Cato Institute 151432 225344586 2008-07-13T05:16:40Z Cap'nTrade 7408950 /* Relationship with progressives */ outreach goes both ways {{otheruses|Cato (disambiguation)}} {{Infobox Institute |name= Cato Institute |image_size=180px |image_name= Catologo.PNG |caption= |established=1977 |chairman= [[William A. Niskanen]] |head_label= President |head=[[Edward H. Crane]] |faculty= 46 |staff= 33 |budget= [[United States dollar|US$]]24,063,000<ref name="2007 report">Cato Institute [http://www.cato.org/about/reports/annual_report_2007.pdf ''2007 Annual Report''], p. 46 (Figures are for fiscal year ending [[March 31]], [[2008]].)</ref> |endowment = |debt= |location= [[Washington, D.C.]] |address= 1000 [[Massachusetts Avenue (Washington, D.C.)|Massachusetts Avenue]] NW |website= [http://www.cato.org www.cato.org] }} {{libertarianism}} The '''Cato Institute''' is a [[libertarian]] [[think tank]] headquartered in [[Washington, D.C.]] The Institute's stated mission is "to broaden the parameters of [[public policy]] debate to allow consideration of the traditional [[United States|American]] principles of limited [[government]], individual [[liberty]], [[free market]]s, and [[peace]]" by striving "to achieve greater involvement of the intelligent, lay public in questions of (public) policy and the proper role of government." Cato scholars have been sharply critical of the Bush administration on a wide variety of issues, including the [[Iraq war]], civil liberties, education, health care, agriculture, energy policy, and excessive [[government spending]]. However, some Cato scholars have found common cause with the administration on other issues, most notably, on [[Social Security]],<ref>Mike Allen, [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A29418-2005Jan22.html "Semantics Shape Social Security Debate: Democrats Assail 'Crisis' While GOP Gives 'Privatization' a 'Personal' Twist"], ''Washington Post'', [[January 23]], [[2005]], p. A04</ref><ref>"[http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=2943 Cutting Corporate Welfare Could Fund a Bush Social Security Plan]" by Andrew Biggs and Maya Macguineas, CATO Institute, January 6, 2003</ref> [[global warming]],<ref>[http://www.cato.org/pubs/handbook/hb108/hb108-45.pdf "Global Warming"], ''Cato Handbook for Congress: Policy Recommendations for the 108th Congress'', ch. 45, p. 474</ref><ref>[http://www.exxonsecrets.org/html/orgfactsheet.php?id=21 "Enviro Trends: Poor to Bear Brunt of Climate Change"], [[3 May]] [[2003]], as cited by ExxonSecrets.org</ref> tax policy,<ref>[http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=2478 Show Me the Money! Dividend Payouts after the Bush Tax Cut<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> and [[Guest worker program|immigration]].<ref>Daniel T. Griswold, [http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=2904 "Immigration: Beyond the Barbed Wire"], Cato Institute, [[December 7]], 2004</ref><ref>[http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=6401 America Needs Real Immigration Reform<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.freetrade.org/pubs/speeches/ct-dg040104.html Securing Our Borders Under a Temporary Guest Worker Program | Cato's Center for Trade Policy Studies<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=8255 Illegal Immigration: Will Congress Finally Solve It?<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=8142 Immigration Reform Must Include a Temporary Worker Program<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ==History== [[Image:Picture 082.jpg|thumb|200px|Cato Institute building in Washington, D.C.]] The Institute was founded in [[San Francisco, California]] in 1977 by [[Edward H. Crane]] and initially funded by [[Charles G. Koch]]. The Institute is named after ''[[Cato's Letters]]'', a series of British essays penned in the early 18th century by [[John Trenchard]] and [[Thomas Gordon]] expounding the political views of philosopher [[John Locke]]. The essays were named after [[Cato the Younger]], the defender of republican institutions in [[Roman Republic|Rome]]. Libertarian [[Murray Rothbard]] was a founding member of the institute's board and is credited with suggesting the name. He later came into sharp disagreement with other members, resulting in his dismissal in 1981.<ref>[http://www.mises.org/journals/lf/1981/1981_01-04.pdf "It Usually Ends With Ed Crane"], ''The Libertarian Forum'', XIV: 1-2, January-April 1981</ref> <ref>Bryan Doherty. ''Radicals for Capitalism; a Freewheeling History of the Modern American Libertarian Movement.'' New York: Public Affairs, 2007. p.413: "Within a couple of years, the Cato Institute would shed the influence that caused National Review's intemperate attack. Rothbard, his nose ever sniffing out the stink of softness in his comrades' libertarian hard-core, became disenchanted with his new allies and supporters..." p.417: "After tense months of backroom feuding Rothbard finally declared open war on his funders and coworkers... Rothbard's fulminations against the Kochtopus increased after he was fired from Cato in March 1981."</ref> Cato relocated to Washington, D.C. in 1981, settling first in a townhouse on [[Capitol Hill]]. <ref>Doherty, ''ibidem'', p.446: "The Cato Institute had relocated itelf [''sic''] to Ronald Reagan's Washington in the early 1980s..."</ref> The Institute moved to its current location on [[Massachusetts Avenue (Washington, D.C.)