Opinion
Liberty and generosity form virtuous circle
In places where governments are smaller, taxes are lower, regulations are lighter, and property rights are more secure, people tend to be more generous, trustful, and tolerant.
Opinion
Cherish our free state of North Carolina
North Carolina isn’t quite First in Freedom. But over the past decade and a half, we’ve taken tremendous strides in the right direction. Those are among the findings of the latest Economic Freedom of North America index, published earlier this month by the Canada-based Fraser Institute. The new report uses 2023 data on government expenditure,...
Opinion
Employment gains reflect policy success
North Carolina’s strong economic performance persists — as do the lessons it reveals about politics and public policy. The latest report from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics found that North Carolina added 76,700 net new jobs over the last 12 months, an increase of 1.5%. Only five states posted larger employment gains. Expanding beyond...
Video
Locke’s Jon Sanders testifies in favor of occupational licensing reform
Jon Sanders of the John Locke Foundation testifies about the impact of occupational licensing on North Carolina’s economic freedom. Sanders directs Locke’s Center for Food, Power, and Life. He offered these comments during a March 11, 2025, presentation to the state House Regulatory Reform Committee.
Opinion
More freedom means more progress
Education makes it more likely for individuals to migrate — and when they migrate, they are more likely to migrate to economically free states.
Opinion
Let’s recommit to letting economic freedom ring
This "Fourth of July," let's recognize just how much we need the principles from our founding and recommit ourselves to ringing the bell of economic liberty loud and clear.
Opinion
Can government make you happy?
Is it the job of government to make you happy? While it may seem like a straightforward question, there are some important subtleties packed into those few words. On the face of it, “no” feels like the obvious answer. The Declaration of Independence states that governments are instituted to secure our rights to “life, liberty,...
Opinion
Adding fruits to our constitutional diet
Some N.C. Supreme Court Justices have taken a special interest in protecting North Carolinians' "enjoyment of the fruits of their own labor."
Video
Locke’s Jon Sanders documents problems, offers alternatives to occupational licensing
Jon Sanders, director of the Center for Food, Power, and Life at the John Locke Foundation, testifies Wednesday about occupational licensing before the N.C. House Regulatory Reform Committee.
Opinion
Progressives made a faulty prediction
My progressive friends are frustrated. They should be. After more than a decade of conservative governance, North Carolina has implemented many policies the Left disdains — from major tax cuts and spending restraint to regulatory reform and parental choice in education. The progressives’ primary political vehicle, the Democratic Party, is losing ground in voter registration,...
Opinion
Our state’s economy continues to excel
North Carolina faces many challenges. You and I may disagree with how to rank those challenges, or what to do about them, but we share a belief that our state could be a better place than it is today. This reformist impulse is proper and useful. But we shouldn’t let it make us unduly and...
Opinion
Economic freedom is a shock absorber
In a normal market, creditors demand higher interest from borrowers to whom they lend money for longer periods of time. That’s because these creditors are assuming more risk that they won’t be paid, and because a dollar of interest received tomorrow is usually more valuable than a dollar of interest received years from now. What...
