State Treasurer Dale Folwell has faced political pushback against his Clear Pricing Project. It’s an effort to add price transparency to services and procedures covered by the State Health Plan for government workers and retirees. Mitch Kokai discusses the project with Folwell and seeks expert analysis from Jordan Roberts, John Locke Foundation health care policy analyst.

Economists often turn to detailed theories and statistics to make their case against socialism. Southern Methodist University Professor Robert Lawson and his co-author employ a different method. In the new book Socialism Sucks, they use beer to explain why market economies work better than those that rely on government ownership of the means of production. Mitch Kokai chats with Lawson about his findings and his hope of convincing a new audience about socialism’s ills.

Most of us think of traditional district schools — funded by tax dollars, run by the government — when we think about public education. Any other use of public funds for educational purposes seems to fly in the face of that model. In reality, the American system of public education is an outlier. The democratic norm around the world is “educational pluralism.” Ashley Rogers Berner, deputy director of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy, discusses pluralism and its potential benefits for American education in a recent report for the Manhattan Institute, as well as her 2016 book, Pluralism and American Public Education: No One Way to School. Mitch Kokai and John Locke Foundation President and CEO Kory Swanson chat with Berner about her findings.

It’s a puzzler: In two of the last five presidential races, Democrats won more total votes than Republicans but lost the election. In states like Pennsylvania and Michigan, Democrats can sweep statewide offices but not control the legislature. Some partisans blame gerrymandering. Political scientist Jonathan Rodden identifies another important factor. In his book Why Cities Lose, the Stanford professor and Hoover Institution senior fellow identifies factors dating back to the late 19th century. Mitch Kokai chats with Rodden about his research.

Most debate about redistricting reform and gerrymandering focuses on the impact of partisan politics. One major political party uses its mapmaking power to disadvantage the other. Charles Blahous, J. Fish ad Lillian F. Smith chair and senior research strategist at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, says the partisan political angle limits the prospects for reform. Blahous recommends that reformers focus instead on developing a standard that limits the sizes and shapes of election districts. Mitch Kokai and John Locke Foundation President/CEO Kory Swanson chat with Blahous about his research and recommendations.

When Portland State University political scientist Bruce Gilley tried to secure permanent status for the class he designed on conservative political thought, campus administrators said no. They said the course failed a diversity test. Now the case is attracting national attention. Gilley joins Mitch Kokai to discuss the university’s response to his work.

We’ve all heard the story about American wages stagnating for decades for all but the richest households. Michael Strain, director of economic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, labels that story “more wrong than right.” Mitch Kokai and JLF President/CEO Kory Swanson ask Strain to explain why the story about stagnating wages is more myth than reality. The conversation also turns to different conceptions of the American dream.

After years of debate, Raleigh has finalized rules overseeing short-term rentals, including those tied to AirBNB. Jon Guze, John Locke Foundation director of legal studies, says those rules strike a blow against private property rights. Guze also notes that the rules have prompted a fight between Raleigh’s NIMBY (“not in my backyard”) and YIMBY (“yes in my backyard”) contingents. Mitch Kokai and JLF President and CEO Kory Swanson chat with Guze about his reaction to Raleigh’s new rules.

The federal government spends $750 billion a year on nearly 1,400 programs subsidizing state and local governments. A recent Cato Institute report explains why getting rid of those programs would help restore responsible government at the state and local level. Mitch Kokai and John Locke Foundation President and CEO Kory Swanson discuss the report’s findings with Chris Edwards, director of tax policy studies at Cato and editor of DownsizingGovernment.org.

Corporate shareholder meetings don’t always generate excitement. But when Justin Danhof shows up, the meetings tend to liven up. Danhof is general counsel at the National Center for Public Policy Research. He spends much of his time traveling to shareholder meetings and asking corporate CEOs why they devote corporate resources to liberal political causes. Mitch Kokai and John Locke Foundation President/CEO Kory Swanson ask Danhof about his work, including his latest trip to Charlotte.