federal Trade Commission’s blanket ban on noncompete agreements was finalized in April 2024 but was immediately struck down by the federal court later that year. On September 1, 2026, Representatives Scott Peters (D-CA) and Tom Kean, Jr. (R-NJ) reintroduced the Workforce Mobility Act, which would impose a similar nationwide ban through legislation … Continue reading
Category Archives: Politics
Don’t Be Crude! Inside the Shadow Fleet’s Illicit Global Trade Network
Executive Summary “Dark shipping” practices weaken the effectiveness of economic sanctions and create significant environmental, humanitarian, and geopolitical risks. The “shadow fleet” transported approximately 3.7 billion barrels of oil in 2025, representing nearly 7 percent of global crude oil flows. These vessels allow sanctioned countries to circumvent sanctions, preserve billions of dollars in export revenue, … Continue reading
The ACA Premium Tax Credit Expiration: A Return to Baseline Policy
Executive Summary: Declining in the Affordable Care Act Marketplace cannot be reduced to a single cause – it reflects a convergence of designed legislative sunsets, a crackdown on improper enrollment, and a fiscal choice to limit spending. The expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits reverts the Affordable Care Act subsidy to its initial statutory … Continue reading
The Rise of Administrators: The Economic Effects of Administrative Bloat
Executive Summary Due to the number of regulations imposed, the regulatory burden on the education and healthcare sectors has increased over the past few decades. This is leading to school and hospital administrative roles increasing significantly faster than more traditional roles such as physicians and teachers, which projections say will continue over the next decade. This increase in administration uses funding that would otherwise go to teachers … Continue reading
America Doesn’t Have a Debt Problem. It Has a Political Problem.
Executive Summary 9 out of 10 Americans believe the rising debt is driving up the cost of living, yet the bipartisan reforms needed to address the problem remain greatly out of reach amid persistent political polarization A fiscal commission could provide a structured, bipartisan process for developing the structural changes to restore solvency to the … Continue reading
UNCLOS and Arctic Seabed Competition: Does U.S. Non-Ratification Strengthen or Weaken Its Position Relative to Russia?
Executive Summary: U.S. non-ratification of UNCLOS preserves regulatory autonomy by avoiding key obligations under Article 82 and the International Seabed Authority (ISA), including revenue-sharing requirements for extended continental shelf exploitation and deep-seabed mining. However, non-ratification prevents the United States from submitting Arctic continental shelf claims to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf … Continue reading
The New Oil: How the Shift to Renewables Trades One Dependency for Another
Executive Summary Switching from oil to renewable energy and electric vehicles does not get rid of resource dependency. It just changes what you depend on. Instead of relying on oil, countries end up relying on critical minerals such as lithium, rare earths, silver, polysilicon, and copper—and as China refines most of them, even minerals mined elsewhere often must go through China before they can be used. For … Continue reading
The Medicaid Work Requirement Debate Isn’t Just About Work
Executive Summary The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) has introduced work requirements for Medicaid expansion enrollees, expected to reduce federal spending while decreasing enrollment. Evidence from prior implementation of work requirements in Arkansas found no clear increase in employment, though they were short lived and administratively flawed. The empirical evidence for work requirements reflects … Continue reading
Hedging Their Bets, BRIC by BRIC: How Trump’s Tariffs Have Incentivized Diversification
Executive Summary Intra-BRICS trade was growing well before recent trade tensions, but U.S tariff escalations have accelerated efforts by BRICS+ members to diversify away from U.S.-centered trade. Trade among BRICS countries increased from $84 billion in 2003 to $1.17 trillion in 2024, at an annual rate of 13.3 percent—more than twice the pace of global … Continue reading
Why the Bourbon Industry Is Fighting the ‘Straight Bourbon’ Label Rules
Executive Summary The “straight bourbon” designation functions as a regulatory quality signal. It distinguishes longer-aged, more tightly regulated bourbon from standard bourbon, helping consumers interpret quality in a market where branding and age are central to purchasing decisions. Startup and aging requirements create significant barriers to entry.The combination of capital costs, mandatory multi-year aging, and … Continue reading
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