Max Gulker
Senior Policy Analyst
Max Gulker is a former Senior Research Fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research. He is currently a Senior Fellow with the Reason Foundation. At AIER his research focused on two main areas: policy and technology. On the policy side, Gulker looked at how issues like poverty and access to education can be addressed with voluntary, decentralized approaches that don’t interfere with free markets. On technology, Gulker was interested in emerging fields like blockchain and cryptocurrencies, competitive issues raised by tech giants such as Facebook and Google, and the sharing economy.
Gulker frequently appears at conferences, on podcasts, and on television. Gulker holds a PhD in economics from Stanford University and a BA in economics from the University of Michigan. Prior to AIER, Max spent time in the private sector, consulting with large technology and financial firms on antitrust and other litigation. Follow @maxg_econ.
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Blockchain and Gold-Backed Money
In his 1963 treatise on gold and free banking titled, “What has Government Done to Our Money?,” economist Murray N. Rothbard envisions a system of private and competing warehouses storing customers’ gold and issuing receipts that could be exchanged as money. Now this decidedly low-tech vision of money and banking may be brought to life…
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Tools to Help Lower-Income Americans Save Money
In our January brief entitled “Why Can’t Americans Save,” I look at the numerous hurdles that different types of households face on the road to financial wellness. My research revealed that the bottom half of U.S. earners, roughly speaking, simply cannot afford to meet the goals experts put forward for saving, investing and debt.
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Best of 2016: Why We Live Beyond Our Means
Americans are living beyond their means more than ever before. In a recent series of articles, The Atlantic Monthly documents “the secret shame of middle class Americans”: spending more, saving less and often unable to come up with even a few hundred extra dollars in the face of a financial emergency.
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The Struggle to Save Money
I’ve discussed some reasons Americans spend more and save less than they should or even plan to. The implicit assumption in these discussions was that they had the option — in other words, that they had the resources to achieve some level of financial wellness. But as my upcoming brief in January shows, that only…
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How Will Small Business Fare Under Trump?
President-Elect Donald Trump rarely made specific mention of small businesses during the campaign. But many of the policies he promised to enact have the potential to effect small business, for better or for worse. Presidents are notorious for breaking campaign promises, but especially in the case of a winner with no track record in government,…
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Did Polling Really Fail to Spot Trump’s Rise?
Forecasting outcomes in complex systems, such as the sum total of the decisions of millions of human beings, is fraught with opportunities for error. Four years from now, we’ll still be watching the polls, but perhaps we’ll interpret the results with a bit more nuance and humility.
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Why One Vote Matters
Take a look at what the candidate is telling supporters about themselves. And think about what your own candidates or party of choice tell you about your own identity and where you fit in. For many people, the decision to take time out of their day to cast a ballot isn’t about tangible personal benefit,…
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Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump on Small Business
Politicians love to talk about small business, but often use the topic for a quick photo op and feel-good story about the economy. However, both major presidential candidates are proposing policies that are highly relevant to small business owners. Hillary Clinton focuses on “leveling the playing field” between small and large businesses, while Donald Trump…
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Blockchain and Gold-Backed Money
In his 1963 treatise on gold and free banking titled, “What has Government Done to Our Money?,” economist Murray N. Rothbard envisions a system of private and competing warehouses storing customers’ gold and issuing receipts that could be exchanged as money. Now this decidedly low-tech vision of money and banking may be brought to life…
-
•
Tools to Help Lower-Income Americans Save Money
In our January brief entitled “Why Can’t Americans Save,” I look at the numerous hurdles that different types of households face on the road to financial wellness. My research revealed that the bottom half of U.S. earners, roughly speaking, simply cannot afford to meet the goals experts put forward for saving, investing and debt.
-
•
Best of 2016: Why We Live Beyond Our Means
Americans are living beyond their means more than ever before. In a recent series of articles, The Atlantic Monthly documents “the secret shame of middle class Americans”: spending more, saving less and often unable to come up with even a few hundred extra dollars in the face of a financial emergency.
-
•
The Struggle to Save Money
I’ve discussed some reasons Americans spend more and save less than they should or even plan to. The implicit assumption in these discussions was that they had the option — in other words, that they had the resources to achieve some level of financial wellness. But as my upcoming brief in January shows, that only…
-
•
How Will Small Business Fare Under Trump?
President-Elect Donald Trump rarely made specific mention of small businesses during the campaign. But many of the policies he promised to enact have the potential to effect small business, for better or for worse. Presidents are notorious for breaking campaign promises, but especially in the case of a winner with no track record in government,…
-
•
Did Polling Really Fail to Spot Trump’s Rise?
Forecasting outcomes in complex systems, such as the sum total of the decisions of millions of human beings, is fraught with opportunities for error. Four years from now, we’ll still be watching the polls, but perhaps we’ll interpret the results with a bit more nuance and humility.
-
•
Why One Vote Matters
Take a look at what the candidate is telling supporters about themselves. And think about what your own candidates or party of choice tell you about your own identity and where you fit in. For many people, the decision to take time out of their day to cast a ballot isn’t about tangible personal benefit,…
-
•
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump on Small Business
Politicians love to talk about small business, but often use the topic for a quick photo op and feel-good story about the economy. However, both major presidential candidates are proposing policies that are highly relevant to small business owners. Hillary Clinton focuses on “leveling the playing field” between small and large businesses, while Donald Trump…