|Massachusetts Avenue]] in 1993. In November 2002, shortly after Cato's website was named the "Best Advocacy Website" by the Web Marketing Association, the [[Alexa Internet|Alexa]] [[ratings]] service issued a report saying that it was "the most popular think tank site over the past three months," receiving a total of 188,901 unique visitors during the previous month of September.<ref>Richard Morin and Claudia Deane, [http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A39246-2002Nov25?language=printer "The Hot New Americans Get Hotter"], ''[[Washington Post]]'', [[November 26]], [[2002]], p. A27</ref> ==Publications== The Cato Institute publishes the periodicals [http://www.cato.org/pubs/catosletter/subscribe.html ''Cato's Letter''], [http://www.cato.org/pubs/journal/index.html ''Cato Journal''], [http://www.cato.org/pubs/regulation/index.html ''Regulation''], [http://www.cato.org/pubs/scr/index.html ''Cato Supreme Court Review''], and [http://www.cato.org/pubs/policy_report/pr-index.html ''Cato Policy Report''], as well as [http://www.cato.org/pubs/studies.html policy studies]. Some of Cato's books include ''Social Security: The Inherent Contradiction'', ''In Defense of Global Capitalism'', ''Voucher Wars'', ''You Can't Say That!: The Growing Threat to Civil Liberties from Antidiscrimination Laws'', ''Peace and Freedom: A Foreign Policy for a Constitutional Republic'', ''Restoring the Lost Constitution'', and ''Reclaiming the Mainstream: Individualist Feminism Reconsidered''. <ref>"Publications." [http://www.cato.org/pubs/pubs.html] Retrieved November 12, 2007.</ref><ref>"Books." [http://www.catostore.org/] Retrieved November 12, 2007.</ref> Cato published ''[[Inquiry Magazine]]'' from 1977 to 1982 (before transferring it to the [[Libertarian Review|Libertarian Review Foundation]]), and ''[[Literature of Liberty]]'' from 1978 to 1979 (before transferring it to the [[Institute for Humane Studies]], where it was ended in 1982<!-- http://blog.mises.org/archives/005688.asp -->). They also had a [[monograph]] series called "Cato Papers". ==Principles== The Cato Institute's work is rooted in the classical liberal tradition of [[John Locke]] and [[Adam Smith]]. Cato scholars base their work on a variety of philosophical and religious perspectives. Three Nobel Laureates have been particularly influential to the Cato Institute's work. [[Milton Friedman]] first proposed the concept of [[school choice]], which is now promoted by Cato's Center for Educational Freedom. He also was an influential advocate for a number of policy proposals supported by Cato scholars, including [[monetarism]] and the end of the draft and the drug war. [[F.A. Hayek]]'s ideas about spontaneous order and the importance of the price mechanism have been fundamental to Cato scholars' work on a wide variety of topics. And [[James M. Buchanan]]'s work in [[Public choice theory|public choice economics]] have been fundamental to Cato scholars' critiques of many government programs. Many strands of thought have influenced the work of various Cato scholars. For example, a 2005 pamphlet by Dan Griswold, Cato's director of trade policy studies, made the case for individual liberty from a Christian perspective. <ref>http://www.cato.org/pubs/catosletter/catosletterv3n2.pdf</ref> Cato policy analyst Will Wilkinson has argued that the case for liberty can best be made by combining key insights of [[Friedrich Hayek]] and [[John Rawls]], a political philosopher whose [[egalitarian]] ideas are often thought of as antithetical to libertarianism. <ref>Will Wilkinson. "Is Rawlsekianism the Future?" Cato at Liberty blog, December 4, 2006.[http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/2006/12/04/is-rawlsekianism-the-future/]</ref> [[Ayn Rand]]'s philosophy of [[Objectivism]] has also had a particularly strong influence on the Cato Institute. Objectivists share with other libertarians a respect for individual liberty, free markets, and limited government. In 1997 [[David Boaz]], Cato's executive VP, wrote he believed all [[Objectivists]] are necessarily [[libertarians]]. <ref>David Boaz, [http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=8120] "Objectivists and Libertarians." </ref> ===Strained relationship with conservatism=== In the years immediately following the [[Republican Revolution]], the Cato Institute was often seen as a standard-bearer of the U.S. conservative political movement. [[Barry Goldwater]] and [[Ronald Reagan]], credited with reshaping and rejuvenating the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]], and key contributors to the late-20th century conservative movement, were heavily influenced by libertarian ideals. Despite this, the Cato Institute officially resists being labeled as part of the conservative movement because "conservative smacks of an unwillingness to change, of a desire to preserve the status quo".<ref>[http://cato.org/about/about.html "About Cato"], Cato Institute</ref> Such tensions have become increasingly evident in recent years, as the Institute has become sharply critical of current Republican leaders.<ref>Clay Risen, [http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=20040913&s=risen091304 "How Bush Lost the Libertarians"], ''[[The New Republic]]''</ref> The growing division may be attributable to Republican officeholders' growing support of policies promoting government intervention in the economy and society, increased budgetary spending, and [[neoconservatism|neoconservative]] foreign policies. Cato scholars have also been strongly critical of the expansion of executive power under President [[George W. Bush]]<ref>Gene Healy and Timothy Lynch, [http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=6330 "Power Surge: The Constitutional Record of George W. Bush"], Cato Institute, [[May 1]], [[2006]]</ref>, and his management of the [[Iraq War]].