The American Compass Podcast

On this episode of Talkin’ (Policy) Shop, Oren and Chris head to Wall Street to discuss our fourth Issues 2024 brief, exploring why 57% of GOP voters say that "Wall Street investors are getting rich doing things that weaken our economy"—and what policymakers can do to get things back on track.

Financial markets have ceased to play their vital role channeling capital to productive uses. Instead, they more often take capital back out of businesses. While nearly all public companies used to be “sustainers” that both invested in their future and returned capital to shareholders, now nearly half are “eroders,” disgorging so much cash that they fail to maintain their own capital base.

Some potential solutions: 1. Ban stock buybacks; 2. Impose a financial transaction tax; 3. Reform the bankruptcy process; and 4. Hold pension investors accountable.

Read the full issue brief here: Issues 2024: Wall Street

On this episode of Talkin’ (Policy) Shop, we’re diving into all things industrial policy. Oren and Chris discuss our third Issues 2024 brief and the importance of a strong industrial base.

In short: Making things matters. Domestic industry is vital to workers and their communities, technological and economic progress, and national security. Thanks to rapid offshoring in recent decades, America is now seeing both manufacturing output and productivity decline. Public policy that supports domestic investment is the only way to restore American industrial leadership.

Read the full issue brief here: Issues 2024: Industrial Policy

On this episode of Talkin’ (Policy) Shop, Oren and Chris discuss the second brief in our Issues 2024 series. This one goes deep on worker power: why it matters for our economy, what voters think about it, and why conservative political leaders should make it a priority.

Read the full issue brief here: Issues 2024: Worker Power

On this episode of Talkin’ (Policy) Shop, Oren and Chris discuss the first Issues 2024 brief on declining middle-class security in America. They cover what’s gone wrong in the American economy over the past generation, the financial pressure families are under, and what a compelling agenda on this issue would look like. Read the full issue brief here: Issues 2024: Middle-Class Security.

This special episode of the American Compass podcast features a wide-ranging conversation between Oren Cass and Glenn Hubbard on the future of capitalism that took place recently at Columbia Business School. They cover the waterfront: everything from labor and productivity to private equity and investment, from technology and automation to China and globalization. Plus, Oren discusses what he calls the "secret sauce of capitalism."

We’re back! Welcome to season two of Talkin’ (Policy) Shop. This season, Oren and Chris will be discussing Issues 2024, our new series of policy briefs covering the issues that are (or should be) driving the primary campaign.

On the first episode of this season, we’re digging into the results of our new poll of GOP primary voters, which finds a substantial preference for the New Right’s worker-first framing of key economic challenges to the Old Right’s business-friendly approach.

Read the full poll: The New Conservative Voter

On this episode of Critics Corner, Tax Foundation senior economist Erica York joins Oren Cass for a conversation about tariffs: who bears the cost, who benefits, and much more.

Further Reading:

• Trump’s $300 Billion Tax Hike Would Threaten U.S. Businesses and Consumers (Erica York, Tax Foundation)
• Tariffs on Chinese Imports Have Only Marginally Contributed to US Inflation (Peterson Institute)
• Tariff Pass-Through at the Border and at the Store: Evidence from US Trade Policy (American Economic Review)

On this episode of Critics Corner, Oren Cass is joined by FREOPP president Avik Roy, who convened the recent Freedom Conservatism Statement of Principles. They discuss the current state of the conservative movement, the purpose of the statement, and how the “old right” and the “new right” differ on issues like trade, taxes, education, and more.

Further Reading:

• Freedom Conservatism: A Statement of Principles
• Oren Cass, Financial Times: Freedom Conservatism Is Much Ado About Nothing
• Avik Roy: Why I Signed the Freedom Conservatism Statement of Principles

At our Rebuilding American Capitalism forum, Senator J.D. Vance joined Oren Cass for a conversation about what has gone wrong with investment in the American economy, as well as how conservatives should think about labor unions and labor's place in the future of a conservative political coalition. Read more in Rebuilding American Capitalism and watch the full video from the forum.

At our Rebuilding American Capitalism forum, Senator Marco Rubio joined Oren Cass for a conversation about globalization, what has gone wrong in the American economy, the policies we’ll need to recover, and his new book, Decades of Decadence. Read more in Rebuilding American Capitalism and watch the full video from the forum.