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Unintended Consequences – Cato Institute — Government
Unintended Consequences – Cato Institute

Unintended Consequences is the podcast of Regulation magazine, produced by the Cato Institute. Hosted by Peter Van Doren and Paul Matzko, the show explores how government interventions can have surprising—and often negative—consequences. Drawing from Regulation’s in-depth policy analysis and cover stories, each episode unpacks the gap between policymakers’ intentions and the real-world outcomes that follow. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Copyright: © Cato Institute

Latest Episodes:

There’s Nothing Standard about Standard Oil: Lessons for Modern Antitrusters Sep 11, 2025

The standard, classroom story about the history of antitrust starts with crusading progressive activists breaking up the Standard Oil trust in 1911 to save consumers from corporate greed. But a closer look at the case shows something rather different: a story about anti-competitive rent-seeking hidden in the guise of fighting for the little guy. Peter and Paul discuss William Shughart’s Regulation article “Reappreaising Standard Oil” and then apply what they learn to contemporary antitrust cases like Epic Games v Apple.

In conjunction with Regulation Magazine Summer 2025 edition.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Inequality: American Buy, Borrow, and Die vs. Scandinavian Wage Compression Aug 14, 2025

Wealthy Americans are able to avoid taxes through an accounting strategy known as “buy, borrow, and die.” It’s why Donald Trump is able to pay as little as $0 in federal income taxes some years. But, as Peter and Paul discuss, it turns out that the strategy might work differently than researchers used to think.

Then, in the second half of the show, they discuss a surprising finding about income equality in Scandanavia, which isn’t a product of any of popular progressive redistribution policies like welfare benefits or parental leave. Rather, it’s because of significant wage compression and reduced income for highly educated workers.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is Public Funding Actually Bad for Public Media? Jul 11, 2025

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which subsidizes National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service, received half a billion dollars from the federal government each year. While budget battles over the amount of funding are routine, there are more fundamental questions at stake. Join Peter Van Doren and Paul Matzko as they dig into the surprising, partisan history of the origins of public media and the unintended consequences of government subsidies.

In conjunction with Regulation Magazine Summer 2025 edition.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is YouTube Good or Bad? The Perils and Promise of ‘Free’ Information Jun 12, 2025

Every minute, over 500 hours of content are uploaded to YouTube. Some of those videos likely infringe on existing intellectual property rights. In his Regulation cover article, law professor Jonathan Barnett argues that protections for intellectual property, including on platforms like YouTube, have become too weakened. That has resulted in a massive redistribution of wealth from IP holders to online platforms and users. Yet by lowering the functional costs of sharing ideas and data, the internet has generated an explosion in creativity, which is ostensibly the purpose of granting IP rights in the first place. Join Peter and Paul as they discuss whether there’s an optimal degree of strictness for intellectual property rights.

In conjunction with Regulation Magazine Spring 2025 edition.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PM2.5 and Decentralizing Pollution Standards May 08, 2025

One of the hottest debated topics in environmental pollution policy is PM2.5, particulate matter that is so small it can bypass your respiratory system’s filters and enter your bloodstream. Everyone agrees that it’s a potential problem, but Paul and Peter discuss why a single national standard for PM2.5 might be an expensive mistake that actually hurts public health by misallocating attention and resources.

In conjunction with Regulation Magazine Spring 2025 edition.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trade Policy as an Act of Self-Immolation Apr 17, 2025

On April 2, 2025, President Trump announced the largest tariffs in more than a century, sparking a stockmarket crash and heightening fears of a potential recession. It shouldn’t be a surprise for our listeners; one of our episodes last year covered the sweeping tariffs then being proposed by candidate Trump. But now that the tariffs are actually here, tune in as Paul and Peter discuss the likely negative effects for the US economy and American consumers. Then stick around for the second half of the episode for an update on the status of the TikTok ban.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Congestion Pricing and VMT Taxes Mar 13, 2025

New York City’s congestion pricing policy is meant to reduce traffic in Manhattan and to raise money for public transit. But it’s attracted the ire of many, including President Donald Trump. Join Paul Matzko and Peter Van Doren as they discuss what congestion pricing is, why it’s so controversial, and why it’s generally a good idea to more accurately price the use of roads.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who Builds the Building Code? Feb 13, 2025

