Insights & Publications | US Policy Metrics

The ‘Financial Recession’ Excuse

The ‘Financial Recession’ Excuse Why did the U.S. recover faster from the panic of 1907 than from the 2008 recession and the Great Depression? By Phil Gramm and Mike Solon Commerce Department data released last Friday show that four years after the recession began, real gross domestic product per person...

Reaganomics and American Character

Posted in: Fiscal Policy, Regulatory Policy, Tax Policy, Uncategorized | January 19, 2012

The following is adapted from a speech delivered at Hillsdale College on October 3, 2011, during a four day conference on “Reagan: A Centenary Retrospective”. To access the pdf version click here. ...

The Budget Sequester’s Silver Lining

Posted in: Defense, Fiscal Policy | December 23, 2011

Uniting a divided Congress around a major deficit reduction plan was never going to be easy, but it is virtually impossible when the incumbent president campaigns instead of governs and seeks to divide the nation based on how much money people make....

The Obama Discount

Posted in: Fiscal Policy, Healthcare, Regulatory Policy, Tax Policy | April 15, 2011

Had the U.S. economy recovered from the current recession the way it bounced back from the other 10 recessions of the Post-War Period, our per capita Gross Domestic Product would be $3,553 higher and 11.9 million more Americans would now be working....

Echoes of the Great Depression

Posted in: Fiscal Policy, Regulatory Policy, Tax Policy | October 1, 2010

Echoes of the Great Depression By Phil Gramm (As published on Wall Street Journal) This may not be your grandfather’s Great Depression, but many aspects of today’s situation would remind him of the 1930s. If the recession that officially ended a year ago feels uncomfortably surreal to you yet familiar...