<ref>Christopher Preble, [http://www.catostore.org/index.asp?fa=ProductDetails&pid=1441206&method=search&t=iraq&a=&k=&aeid=&adv=&pg= "Exiting Iraq: Why the U.S. Must End the Military Occupation and Renew the War against Al Qaeda"], Cato Institute</ref> In 2006 and 2007, Cato published two books critical of the Republican Party's perceived abandonment of the limited-government ideals that swept them into power in 1994.<ref>Stephen Slivinski, [http://www.catostore.org/index.asp?fa=ProductDetails&pid=1441325 ''Buck Wild: How Republicans Broke the Bank and Became the Party of Big Government''], August 2006</ref><ref>Michael D. Tanner, [http://www.catostore.org/index.asp?fa=ProductDetails&method=cats&scid=37&pid=1441337 ''Leviathan on the Right: How Big-Government Conservatism Brought Down the Republican Revolution''], February 2007</ref> For their part, only a minority of Republican congressmen supported President [[George W. Bush]]’s [[Social Security debate (United States)#Bush's proposal|2005 proposal]] to partially privatize [[Social Security (United States)|Social Security]], an idea strongly backed by the Institute. And in the [[109th United States Congress|109th Congress]], President Bush's immigration plan&mdash;which was based on a proposal by Cato scholar Dan Griswold<ref>Daniel Griswold, [http://www.freetrade.org/pubs/pas/tpa-019es.html "Willing Workers: Fixing the Problem of Illegal Mexican Migration to the United States"], Cato Institute, [[October 15]], [[2002]]</ref> &mdash; went down to defeat largely due to the eventual opposition of conservative Republican congressmen.<ref>Jim VandeHei and Zachary A. Goldfarb, [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/27/AR2006052700802_pf.html "Immigration Deal at Risk as House GOP Looks to Voters"], ''Washington Post'', [[May 28]], [[2006]], p. A01</ref> Cato President [[Ed Crane]] has particular scorn for [[neoconservatism]]. In a 2003 article with Cato chairman [[William Niskanen]], he called neoconservatism a "particular threat to liberty perhaps greater than the ideologically spent ideas of left-liberalism."<ref>Crane, Edward H.; and William A. Niskanen. [http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=3159 "Upholding Liberty in America"]. ''[[Financial Times]]''. [[June 24]], [[2003]].</ref> As far back as 1995, Crane wrote that neoconservatives "have a fundamentally benign view of the state," which Crane considers antithetical to libertarian ideals of individual freedom.<ref>Crane, Edward H. [http://www.cato.org/pubs/policy_report/pr-nd-ec.html "The Government Habit"]. ''Cato Policy Report''. November/December 1995.</ref> Cato's foreign policy team have frequently criticized neoconservative foreign policy.<ref>Preble, Christopher and Justin Logan. [http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=2755 "Neocons Forced to Face Reality"]. [[July 26]], [[2004]].</ref> ===Relationship with progressives=== There has long been discussion of possible co-operation between libertarians and [[progressives]] based on their shared values of peace, tolerance, equality, and individual liberty. Interest in such possibilities has increased as a result of disillusionment with the [[Bush Administration]] and the [[Iraq War]]. However, there has been continuing disagreement over the basis on which such co-operation might take place. Cato's scholars advocate positions that are appealing to many on the left-hand side of the American political spectrum, including support for civil liberties, liberal immigration policies, equal rights for gays and lesbians, and peace. An early example of this effort was the launching of [[Inquiry Magazine]], which was aimed at [[Modern liberalism in the United States| liberals]] who shared libertarians' skepticism about concentrated state power. More recently, in 2006, [[Markos Moulitsas]] proposed the term [[Libertarian Democrat]] to describe his progressive position, suggesting that libertarians should be allies of the Democratic Party. Replying, Cato vice president for research [[Brink Lindsey]] agreed that libertarians and [[Modern liberalism in the United States| liberals]] should view each other as natural ideological allies<ref>Lindsey, Brink. [http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=6800 "Liberaltarians"]. [[December 4]], [[2006]].</ref>, but noted continuing differences between mainstream progressive views on economic policy and Cato's "Jeffersonian philosophy". <blockquote> The Jeffersonian philosophy that animates Cato's work has increasingly come to be called "libertarianism" or "market liberalism." It combines an appreciation for entrepreneurship, the market process, and lower taxes with strict respect for civil liberties and skepticism about the benefits of both the welfare state and foreign military adventurism.<ref> {{cite web|url=http://www.cato.org/about.php |title=Cato on "How to Label Cato" |accessdate=2008-02-29 |work=The Cato Institute |publisher=Cato Institute |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070822132227/http://www.cato.org/about/about.html |archivedate=2007-08-22 }}</ref> </blockquote> ===Tensions with Objectivism=== {{main|Libertarianism and Objectivism}} Despite their fundamental agreement on political issues, relations between the Cato Institute and Objectivist organizations has not always been cozy. [[Ayn Rand]] scorned the nascent libertarian movement during her lifetime<ref>[http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=education_campus_libertarians "Ayn Rand’s Q & A on Libertarianism"], Ayn Rand Institute</ref>, and her intellectual heir, [[Leonard Peikoff]], has followed her lead, refusing to associate with libertarian organizations, Cato included. Other Objectivist organizations, notably the [[Atlas Society]], have been more friendly. At an October 2007 event to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of [[Atlas Shrugged]], Cato President and Founder [[Ed Crane]] stated that he and all the senior leadership of the Cato Institute consider themselves Objectivists.