Ike Brannon
Forbes
Washington, DC, United States
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Past articles by Ike:
The Cost Of Broadband Internet Access Dampens Inflationary Forces
One bright spot in our nascent inflationary times is that internet access—an increasingly important service in our lives—has not contributed to the resurgence in inflation. In fact, broadband prices across speeds and technologies decreased over the past five years. → Read More
Black-Owned Banks Are Key To Lifting Economic Fortunes Of Black Communities
Black-owned banks tend to be better at discerning profitable lending opportunities in Black communities. More capital in their hands would allow them to lend to business ventures that may need more time to come to fruition, expanding the range of profitable lending opportunities for them. → Read More
Use Markets, Not Mandates, To Reduce Carbon Emissions
An economy-wide carbon pricing regime would allow the market to set the price of carbon and provide businesses an incentive to search for the least costly and most efficient ways to reduce emissions, potentially saving the economy trillions of dollars. → Read More
A Bad Fix To The Surprise Billing Problem Could Be Worse Than The Cure
Fixing surprise billing in healthcare remains on Congress' agenda, and the maneuvering on this issue has not ceased during the crisis. The pandemic has revealed is that we do not want a solution that dictates a (low) price to out of network providers and reduces their leverage with insurers. → Read More
GSE Reform Remains Important
The novel coronavirus disaster has wreaked havoc with the economy and--among other things--forced FHFA to delay proposing its GSE reform plans. While a delay makes sense, a "recap and release" of the GSEs would be good for the economy and should happen as soon as possible. → Read More
A Mixed Record For Energy Deregulation
The deregulation of retail energy was supposed to bring significant reductions in energy prices. However, the data suggest that its impact has been slight. → Read More
Forget Adding A Game To The NFL Schedule--Give Me More Bye Weeks
Expanding the NFL season by adding another game to the season is unnecessary. Instead, the NFL should add three additional bye weeks, which would lengthen the season, increase revenues by more than an additional game, and protect player health. → Read More
Medicare For All Is A False Panacea
The notion that Medicare for All would greatly improve the efficiency of our health care market--and concomitantly make it even easier for people to obtain health care--amounts to sophistry. Efforts to improve the system that rely on eliminating middlemen fail to recognize the basics of the market. → Read More
Ending Drug Rebates Will Not Reduce Drug Prices
The HHS proposal to ban pharmacy benefit managers obtaining discounts from pharmaceutical companies misdiagnoses the cause of high drug prices: It is not middlemen but rather the high cost of developing and testing new drugs. This edict will simply make it more difficult for PBMs to negotiate. → Read More
Intellectual Property Disputes Threaten To Spread To New Venue
Congress may have legislated a (partial) fix for the unproductive and costly battles over patents, but it may soon have a similar dispute to deal with regarding trade secrets and intellectual property. A recent court ruling may soon open the floodgates in this realm. → Read More
At What Cost: Assessing the High Cost of Removing H-4 Visa Holders from the American Workforce
The Trump Administration's proposal to rescind the ability of H-4 visa holders to obtain gainful employment would not, as the Administration alleges, create jobs for U.S. workers. Our analysis of the data indicates that it would reduce tax revenue, economic activity, and not create any new jobs. → Read More
Who Ultimately Regulates Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies Does Matter
The U.S. government is contemplating how to regulate the use of blockchain and cryptocurrencies. However, there are several government agencies that have begun doing so. It would be best if Congress stepped forward and created legislation doing so, but failing that Treasury should take the lead. → Read More
Department Of Transportation's Deregulatory Actions Begin To Bear Fruit
The Department of Transportation has been aggressive in attempting to streamline regulations that impact transportation companies and applying sensible cost-benefit analysis to its regulatory apparatus. There are signs that its diligence may soon pay off for travelers and consumers. → Read More
Will the SEC take on the shareholder proposal process?
Companies are increasingly hesitant to subject themselves to the vicissitudes of the stock market for a variety of reasons. Instead, they re... → Read More
Simply forgiving Puerto Rico’s debt would be a huge mistake
Here’s what would be the best way to financially help Puerto Rico, says Ike Brannon, the president of Capital Policy Analytics and a fellow at the Cato Institute. → Read More
The High Costs Of An Immediate Repeal Of DACA
On April 18, 2016 the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case of United States v. Texas, challenging President Obama's 2014 executive actions on immigration, DACA and DAPA. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) Denizens of Washington DC have been having a field day speculating about what sorts of action Donald [...] → Read More
Tax Policy, Not Luck of the Irish, Is Responsible For Ireland's Economic Success
While for most people, thoughts of Ireland are limited to wearing green and drinking too much beer on St. Patrick's Day, for those of us who think about tax policy, the country and its successes are worth pondering more than once a year. Over the last three decades, Ireland has launched itself into the ranks of the wealthiest countries on the globe, and it has done so in no small part due to its… → Read More
Dusty Agonistes
As a long-suffering Cubs fan who's developed an affection for the Nationals, I am nauseated that Dusty Baker is the team's new manager. In a season or two, I suspect that fellow Nats fans will share my nausea. Dusty's shortcomings go beyond his nearly criminal mistreatment of young arms that he swears he won't do again, despite the fact that he continues to scoff at the precepts of sabermetrics.… → Read More
Let Them Go Bankrupt
Most student loans in the United States are guaranteed by the federal government. The main difference between private loans and the guaranteed loans is that the former usually come with a higher interest rate: Students generally don’t seek these out until they cannot access guaranteed loans any longer. However, neither type can normally be discharged via bankruptcy. The problem with… → Read More
Why It's So Important To Get Puerto Rico's Reform Right
For those who haven’t been paying attention, Puerto Rico is in serious financial trouble. It has accumulated more than $70 billion of debt, driven by reckless spending and short-sighted borrowing, that has left the commonwealth's public corporations and utilities virtually insolvent. To make matters worse, the Puerto Rican government has engaged in a pattern of obfuscation, refusing to release… → Read More