News

Kent Hiteshew and Ivan Ivanov write that the United States municipal bond market suffers from fragmentation, poor liquidity, and inadequate disclosure due to the dominance of small, infrequent issuers who struggle to meet regulatory disclosure requirements. They argue that greater involvement of state-backed municipal bond banks could help address these issues by pooling smaller issuances, reducing borrowing costs, and streamlining disclosure obligations for local governments.

The following is an excerpt from Despoina Mantzari's book, "Courts, Regulators, and the Scrutiny of Economic Evidence," now out at Oxford University Press.

George Hawley explores the economic impulses behind parts of the Republican Party’s populist turn and what this means for the GOP going forward.

The following is a transcript of Eric Posner and Carl Shapiro's debate on the proper role of economics in merger review at the 2024 Stigler Center Antitrust and Competition Conference.

An excerpt from the second edition of Marion Nestle's book, Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health, out now.

The following is a transcript of Guy Rolnik's conversation with Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter and Chair Lina Khan at the 2024 Stigler Center Antitrust and Competition Conference.

The upcoming European elections will determine the next European Parliament, but the real competition for the EU's economic future lies in the debate between two competing visions, writes Stefano Feltri. One vision, represented by Emmanuel Macron and Mario Draghi, calls for a radical departure from the EU's traditional approach to prioritize strategic autonomy and industrial policy, while the other, championed by Enrico Letta, argues for strengthening the single market and addressing its shortcomings to shape globalization and ensure security through fair competition.

New research from Renping Li finds that consolidation among investment banks has produced higher underwriting costs for local governments in issuing muni bonds. Importantly, Li says these costs are not offset by efficiency gains and that the result is a deterioration in local government finances.

An excerpt from Mehrsa Baradaran's new book, The Quiet Coup: Neoliberalism and the Looting of America, out now.

James Wood explores the sources of populism in the United Kingdom, its recent developments, and what this means for the country’s 2024 general election.