<ref>[http://www.booktv.org/program.aspx?ProgramId=8763&SectionName=&PlayMedia=No "50th Anniversary of ''Atlas Shrugged'': A discussion on Rand's views on politics, the fight for freedom, and the future of Objectivism"], panelists Edward Crane, John Fund, Fred Smith</ref> He emphasized that Objectivists and other libertarians are natural allies, and encouraged Objectivists to become more involved in the broader libertarian movement. Cato Institute leaders have worked for years to improve relations between [[Objectivism (Ayn Rand)|Objectivists]] and [[libertarians]].<ref> Robert James Bidinotto, [http://www.objectivistcenter.org/cth--33-David_Leviathan.aspx]</ref> == Cato positions on current political issues == Following its motto, Cato scholars advocate policies that advance "individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace.” They are libertarian in their policy positions, typically advocating diminished government intervention in domestic, social, and economic policies and decreased military and political intervention worldwide. Specific policy proposals advanced by Cato scholars include such measures as abolishing the minimum wage,<ref>William Niskanen, [http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/2006/06/14/house-faces-the-dumbest-bill-of-the-year-so-far-a-210-increase-in-the-minimum-wage/ "House Faces the Dumbest Bill of the Year (So Far): A $2.10 Increase in the Minimum Wage"], ''Cato@Libery'', [[2006-06-14]]</ref> reforming illegal-drug policies,<ref name="drug war">[http://www.cato.org/current/drug-war/index.html "Drug War"], Cato Institute</ref> eliminating corporate welfare and [[trade barrier]]s,<ref>[http://www.cato.org/fiscal/corporate-welfare.html "Budget and Taxes: Corporate Welfare"], Cato Institute</ref> diminishing federal government involvement in the marketplace<ref>[http://www.cato.org/research/regulatory-studies/index.html "Regulatory Studies"], Cato Institute</ref> and in local and state issues,<ref>[http://www.cato.org/ccs/federalism.html "Constitutional Issues: Federalism"]</ref> enhanced school choice,<ref>[http://www.cato.org/research/education/choice.html "Education and Child Policy: School Choice"], Cato Institute</ref> abolishing government-enforced discrimination, including both traditionally conservative racial profiling and traditionally liberal affirmative action, and abolishing restrictions on discrimination by private parties.<ref>[http://www.cato.org/research/civilrights/index.html "Civil Rights"], Cato Institute</ref> ===On Social Security=== The Cato Institute established its Project on Social Security Privatization in 1995, renaming it the Project on Social Security Choice in 2002. The change sought to emphasize that its proposals would allow Americans to opt in or out of the program. Like other organizations supporting the "personal healthcare savings accounts" concept, Cato scholars now avoid using the word ''privatization'' in describing such policies, due to the presently unpopular sentiments that the public associates with it.<ref>Mike Allen, [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A29418-2005Jan22.html "Semantics Shape Social Security Debate: Democrats Assail 'Crisis' While GOP Gives 'Privatization' a 'Personal' Twist"], ''Washington Post'', [[January 23]], [[2005]], p. A04</ref> Cato's Social Security proposal involves giving workers the option of investing half of their contributions (6.2 per cent) into individual accounts, in return for forgoing the accrual of any future Social Security entitlement benefits. For workers selecting this option, future claims on already-accrued Social Security benefits could be sold as bonds, allowing the workers to re-invest those funds in higher-yielding securities, if desired. However, for these workers, past and future payroll tax contributions to Social Security, nominally made on behalf of the employer, would go to funding the Social Security benefits of people remaining in the traditional system. Cato scholars have emphasized that the present Social Security system is unsustainable, and will necessitate future tax hikes and benefit cuts to make ends meet. Because of the "pay as you go" nature of the system, present workers are taxed to support past ones (i.e., current retirees). As the ratio of workers-to-retirees drops, workers will bear an increasing payroll-tax burden. Cato scholars also emphasize the benefits of inheritability. Unlike the status quo, Cato's plan would allow a worker who dies before reaching their (variable) retirement age to leave the assets in his/her personal account to legal heirs. In 2003, the Cato Institute said that Bush's social security privatization plan could be funded if funding for [[corporate welfare]] were reduced.