Mercatus Center at George Mason University

Baby boomers own 2.9 million businesses that employ 32 million Americans. Most have no succession plan. While AI dominates the future-of-work conversation, Mercatus Research Fellow Revana Sharfuddin argues that a quieter demographic shift may matter just as much. Approximately 4.5 million businesses may need to change hands by 2033. If even a fraction close rather than sell, the effects on jobs and local economies could be significant. Revana's analysis explores how training incentives, access to capital, and entrepreneurship can help prepare the next generation of business owners to step into these opportunities. For young workers anxious about AI, the future may involve more than adapting to technological change. It may involve ownership. What would it take to make small business ownership a realistic option for more young Americans? Read the full commentary: https://bit.ly/4oIA9N1

A few years ago, portable benefits were largely a policy concept. Today, states across the country are introducing legislation, launching pilot programs, and experimenting with new approaches to benefits for independent workers. The goal is simple: make it easier for workers to access benefits without forcing them into a traditional employment model. See where momentum is building and how different states are approaching the issue.

Most Americans significantly overestimate how extreme their political opponents actually are. That finding, and what to do about it, sits at the center of Mercatus Executive Director Ben Klutsey's work on pluralism and civil discourse. On Humane Pursuits, Mercatus Research Fellow Garrett Brown sits down with Ben to discuss the distinction between issue polarization and affective polarization: the more troubling shift from "I disagree with you" to "you are an existential threat to me." Drawing on years of work understanding pluralism and civil discourse, Ben explains why free societies depend on people who can engage across differences without treating opponents as enemies. 🎧 Listen to the main episode: https://bit.ly/4erpFgj In a bonus conversation, Garrett and Ben explore civic friendship, resilience, and the classical liberal principles that help societies adapt and endure. Looking ahead to America's 250th anniversary, Ben reflects on the role of decentralization, entrepreneurship, and civil society in fostering long-term resilience. 🎧 Listen to the bonus episode: https://bit.ly/4vKYGTU

Alden Abbott argues that new patent disclosure requirements could make pharmaceutical innovation riskier by creating uncertainty and inviting more litigation. The long-term consequence may be fewer drug improvements and a slower pace of medical breakthroughs. 📖 Read his latest op-ed in the Washington Examiner: https://bit.ly/4ebHRf0

The future of work won't be built around a single model. Some workers want traditional employment. Others prefer the flexibility and autonomy of independent work. The challenge is building systems that can support both. In this clip, Liya Palagashvili explains why portable benefits are gaining attention from policymakers across the country and how they could help expand worker choice without changing how people choose to work. Created in partnership with the Institute for the American Worker.

Last week, I had the pleasure of moderating an Association for Competitive Technology webinar on California's AB-1776, the COMPETE Act. A big thank you to our panelists Joseph V. Coniglio , Satya Marar, Bilal Sayyed, and Ben Golombek for sharing their insights and perspectives. #TechPolicy #Antitrust The full webinar is on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/eYTHjB3X

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Can governments discourage speculation if they also generate revenue from it? On Ideas of India, Shruti Rajagopalan speaks with India’s Chief Economic Advisor V. Anantha Nageswaran about the tension behind financial transaction taxes. Transaction taxes generate substantial revenue. But Nageswaran argues that their fiscal importance may be smaller than it appears relative to the size of the overall economy. The more important question is policy design: can these taxes discourage excessive speculation while preserving the core function of financial markets in managing risk? That balance shapes how regulators approach market discipline, financial stability, and long-term capital formation.

When Stone Washington started his PhD program at Clemson University, he knew something was missing from his economics classes. [...] Today, Stone credits the [Bastiat] fellowship with giving him the philosophical understanding and practical tools that transformed both his research approach and his career trajectory. Bastiat Alum Stone Washington shares his Mercatus Fellowship Story. https://loom.ly/ZB7GOKQ