The Cato Insititute

Introduction

The Cato Institute is a prominent, American, libertarian think tank based in Washington, D.C., founded in 1977 by Ed Crane, Murray Rothbard, and Charles Koch. Its primary focus is on public advocacy, media exposure, and societal influence. Cato advocates for limited government intervention in domestic and foreign affairs and a strong emphasis on the protection of civil liberties. Generally, they support greatly reduced taxation, they oppose the Federal Reserve system and the Affordable Care Act, and they seek to privatizing some government agencies and programs like Social Security and the United States Postal Service. The institute has been recognized as one of the top think tanks worldwide and in the United States.

History

The Cato Institute was established in January 1977 in San Francisco, California, and was named after “Cato’s Letters,” a series of British essays from the 18th century. In 1981, founder Murray Rothbard was removed from the institute’s board due to differences in vision, with the board wanting to focus on political policy-making while Rothbard believed it should be dedicated to scholarship. The institute relocated to Washington, D.C., in 1981 and moved to its current location on Massachusetts Avenue in 1993. In 2009, it was ranked as the fifth-best think tank in the world by a study of think tanks. As of 2011, the Cato Institute had a yearly budget of $39 million.

Activities

The Cato Institute produces policy studies, briefing papers, periodicals, and books. Some of its notable journals include the Cato Journal and Regulation. It also co-publishes the annual Human Freedom Index and the U.S. edition of the Economic Freedom of the World report. The institute has released a wide array of influential books, written by its scholars and others, covering topics such as privatization, healthcare, education, global capitalism, and more. 

Cato also runs several podcasts, including the Cato Daily Podcast, Power Problems, Free Thoughts, and Building Tomorrow, among others. These podcasts cover a variety of topics related to politics, liberty, technology, entrepreneurship. 

In addition to its publications and podcasts, Cato maintains various web projects, including websites focused on downsizing the federal government, libertarianism, open debates through Cato Unbound, police misconduct reporting, and data-driven projects like HumanProgress.org and FreedomInthe50States.org. 

The institute hosts conferences throughout the year, covering a range of topics, and has featured prominent speakers from various fields, including government officials, economists, and financial experts.