<ref>"[http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=2943 Cutting Corporate Welfare Could Fund a Bush Social Security Plan]" by Andrew Biggs and Maya Macguineas, CATO Institute, January 6, 2003</ref> ===On foreign policy and civil liberties=== In recent years, Cato's non-interventionist foreign policy views, and strong support for civil liberties, have frequently led Cato scholars to criticize those in power, Republican and Democrat. Cato scholars opposed President [[George H. W. Bush]]'s 1991 [[Gulf War]] operations, President [[Bill Clinton]]'s interventions in [[Operation Uphold Democracy|Haiti]] and [[1999 NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Kosovo]], and President [[George W. Bush]]'s [[2003 invasion of Iraq]]. On the other hand, Cato scholars supported the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|2001 invasion of Afghanistan]] as a response to the [[terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001]].<ref>Ted Galen Carpenter, [http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=6662 "The Right Response"], Cato Institute, [[October 9]], [[2001]]</ref> Cato policy experts have been similarly critical of recent perceived infringements upon American's civil liberties. They sharply criticized then-Attorney General [[Janet Reno]]'s 1993 [[Waco Siege|raid of the Branch Davidians]] in Waco, Texas. More recently, they have opposed the [[USA Patriot Act]], the imprisonment of so-called [[unlawful enemy combatant]]s like [[José Padilla (alleged terrorist)|José Padilla]], and the second Bush Administration's aggressive assertions of unilateral executive authority. ===On other domestic issues=== Cato has published strong criticisms of the 1998 settlement that many U.S. states signed with the [[tobacco industry]].<ref>Thomas C. O'Brien, [http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-371es.html "Constitutional and Antitrust Violations of the Multistate Tobacco Settlement"], ''Policy Analysis'' no. 371, Cato Institute, [[May 18]], [[2000]]</ref> Among other [[laissez-faire]] policies, Cato scholars have argued for allowing immigrants to work in the U.S.<ref>Daniel T. Griswold, [http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=2904 "Immigration: Beyond the Barbed Wire"], Cato Institute, [[December 7]], [[2004]]</ref> The Cato Institute argued in favor of a [[Balanced Budget Veto Amendment]] to the [[United States Constitution]].<ref>Anthony Hawks, [http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=1346 "The Balanced Budget Veto: A New Mechanism to Limit Federal Spending"], ''Policy Analysis'' no. 487, Cato Institute, [[September 4]], [[2003]]</ref> This would, according to the Institute, act as a self-enforcing mechanism to reduce [[deficit spending]] by the U.S. government. In 2003 Cato filed an [[amicus brief]] in support of the Supreme Court’s decision in ''[[Lawrence v. Texas]]'', which struck down the few remaining state laws that made private, non-commercial [[homosexual]] relations between consenting adults illegal. Cato cited the [[Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|14th Amendment]], among other things, as the source of their support for the ruling. Domestically, Cato scholars have been sharp critics of current U.S. drug policy,<ref name="drug war" /> and the perceived growing militarization of U.S. law enforcement.<ref>Radley Balko, [http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=6476 "Overkill: The Rise of Paramilitary Police Raids in America"], Cato Institute, [[July 17]], [[2006]]</ref> Additionally, there is a strong objection to "nanny" laws such as smoking bans and mandatory seatbelt use. ===On environmental policy=== Cato scholars have written extensively about the issues of the environment, including [[global warming]], environmental regulation, and energy policy. The Cato Institute lists "Energy and the Environment" as one of its 13 major "research issues",<ref>[http://www.cato.org/researcharea.php?display=4 The Cato Institute Page on Energy and the Environment]. Accessed [[January 31]], [[2008]].</ref> and [[global warming]] is one of six sub-topics under this heading.<ref>[http://www.cato.org/subtopic_display_new.php?topic_id=27&ra_id=4 The Cato Institute Official web site page on Global Warming]. Accessed [[January 31]], [[2008]].</ref> The Institute has issued over two dozen studies on energy and environmental topics in recent years, which is on par with Cato's other research areas.<ref> See the links to the topics at [http://www.cato.org/researcharea.php?display=4 The Cato Institute Official web site page on Energy and the Environment]. Accessed [[January 31]], [[2008]].</ref> The Cato Institute blog includes many postings on a wide variety of public policy issues, including global warming and other environmental issues.<ref>[http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/category/environment-climate/ "Environment-Climate"], Cato@Liberty (blog). Accessed [[2008-05-27]].</ref> The Institute's work on global warming has been a particular source of controversy. Cato has held a number of briefings on [[global warming]] with [[global warming skeptic]]s as panelists. In December 2003, panelists included [[Patrick Michaels]], [[Robert Balling]] and [[John Christy]]. Balling and Christy have since made statements indicating that global warming is, in fact, related at least some degree to anthropogenic activity: {{quote|No known mechanism can stop global warming in the near term. International agreements, such as the [[Kyoto Protocol]] to the [[United Nations]] Framework Convention on Climate Change, would have no detectable effect on average temperature within any reasonable policy time frame (i.e., 50 years or so), even with full compliance.