The Soho Forum Debates

Economist Emily Eisner and former New York State Assemblyman Kenny Burgos debate the resolution, "Mayor Zohran Mamdani's housing policies will make housing more affordable for most New York City residents." Arguing in favor of the resolution is Eisner, the executive director of the Fiscal Policy Institute. She is also a co-chair of the New York City Policy Forum. Taking the negative is Burgos, the CEO of the New York Apartment Association, where he represents a coalition of housing providers who own and manage hundreds of thousands of rent-stabilized homes across New York City. He is a former member of the New York State Assembly representing the 85th district in the southeastern Bronx. The debate is moderated by Soho Forum director Gene Epstein. The post Will Mamdani Make Housing More Affordable? appeared first on Reason Magazine.

Former senior policy adviser to President Donald Trump Stephen Moore and the Cato Institute's Scott Lincicome debate the resolution, "As a means of gaining leverage in economic and political relations with foreign governments, Trump's tariff policies have brought net benefits." Taking the affirmative is Moore, the co-founder and chairman of Unleash Prosperity. He is also the author of several economics books, including Return to Prosperity: How America Can Regain Its Economic Superpower Status, which was a finalist for the F.A. Hayek Award for Advancing Economic Understanding. Arguing the negative is Lincicome, the vice president of general economics and trade at the Cato Institute. The debate is moderated by Soho Forum director Gene Epstein.   The post Are We Winning the Trade Wars? appeared first on Reason Magazine.

Statistician Aaron Brown and gun policy scholar Robert Spitzer debate the resolution, "Until there is convincing evidence that government-imposed gun control brings a net reduction in harm, all legal restrictions on adult possession of guns should be abolished." Taking the affirmative is Brown, a statistician, Bloomberg opinion columnist, and author of Wrong Number: How To Extract Truth From a Blizzard of Quantitative Disinformation. Subscribe to Brown's Reason newsletter here. Taking the negative is Spitzer, distinguished service professor emeritus of political science at SUNY Cortland and author of multiple books on gun policy. The debate is moderated by Soho Forum Director Gene Epstein. The post Does Gun Control Make Us Safer? appeared first on Reason Magazine.

Journalist Michael Tracey and Pace University's Marcella Szablewicz debate the resolution, "The Jeffrey Epstein scandal has become a case of moral panic." Taking the affirmative is Tracey, an independent journalist, political commentator, and media critic known for his skepticism of the Epstein narrative and what he calls the surrounding "mythology" and hysteria. Taking the negative is Szablewicz, an associate professor of communication and media studies at Pace University's Dyson College of Arts and Sciences. Her research focuses on digital media and media moral panics. The debate is moderated by Soho Forum Director Gene Epstein. The post Are the Epstein Files a Moral Panic? appeared first on Reason Magazine.

The Heritage Foundation's Simon Hankinson and George Mason University's Bryan Caplan debate the resolution, "Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should complete its mandate to deport all illegal aliens currently residing in the United States." Taking the affirmative is Hankinson, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation's Border Security and Immigration Center and author of The Ten Woke Commandments—You Must Not Obey. Taking the negative is Caplan, a professor of economics at George Mason University. He is the author of 12 books, including the graphic novel Open Borders: The Science and Ethics of Immigration. The debate is moderated by Soho Forum Director Gene Epstein. The post Should ICE Deport All Illegal Aliens? appeared first on Reason Magazine.

Yale Law School professor Natasha Sarin and the Cato Institute's Adam Michel debate the resolution, "Billionaires should pay a higher share of federal taxes." Taking the affirmative is Sarin, who is a professor at Yale Law School and the president and co-founder of the Budget Lab at Yale. She is also a former counselor to Secretary Janet Yellen at the U.S. Treasury Department. Arguing against the resolution is Michel, the director of tax policy studies at the Cato Institute. He was formerly deputy staff director at the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee. The debate is moderated by Soho Forum Director Gene Epstein. The post Should Billionaires Pay More Taxes? appeared first on Reason Magazine.

Fordham Law School professor Zephyr Teachout and the Manhattan Institute's John Ketcham debate the resolution, "Mayor Zohran Mamdani is likely to fulfill his campaign pledge to make New York City more affordable for most residents." Taking the affirmative is Teachout, an attorney and professor of law at Fordham Law School. She is the author of two books, Break 'Em Up: Recovering Our Freedom from Big Ag, Big Tech, and Big Money and Corruption in America: From Benjamin Franklin's Snuff Box to Citizens United. She's also formerly served as special adviser and senior counsel for economic justice at the New York Attorney General's Office. Arguing the negative is Ketcham, a legal policy fellow and director of Cities at the Manhattan Institute. He's also a contributing editor to City Journal, where he's closely followed Mamdani's governance. The debate is moderated by Soho Forum Director Gene Epstein. The post Can Zohran Mamdani Make NYC Affordable? appeared first on Reason Magazine.

Harvard professor Jeffrey Flier and historian of science Terence Kealey debate the resolution, "The National Institutes of Health should be abolished." For the affirmative is Kealey, former vice chancellor of the University of Buckingham. He's the author of multiple books, including The Economic Laws of Scientific Research. He is also an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute, where he co-authored the white paper "Mission Lost: How NIH Leaders Stole Its Promise to America." For the negative is Flier, the George Higginson professor of physiology and medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is also a former clinical associate at the National Institutes of Health. The debate is moderated by Soho Forum Director Gene Epstein. The post Should the NIH Be Abolished? appeared first on Reason Magazine.

Brian Merchant, AI Now reporter and author who highlights proven harms like surveillance and job loss. Perry Metzger, technologist and author who champions AI’s boosts to productivity, medicine, and mobility. They clash over automation, medical breakthroughs, transportation safety, agricultural robots, creative destruction, labor impacts, and policy responses in a lively debate.

Naomi Schaefer Riley, a family policy expert, argues for increased intervention by child protective services (CPS) to safeguard vulnerable children, highlighting cases of child fatalities and the shortcomings of current practices. In contrast, Martin Guggenheim, a clinical law professor, advocates against expanding CPS interventions, emphasizing systemic issues and racial biases in child welfare. The debate navigates the complexities of neglect, poverty, and the necessity of reforming existing structures rather than merely increasing removals.