The Left’s Welfare Extremism
Executive director Oren Cass on how left-wing critics of our family-benefit proposal are sorely misguided.
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Introducing the Edgerton Essays
The goal of these essays is to help inform policymakers and pundits about what matters most and why to the vast majority of Americans who have no day-to-day connection to our political debates.
Put Working Families at the Front of the Line for Help
American Compass executive director Oren Cass argues that a policy that sustains people in joblessness is not ultimately anti-poverty.
Magical Thinking on China and Trade
Unilaterally disarming from trade conflict on behalf of open markets, and then making empty demands, is not a plan.
The Family Income Supplemental Credit
This paper presents the case for a per-child family benefit that would operate as a form of reciprocal social insurance paid only to working families.
A New Conservatism: Freeing the Right From Free-Market Orthodoxy
In this feature essay for Foreign Affairs, American Compass executive director Oren Cass discusses a path forward for conservatism that is no longer bound by free-market orthodoxy.
Foreword: One Generation Away
Preserving our national inheritance requires public policy to get the family right.
Joe Biden Should Be Doing More That Really Helps Workers
American Compass executive director Oren Cass discusses President Biden’s first days in office and why he should focus on policies that help working Americans.
When Does a Labor Economist Ask for a Raise?
Little persuasion happens in 280-character snippets, but people willing to explain their thinking and answer each other’s questions can still accomplish a lot by clarifying their views and identifying the underlying sources of disagreement. So I was delighted yesterday when the Cato Institute’s Alex Nowrasteh took the time to walk me through his understanding of how wages are set in labor markets.
The Immigration Shimmy
Immigration expansionists face a difficult challenge: they support high levels of immigration—including many more less-skilled immigrants—for a variety of legitimate reasons, but the less-skilled immigration has detrimental economic effects on Read more…
A Tale of Two Conservatisms
Being called a “socialist” by George Will in the Washington Post was already a professional highlight. So I was thrilled for the opportunity to talk with him about the future of conservatism. Clearly, we would have a lot to discuss.
Should the U.S. Adopt an Industrial Policy?
At the Soho Forum, American Compass’s Oren Cass and Cato Institute’s Scott Lincicome debate whether the U.S. should adopt an industrial policy.
Where Do We Go From Here?
January 6 was a catastrophe for America. An angry mob, spurred on by the president, some carrying confederate flags, ransacked the Capitol during a joint session of Congress.
Complacency and Wasteful Spending Blight US Higher Education
American Compass’s Oren Cass makes the case against forgiving billions of dollars of student debt and for rethinking our approach to higher education.
Worker Power or Loose Borders: You Can Only Pick One
American Compass’s Oren Cass discusses the tension between worker power and loose immigration policy.
Founder’s Letter: Neoliberalism Falls Apart
In his 2020 Founder’s Letter, Oren Cass describes the timeless principles and creative energies of conservatism that are vital to America’s prospects for adaptation and renewal.
Worker Power, Loose Borders: Pick One
A funny thing happened in the days after we published “What Happened: The Trump Presidency in Review.” The collection’s emphasis on the success of economic policies that pushed the labor market toward full employment attracted substantial interest from proponents of looser fiscal and monetary policy. But that “strange new respect” came with the mandatory caveat that we were still wrong to suggest increased immigration enforcement and a slower inflow of new workers might be part of the same package.
Some Like It Hot
Unsustainable economic stimulus at an expansion’s peak, not tax cuts or tariffs, fueled the Trump boom.
How to Fix America: Stop Pushing College
In a Dealbook feature collecting ideas from a wide variety of leaders on how to improve the country, American Compass’s Oren Cass argues for shifting our focus away from college and toward providing strong, non-college career pathways.
Big Ed’s CARES Cash Dash
The CARES Act, intended to address the economic devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, offers especially generous tax treatment for charitable contributions in 2020, to encourage giving in a time of such extraordinary need. Households can deduct contributions up to 100% of their income for the year, potentially eliminating their tax liability entirely.