<ref>[http://www.cato.org/pubs/handbook/hb108/hb108-45.pdf "Global Warming"], ''Cato Handbook for Congress: Policy Recommendations for the 108th Congress'', ch. 45, p. 474</ref>}} In response to the ''World Watch Report'' in May 2003 that linked climate change and severe weather events, [[Jerry Taylor]] said, {{quote|It's false. There is absolutely no evidence that extreme weather events are on the increase. None. The argument that more and more dollar damages accrue is a reflection of the greater amount of wealth we've created.<ref>[http://www.exxonsecrets.org/html/orgfactsheet.php?id=21 "Enviro Trends: Poor to Bear Brunt of Climate Change"], [[3 May]] [[2003]], as cited by ExxonSecrets.org</ref>}} Three out of five "Doubters of Global Warming" interviewed by [[PBS]]'s ''[[Frontline]]'' were funded by, or had some other institutional connection with, the Institute.<ref> "[http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/hotpolitics/reports/skeptics.html The Doubters of Global Warming]". ''Frontline''. Accessed January 31, 2008.</ref> Cato has often criticized [[Al Gore]]'s stances on the issue of global warming and agreed with the [[Bush administration]]'s skeptical attitude toward the Kyoto protocols. Its positions on the subject are unpopular with some left-of-center groups.<ref>''On The Big Story, Cato Institute fellow falsely asserted that IPCC findings contradict Gore's "beyond shrill" claim,'' found at [http://mediamatters.org/items/200703220014 Media Matter Official web site]. Accessed January 31, 2008.</ref> Cato scholars have also been critical of the Bush administration's views on energy policy. In 2003, Cato scholars Jerry Taylor and Peter Van Doren blasted the Republican Energy Bill as "Hundreds of pages of corporate welfare, symbolic gestures, empty promises, and pork-barrel projects." <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/taylor-vandoren200311190857.asp |title=Mighty Porking Power Rangers: Scanning the energy bill |first=Jerry |last=Taylor |coauthors=Peter Van Doren |publisher=National Review Online |date=[[November 19]], [[2003]] |accessdate=2008-05-27}}</ref> They have also spoken out against the president's calls for larger ethanol subsidies. <ref>{{cite news| work=Chicago Sun-Times |url=http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=7308 |title=Ethanol Makes Gasoline Costlier, Dirtier |first=Jerry |last=Taylor |coauthors=Peter Van Doren |date=[[January 27]], [[2007]]}}</ref> ==Funding== The Cato Institute is classified as a [[501(c)]](3) organization under U.S. Internal Revenue Code. The institute performs no contract research and does not accept government funding. For revenue, the institute is largely dependent on private contributions. According to its annual report, the Cato Institute had fiscal year 2008 income of $24 million. The report notes that 77% of Cato's income that year came from individual contributions, 13% from foundations, 2% from corporations, and 8% from "program and other income" (e.g., publication sales, program fees).<ref name="2007 report" /> ===Foundation support=== The Cato Institute has been supported by: * [[Castle Rock Foundation]] (formerly known as The Coors Foundation) * [[Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation]] * [[Earhart Foundation]] * JM Foundation * [[John M. Olin Foundation]], Inc. * [[Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation]] * [[Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation]] * [[Scaife Foundations]] (Sarah Mellon Scaife, Carthage) ===Corporate support=== Like many [[think tank]]s, Cato receives support from a variety of corporations, but corporations are a relatively minor source of support for the Institute. In fiscal year 2008, for example, corporate donations accounted for only two percent of its budget.<ref name="2007 report" /> According to Cato supporters, the relative paucity of corporate funding has allowed the Institute to strike an independent stance in its policy research. In 2004, the Institute angered the U.S. pharmaceutical industry by publishing a paper arguing in favor of "drug re-importation."<ref>[http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=2305 "Drug Reimportation: The Free Market Solution"], ''Policy Analysis'' no. 521, Cato Institute, [[August 4]], [[2004]]</ref> A 2006 study attacked the [[Digital Millennium Copyright Act]].<ref>Gigi Sohn, [http://www.publicknowledge.org/node/166 "A Welcome Voice on the Right"], Public Knowledge, [[March 21]], [[2006]]</ref> Cato has published numerous studies criticizing what it calls "[[corporate welfare]]", the practice of public officials funneling taxpayer money, usually via targeted budgetary spending, to politically-connected corporate interests.<ref>James Bovard, [http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-241.html "Archer Daniels Midland: A Case Study In Corporate Welfare"], ''Policy Analysis'' no. 241, [[September 26]], [[1995]]</ref><ref>Stephen Moore and Dean Stansel, [http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa225.html "Ending Corporate Welfare As We Know It"], ''Policy Analysis'' no. 225, [[May 12]], [[1995]]</ref><ref>Stephen Slivinski, [http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=1274 "The Corporate Welfare Budget: Bigger Than Ever"], ''Policy Analysis'' no. 415, [[October 10]], [[2001]]</ref><ref>Stephen Slivinski, [http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=8230 "The Corporate Welfare State: How the Federal Government Subsidizes U.S. Businesses"], ''Policy Analysis'' no. 592, [[May 14]], [[2007]]</ref> For example, in 2002, Cato president Ed Crane and [[Sierra Club]] executive director Carl Pope co-wrote an [[op-ed]] piece in the ''Washington Post'' calling for the abandonment of the Republican energy bill, arguing that it had become little more than a gravy train for [[Washington, D.C.]] lobbyists.