May 29, 2013
As hopes for curbing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions wane, interest in solar radiation management (SRM) continues to rise. A number of experts speculate that SRM might offset some of the harm from climate change by slightly enhancing the reflectiveness of Earth’s atmosphere. As the controversy over climate policy has grown, it has been said that GHG control is too hard but SRM is too easy.
A new paper by Lee Lane of the Hudson Institute and J. Eric Bickel of the University of Texas at Austin probes the truth of these propositions. The paper shows the potential economic benefits of SRM but also explores its risks. It argues that effective GHG control is likely to remain elusive but that barriers in international governance will probably impede hasty action on SRM, leading to hard bargaining and gridlock.
Join AEI for a discussion of this new research with the authors and Nobel Laureate Thomas Schelling. A reception will follow.
May 30, 2013
Pension underfunding has dominated the media and created significant concerns for state lawmakers as they struggle to bring their fiscal houses in order. Before any reforms can be enacted, certain questions must be answered: in reality, how large are the funding shortfalls, and what are the legal boundaries within which reforms can take place?
At this event, panelists will address pension reform challenges by presenting the results of three research papers commissioned by AEI through a generous grant from the Smith Richardson Foundation. Kent Smetters will present the case for market valuation, while Paul Angelo will defend current pension valuation practices. Amy Monahan will discuss the legal restrictions surrounding pension reform.
May 31, 2013
To protect Americans from the costs of long-term health care for the elderly and disabled, President Obama’s health law established the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports Act (CLASS). Less than two years later, the Obama administration announced that CLASS could not operate without large and growing deficits, and the program was terminated. In its wake, the Commission on Long-Term Care — created by the fiscal cliff legislation — is charged with developing a new way to finance long-term care services and supports. The commission’s report is due in September 2013.
At this event, Mark Warshawsky, a well-known expert in retirement finance and a newly appointed commissioner, will explain the implications of another publicly funded long-term care insurance program. A panel will then debate whether another government program is the best way to ensure that families can afford to provide the necessary services for their aging loved ones.
June 18, 2013
The relationship between economic liberty and human flourishing is of elemental importance and underlies many policy debates, from fights over health insurance mandates to tax reform. At this event, three expert panelists will examine this relationship from the perspectives of influential philosophers such as Aristotle, Alexis de Tocqueville, and representatives of the Scottish Enlightenment.
