The Laffer Curve—the conceptual device illustrating how high marginal tax rates reduced revenue and economic growth—helped revolutionize tax policy around the world thirty five years ago. Today we need a new Laffer Curve—for regulation.  

Only through abuse of the class action mechanism can obesitylitigation be feasibly used by plaintiffs" attorneys. The risk of that abuse, however, is very real.

In 2004, Merck withdrew its pain reliever Vioxx from the market because of new studies showing increased cardiovascular risk. Merck announced that it would not settle any of the tens of thousands of Vioxx lawsuits filed, and set aside over a billion dollars to litigate cases without reserving a penny...

In November 2007, the Financial Services Roundtable published The Blueprint for U.S. Financial Competitiveness, a report that recommended ways to counteract the gradual decline in U.S. financial services competitiveness because of excessive regulation, litigation risk, and lack of regulatory coordination. Since then, many financial services organizations have provided comments and...

The Federal Consent Decree Fairness Act would free state and local government from court orders that are unnecessary to protect rights, yet prevent states and localities from adopting to the lessons of experience and changing priorities.

Three recent reports have warned that excessive regulation, litigation risk, and lack of regulatory coordination are contributing to the gradual erosion of U.S. financial services preeminence. Now, a fourth report, by the Blue Ribbon Commission on Competitiveness established by the Financial Services Roundtable, contains some important and unconventional recommendations for...

The Treasury's plan for a new financial regulatory structure deserves considerable praise, but the agency did not close the circle that it opened.

If education philanthropists want to influence policy, then they must open themselves to more public debate about their  plans and goals.