<ref>Edward H. Crane and Carl Pope, [http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=4090 "Fueled by Pork"], [[July 30]], [[2002]]</ref> Again in 2005, Cato scholar Jerry Taylor teamed up with Daniel Becker of the [[Sierra Club]] to attack the Republican [[Energy Policy Act of 2005|Energy Bill]] as a give-away to corporate interests.<ref>Jerry Taylor and Daniel Becker, [http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=4041 "Energy Bill Blues"], [[July 2]], [[2005]]</ref> Still, some critics have accused Cato of being too tied to corporate funders, especially in the 1990s. Critical sources report that Cato received funding from [[Phillip Morris]] and other tobacco companies in the 1990s, and that at one point [[Rupert Murdoch]] served on the boards of directors of both Cato and [[Phillip Morris]].<ref>[http://www.no-smoke.org/pdf/catoinstitute.pdf Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights], August 2004</ref> The [[Knight Ridder]] newspapers reported that in the late 1990s Cato received financial contributions from the [[American International Group]], "an insurance and financial services company whose business includes managing U.S. retirement plans" as Social Security reform emerged as a more prominent issue. Between 1998 and 2004 the Cato Institute received $90,000 of its funding from [[ExxonMobil]] &mdash; about a tenth of a percent of the organization's budget over that period.<ref>[http://www.exxonsecrets.org/html/orgfactsheet.php?id=21 "FACTSHEET: Cato Institute"], Exxonsecrets.org</ref> ==Associates in the news== * Several Cato Institute-affiliated scholars have achieved academic distinction, including Nobel laureates [[F. A. Hayek]], [[Milton Friedman]]. [[James M. Buchanan]], and [[Vernon L. Smith]]. * Cato senior fellow [[Randy Barnett]] argued the ''[[Gonzales v. Raich]]'' case in front of the Supreme Court in 2004. * Mencken Fellow [[P. J. O'Rourke]] is the bestselling author of ''Parliament of Whores'', ''All the Trouble in the World'', and other books. * Cato policy analyst Radley Balko was cited by Justice Breyer's dissent to the Supreme Court's 2006 ''[[Hudson v. Michigan]]'' decision, concerning "no knock" raids.<ref>[http://www.cato.org/new/pressrelease.php?id=34 "''Hudson v. Michigan'': Cato Expert Says Court is Wrong on "No-Knock" Police Raids"], Cato Institute press release, [[June 15]], [[2006]]</ref> * Cato senior fellow [[Robert A. Levy]] personally funded the plaintiffs' successful Supreme Court challenge to the District of Columbia's gun ban ([[District of Columbia v. Heller]]), on the basis of the Second Amendment.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/12/washington/13scotus.html Supreme Court May Take Gun Case - New York Times<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> * In December 2005, [[Doug Bandow]], a Cato fellow, admitted taking money from [[lobbyist]] [[Jack Abramoff]] in exchange for writing columns for the [[Copley News Service]] favorable to Abramoff clients. The columns did not, however, deviate from Bandow's own views. Copley suspended his column. Bandow subsequently resigned from Cato on December 15, 2005. * In 1999, [[David Platt Rall]], a prominent [[environmental scientist]], died in a car accident. [[Steven Milloy]], at the time a Cato adjunct scholar, celebrated Rall's death on his site junkscience.com, writing: "Scratch one junk scientist who promoted the bankrupt idea that poisoning rats with a chemical predicts cancer in humans exposed to much lower levels of the chemical — a notion that, at the very least, has wasted billions and billions of public and private dollars." Cato Institute President Edward Crane called Milloy's attack an "inexcusable lapse in judgement and civility," but Milloy refused to apologize. He retained his position with Cato until the end of 2005. Following renewed controversy over the financial support Milloy received from tobacco and oil companies while writing editorial pieces favorable to them, Milloy's name was removed from the list of Cato adjunct scholars.<ref>Richard Morin and Claudia Deane, [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/feed/a46952-1999oct12.htm "The Ideas Industry"], ''Washington Post'', [[October 12]], [[1999]], p. A17</ref> * In January 2008, adjunct scholar Dominick Armentano separated from the Institute after writing an op-ed piece in the Vero Beach Press-Journal. Cato Executive Vice President David Boaz wrote that “I won’t deny that this latest op-ed played a role in our decision."<ref>[http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20080130/BLOG32/447014873/-1/RSS1013 Herald Tibune article]. Accessed February 14, 2008.</ref> ==Milton Friedman Prize== Since 2002, the Cato Institute has awarded the [[Milton Friedman]] Prize for Advancing Liberty every two years to "an individual who has made a significant contribution to advancing human freedom." The prize comes with a cash award of [[United States dollar|$]]500,000. {| class="wikitable" |+Past Prize Winners || ! Year !! Recipient !! Nationality |- | 2002 || [[Peter Thomas Bauer]] || {{flag|GBR|name=British}} |- | 2004 || [[Hernando de Soto (economist)|Hernando de Soto]] || {{PER}}vian |- | 2006 || [[Mart Laar]] || {{EST}}n |- | 2008 || [[Yon Goicoechea]]<ref>{{cite news |author=[[Associated Press]] |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24282927/ |publisher=[[MSNBC]] |title=Student wins $500,000 for challenging Chavez |date=[[April 23]], [[2008]]}}</ref> || {{VEN}}n |} ==Notable associates== <!