Magnus Henrekson

As the size and scope of federal spending expand under the Obama administration, the debate over the country’s fiscal future has intensified. In their forthcoming book, Government Size and Implications for Economic Growth (AEI Press, May 2010), Swedish economists Magnus Henrekson and Andreas Bergh find a negative correlation between the size of government and the rate of economic growth in rich countries. At this event, the authors will demonstrate that long-term economic development is affected not only by the size of government, but also by what governments do and how that activity is financed. Henrekson and Bergh will be joined by Donald Marron, director-designate of the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, to discuss the implications of their findings for U.S. policy. [READ MORE]

RETURN TO TOP   

The National Research Initiative (NRI) offers a variety of resources to support both established and emerging scholars.

NRI offers grants to support research, writing, and publication. NRI also offers fellowships. For more information, contact NRI's project manager.

Richard Whitmire, former USA Today editorial writer and board member of the National Education Writers Association, will discuss his new book, Why Boys Fail: Saving Our Sons from an Educational System That's Leaving Them Behind (Amacom Books, 2010). Sara Mead, Bellweather Education Partners senior associate partner, and AEI's Christina Hoff Sommers will discuss these and other issues. [READ MORE]

At this second in a series of conferences on neuroculture, two distinguished panels of philosophers and psychologists will discuss questions on how the spiritual and moral side of life relate to our understanding of evolution and will show how they relate to the social and political changes occurring in the world today. Panelists Stephen Darwall (Yale University), Jonathan Haidt (University of Virginia), David A. Pizarro (Cornell University), and AEI's Roger Scruton will discuss these issues. [READ MORE]

RETURN TO TOP   

The Attrition Tradition in American Higher Education: Connecting Past and Present
By John R. Thelin
AEI Future of American Education Project working paper, April 2010

John R. Thelin, research professor at the Education Policy Studies School at the University of Kentucky, reevaluates the idyllic image of university life in an earlier period and uncovers the historical roots of America's "attrition tradition." Thelin finds that not only did university students often drop out at a high rate in the early 1900s, but also that college attrition was largely ignored until the last few decades. If we are to tackle the challenge of raising graduation rates in an era of increased access--a strikingly modern goal--Thelin argues it will require fine-grained, institution-level analysis in addition to significant investments in improved data systems for America's colleges and universities. [READ MORE]

RETURN TO TOP   

Phillip Swagel, AEI visiting scholar and visiting professor at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business, argues that financial regulatory reform bill proposed by Senator Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) has numerous worrisome aspects, including a $50 billion bailout fund. [READ MORE]

AEI visiting scholar Paul S. Atkins writes that while the administration believes another government institution will prevent future crises, history shows that this is not always true. Congress should instead focus on increasing transparency and giving regulators, creditors, and investors better and more timely information to perceive risk and make better-informed investment decisions. [READ MORE]

"Spreading the Wealth" Isn't Fair
By Arthur C. Brooks
Wall Street Journal, April 14, 2010

AEI president Arthur C. Brooks argues that the majority of Americans disagree with the current administration's redistributionist philosophy and feel that taxes are already too high, even for the rich. [READ MORE]

RETURN TO TOP   

AEI Press, May 2010

In Public Insurance and Private Markets, leading economists critically examine the government’s role in insuring against pension-fund shortfalls, crop losses, property damage from floods and other natural catastrophes, bank failures, and terrorism. Jeffrey R. Brown and his coauthors argue that government intervention must always be economically justified; that risk-adjusted premiums are essential; that the true taxpayer burden for public insurance programs must be recognized; and that private markets are capable of transferring risk with limited government intervention. [READ MORE]

RETURN TO TOP   

The American Enterprise Institute is a nonpartisan research institution whose purpose is to defend and improve the institutions of American freedom and democratic capitalism.

Photos: ifn.se, trimmer741/Flickr/Creative Commons, LifeUndefined/Flickr/Creative Commons, iStockphoto/Henrik Jonsson, iStockphoto/Brandon Rose.