Sr. Fellow Ivan Eland is interviewed on the Larry Conners USA radio show on KTRS. Eland says the 50 years of trying to get rid of the Castro brothers has not worked and it’s time for a different policy. Now that the Cold War is over, says Eland, Cuba’s future may be democracy, but not all countries would make good democracies. Cuba must open its economy in some way, he says, because the country needs capital.

Recorded at TEDxNewCastle. July 22, 2015.

Without numbers, a great many myths about education and educational provision would go unchallenged. Before Independent Institute Senior Fellow James N. Tooley started his work (with colleagues) on low-cost private schools, the accepted wisdom was that only government education could provide for the poor in developing countries. In this TEDx talk Professor Tooley explores these myths and shares his findings. Professor Tooley has published widely on the role of government in education. His particular focus is on the phenomenon of low-cost private schools in developing countries. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at TED.

Walmart has recently closed stores worldwide and part of the reason some stores closed is because of recent raises in minimum wages, above the federal minimum requirements. Abigail R. Hall Blanco speaks about businesses and the profit margins they have and the effects of higher wage costs imposed on them. KGO Radio, March 22, 2016

Presidential candidates have said there must be major changes to the Social Security program, which is on a path to bankruptcy. Research Fellow Craig Eyermann talks about the complex system and the factors that determine how sustainable the system is.
KGO Radio, March 21, 2016

Robert P. Murphy at the International Students for Liberty Conference 2016 Robert P. Murphy is a Research Fellow at the Independent Institute, Research Assistant Professor at the Free Market Institute at Texas Tech University, President of Consulting by RPM, Senior Economist at the Institute for Energy Research, and Associated Scholar with the Ludwig von Mises Institute.
He is the author of the book "Choice: Cooperation, Enterprise, and Human Action". To buy the book follow link.

Stephen P. Halbrook at the International Students for Liberty Conference 2016 Stephen P. Halbrook is Research Fellow at the Independent Institute. He has taught legal and political philosophy at George Mason University, Howard University, and Tuskegee Institute, and he received his J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center and Ph.D. in social philosophy from Florida State University. He is the author of the book "Gun Control in the Third Reich". To buy the book follow this link.

Research Fellow Abigail R. Hall Blanco is interviewed on the Larry Conners USA radio program about the effects of the “Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act,” which was enacted in 2012 and championed by First Lady Michelle Obama. Despite its noble goals and good intentions, the lunch program is creating a black market for food that students actually will eat. Studies also show the perverse effects of the program: cutting staff at lunchrooms in schools, layoffs, and deferred hiring. The new rules are prompting kids to throw away more food, among other unintended consequences of the federally mandated school lunch program. March 9, 2016

Research Fellow William J. Watkins, Jr. appeared on Larry Conners USA on KTRS radio, to talk about US Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and his impact on the Supreme Court and the US Constitution. A strict constitutionalist, Scalia rejected the idea that the Constitution is a “living, breathing” document. Watkins offers his unique perspective on Antonin Scalia and his legacy for America. Watkins also talks about the future of the court and how and when a replacement for Scalia might be chosen. He says “Our Constitution is more in jeopardy than it has been for a long time.”