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Cato.JPG|thumb|right|Cato president Ed Crane (left) and board member [[Jeff Yass]] (center) talk with guest speaker [[Walter E. Williams]] (right) at the 15th Annual Benefactor Summit (2003)]] --> ===Policy scholars=== * [[David Boaz]], Executive Vice President * [[Edward H. Crane]], President and CEO * [[Jagadeesh Gokhale]], Senior Fellow * [[Daniel T. Griswold]], Director, Center for Trade Policy Studies * [[Andrey Illarionov]] * [[Robert A. Levy]], Senior Fellow in Constitutional Studies * [[Brink Lindsey]], Vice President for Research * [[William A. Niskanen]], Chairman * [[Tom G. Palmer]], Senior Fellow, Director of Cato University * [[Roger Pilon]], Vice President for Legal Affairs * [[José Piñera]], Co-chairman, Project on Social Security Choice * [[Alan Reynolds]], Senior Fellow * John Samples, Director, Center for Representative Government * [[Jerry Taylor]]. Senior Fellow * [[Ian Vásquez]], Director of the Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity * [[Will Wilkinson]], Policy Analyst ===Adjunct scholars=== * [[Donald J. Boudreaux]] * [[Robert L. Bradley, Jr]] * [[Tyler Cowen]] * [[Michael Cox (academic)|Michael Cox]] * [[Richard Epstein]] * [[Michael Gough]] * [[Tibor Machan]] * [[Randal O'Toole]] * [[Vernon L. Smith]] * [[Thomas Szasz]] ===Fellows=== * [[Randy E. Barnett]] * [[James Bovard]] * [[James M. Buchanan]] * [[Leon Hadar]] * [[Steve H. Hanke]] * [[F. A. Hayek]] * [[Andrei Illarionov]] * [[Penn Jillette]] * [[David Kopel]] * [[Johan Norberg]] * [[P. J. O'Rourke]] * [[Jim Powell]] * [[Teller (magician)|Teller]] ===Board of directors=== As of January 2007: * K. Tucker Andersen, Senior consultant, Cumberland Associates LLC * Frank Bond, Chairman, The Foundation Group * [[Ed Crane|Edward H. Crane]], President, Cato Institute * [[Richard Dennis]], President, Dennis Trading Group * Ethelmae C. Humphreys, Chair, Tamko Roofing Products, Inc. * [[David H. Koch]], Executive vice-president, [[Koch Industries|Koch Industries, Inc.]] * [[John C. Malone]], Chairman, [[Liberty Media Corporation]] * [[William A. Niskanen]], Chairman, Cato Institute * [http://www.prcfund.org/PRCBoard/PRCBoardPadden.html David H. Padden], President, Padden and Company * Lewis E. Randall, Board member, [[E-Trade|E-Trade Financial Corporation]] * [[Howard Rich]], President, U.S. Term Limits * [[Frederick W. Smith]], Chairman and CEO, [[FedEx|FedEx Corporation]] * Donald G. Smith, President, Donald Smith & Co. * [[Jeff Yass|Jeffrey S. Yass]], Managing Director, [[Susquehanna International Group|Susquehana International Group, LLP]] * Fred Young, former owner, Young Radiator Company ==Former staff and faculty== * [[Radley Balko]], former Policy Analyst * [[Doug Bandow]], former Senior Fellow * [[Dan Greenberg]], former Director of Communications, currently an Arkansas state legislator and thus a member of the [[Arkansas General Assembly]] * [[Steven Milloy]], former adjunct scholar, currently columnist for [[Fox News]] * [[Julian Sanchez]], former staff writer, currently contributing editor to [[Reason (magazine)|''Reason'' magazine]]. ==References== {{reflist|2}} ==External links== * [http://www.cato.org Cato Institute's official website] * [http://www.freetrade.org/ Center for Trade Policy Studies] * [http://www.socialsecurity.org/ Project on Social Security Choice] * [http://www.catounbound.org/ Cato Unbound], Cato's online monthly magazine * [http://www.cato.org/special/friedman/index.html Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty] * [http://www.cato.org/economicliberty/ Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity] ===Critiques=== * Mike Huben, "[http://world.std.com/~mhuben/cato.html Criticisms of the CATO Institute]," in "[http://world.std.com/~mhuben/libindex.html Critiques Of Libertarianism]." * [http://www.lewrockwell.com/rockwell/selling-ideas.html Lew Rockwel's Editorial on the Bandow/Abramoff controversy] * John Fonte, [http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/comment-fonte050902.asp "Dogmatic Libertarians: Over the edge"], ''[[National Review]] Online'', [[May 9]], [[2002]] * [http://www.voltairenet.org/article30090.html "The Cato Institute or Anarchism seen through the Multinationals’ Eyes"], Voltaire Network * Dana Milbank, [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/07/AR2006030701403_pf.html "At Conservative Forum on Bush, Everybody's a Critic"], ''Washington Post'', [[March 8]], [[2006]], p. A02 * [http://www.scribemedia.org/2006/12/12/the-promise-of-freedom/ "The Promise of Freedom: Is America on Course?"] a debate with the Cato Instiute's Executive Vice President David Boaz * [http://www.exxonsecrets.org/html/orgfactsheet.php?id=21 ExxonSecrets.org Fact Sheet on Cato]. * [http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Cato_Institute Cato Institute profile] at Sourcewatch.org [[Category:Political and economic think tanks in the United States]] [[Category:Organizations of environmentalism skeptics and critics]] [[Category:1977 establishments]] [[Category:Bradley Foundation]] [[Category:Koch family]] [[Category:Libertarianism in the United States]] [[Category:Non-profit organizations based in the United States]] [[Category:Libertarian think tanks]] [[Category:Washington, D.C.]] [[Category:Global warming skeptics]] [[Category:Political advocacy groups in the United States]] [[de:Cato Institute]] [[et:Cato Instituut]] [[es:Cato Institute]] [[fr:Cato Institute]] [[it:Cato Institute]] [[nl:Cato Institute]] [[ja:ケイトー研究所]] [[no:Cato Institute]] [[ru:Институт Катона]] [[fi:Cato-instituutti]] [[sv:Cato Institute]] [[zh:卡托研究所]]