Should your home have a sprinkler system installed? Well, the organization likely responsible for your local building code thinks so. But mandating sprinklers in every single family home would be expensive, and this wouldn’t be the first time that regulators failed to sufficiently account for costs and tradeoffs. Join Paul Matzko and Peter Van Doren for a closer look at an organization you’ve never heard of, the International Code Council, which has significant influence on what gets built in America today.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jimmy Carter, the Great Deregulator Jan 15, 2025

Obituaries for the late President Jimmy Carter have been filled with profuse praise for his post-presidential philanthropic work. But Carter wasn't just good once he left office; he was one of the most underrated presidents in US history. As Paul and Peter discuss, his administration enacted policies that deregulated a swath of industries from trucking to broadcasting, ultimately laying the foundation for the next several decades of American prosperity.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Politics of Nostalgia: Economic Policy Under Biden and Trump Oct 14, 2024

There is substantial overlap between the Biden and Trump administrations on economic policy. Both presidents have favored protectionist industrial policy and higher import tariffs. Yet these policies would not only fail to return America to the economy of the early 20th century; they would harm most ordinary American workers and consumers in the attempt. In this episode, Peter and Paul discuss the incredible cost of Trump’s proposed tariff increases, the retrograde nature of Biden’s approach to the steel industry, and a surprising result from the research on universal basic income.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Regulatory Expectations Get a Reality Check: Boeing, Chevron, and Antitrust Aug 12, 2024

Theory is elegant, but even the most well-designed and well-intentioned theory of regulation may not survive the acid test of reality. First, Paul and Peter discuss the dilemma faced by federal regulators trying to address Boeing’s safety record and the risk that (in)action might push more passengers to drive instead. Then Peter offers a counterintuitive take on the Supreme Court ending Chevron deference, deflating some of the hot air from the decision’s most ardent supporters and critics. Finally, they are joined by Professor Thomas Hazlett to dig deeper into the surprising outcomes from the T-Mobile – Sprint megamerger in 2020.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Should You Have the Right To Repair Your John Deere Tractor? Apr 15, 2024

It’s tractor week at Unintended Consequences with special guest Ike Brannon, who is a Senior Fellow at the Jack Kemp Foundation, about the right to repair movement and the struggle of farmers over whether John Deere can restrict their right to tinker with their own tractors. But first, Peter and Paul talk about government restrictions on manufactured homes as well as efforts by state officials to override local opposition to upzoning. (For those interested in doing a little extra reading about how houses are shrinking, here is a deep dive from the New York Times.) And the episode ends with a surprising paper about how unions actually lower wages.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Starter Homes, Electric Vehicles, and Poverty Feb 14, 2024

Incentives matter, but they don’t care about your intentions. In this episode Paul and Peter start by talking with special guest and Truist Distinguished Professor of Economics at Winston-Salem State University Craig Richardson. He discusses how the federal government tried to prevent greedy banks from taking advantage of homebuyers but just ended up making it harder for first-time homebuyers, especially those from minority communities, to afford a house. They also discuss a review of Matthew Desmond’s book Poverty, by America, as well as efforts by the Biden administration to boost the transition to electric vehicles.

Featuring Peter Van Doren, Paul Matzko, and Craig Richardson

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Whiskey, Electricity, and Antitrust Oct 10, 2023

Peter and Paul discuss three topics – adulterated whiskey, Texan electricity, and Brandeisian antitrust – with one core theme: government action under political pressure is a poor substitute for market discipline. With special guests Macy Scheck and Daniel Smith.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Enforcing Smart Water Management Policies and Encouraging Bureaucratic Neutrality is Harder Than You Might Imagine Jul 24, 2023

Is there an “optimal hypocrisy” when it comes to enforcing laws and regulations? That’s the central theme in this episode of Unintended Consequences, which covers both water policy and the neutrality of government economists.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Railroad Profiteering and Mortgage Forbearance Apr 19, 2023

In this episode of the Unintended Consequences podcast, we start by investigating whether railroads are making excessive profits by cutting back labor expenses. That’s the subject of Peter’s new paper, which is particularly timely given the reaction to the train derailment in eastern Ohio. Then, Mark Calabria joins to discuss his cover article about his time as the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and the steps he took to prevent a mortgage meltdown during the pandemic. Finally, Peter and Paul tackle the limits of zoning reform as a solution for runaway housing inflation.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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