Benchmark Blog

Building and assembling a construction windmill by a crane

Much more than you ever wanted to know about NEPA

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is a beast. It’s complicated and multifaceted, and its intricacies are hard to summarize.

Don’t fear biotech progress. Fear medical stagnation

There is plenty of blame to go around for the Covid pandemic, but one factor that has so far escaped notice is Eroom’s Law.

Taking the “wild” out of wildfire

After nearly five months, the largest wildfire to ever hit New Mexico has finally been contained. It started as a prescribed burn.

The baby formula shortage in America

The pandemic led to major supply chain disruptions in all sorts of industries, and baby formula was no exception.

How people feel about big tech, social media, and news

Although the American public distrusts social media companies, most believe these companies are justified in their content moderation.

Can we forestall the end of the world?

Geopolitical strategist Peter Zeihan’s new book says if the global order is collapsing, then innovation is our best response.

US roads are crumbling and so is our means of paying for them

In a speech to Congress at the end of June, President Biden urged state and federal legislators to implement a three-month gas tax holiday.

A person looking at historical photos in a family album

The American Dream

On the whole, the research on millions of genealogy records shows that there’s nothing new about modern immigration.

Feeding the world

Every June and July Ukraine starts harvesting winter wheat. The war with Russia may complicate things this year.

Farming out work

Farming is starting to look more like a Star Wars than Little House on the Prairie as they start to implement drones and more technology.

State capacity eats interest rates for lunch

If you want gleaming, modern infrastructure worthy of the richest country on the planet, don’t focus on interest rates. Build state capacity.

Total blackout

October 4, 2021, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp were down for almost six hours. What did people do? Will Rinehart dives into the data.

Immigration as one tool to fight inflation

You think inflation is making us grumpy now? Just wait until we start running out of chocolate. Josh Smith explains in this blog post.

Upgrading the Refugee Resettlement System

Former undergraduate research fellow Rachel Idso explains the US refugee resettlement program is like a paddleboard that has lost its keel.

Trends in Teenage Suicide, Self-Harm, and the Connection to Social Media

The Problems of Teen Suicide and Self-Harm Predate Social Media

Social media has been blamed for increased teen suicide and self-harm. Taylor Barkley shows it's more complicated than it is being portrayed.

Barrier and Bridge in Immigration Reform

Narrative

The United States has always been a nation of immigrants. What has driven political hostility toward immigration and how can we change it?

Our very own Project Hail Mary

In Project Hail Mary, Earth learns lessons on rapid innovation and collaboration to combat climate change and extraterrestrial lifeforms.

FCC broadband data is biased

In this post, Will Rinehart uses an economic model to estimate the real extent of broadband availability in the US.

Why Immigration Policy Should Be Culture-Sensitive

David Miller makes the case that the higher the rate of immigration, the more pro-active integration policy needs to be in this blog post.

Going the last mile to reduce transportation emissions

How can we make delivery more eco-friendly? Mitchell Pound discusses some potential solutions in this blog post.

The environment needs more people, not fewer

On Earth Day, Josh Smith and Jennifer Morales discuss how more people, not fewer, can help in the fight against climate change.

The answer isn’t degrowth. The answer is abundance.

On Earth Day, Will Rinehart reminds us that: The only way to make Earth a better place is by joining abundance and ingenuity.

Vetocracy, the costs of vetos and inaction

An ongoing list of how veto points have slowed development, transportation projects, housing, and people trying to start a business.

On immigration enforcement and immigrant assimilation

Immigration enforcement has been rising. Catalina Amuedo-Dorantes discusses the fallout and how to change our assimilation approach.

Energy abundance must be part of the strategy for countering Russia

Among the many causes of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, one that stands out is Europe’s dependence on Russian natural gas.

Perfection getting in the way of progress

When addressing pollution, we can’t allow environmental perfection to get in the way of environmental progress. Joe Davis explains.

No regrets

Josh Smith makes the case for why the US should grant Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Ukraine refugees after the Russian invasion.

The Facebook stock drop and the price of privacy

In February 2022, Facebook (now Meta) stock dropped almost 30%, Will Rinehart explains why that happened and the policy implications from it.

Web3’s killer app is human rights

Senior research fellow Eli Dourado discusses some of the features and strengths of Web3 in this blog post.

How will the states spend billions of dollars on broadband in 2022?

How will the states spend billions of dollars on broadband in 2022? Sarah Oh of the Technology Policy Institute answers in a blog post.