Merrill Matthews, Ph.D., is a resident scholar with the Institute for Policy Innovation, a research-based, public policy “think tank.” He is a health policy expert and opinion contributor at The Hill. He also serves on the Texas Advisory Committee of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
Dr. Matthews is a past president of the Health Economics Roundtable for the National Association for Business Economics, the largest trade association of business economists. Dr. Matthews also served for 10 years as the medical ethicist for the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center’s Institutional Review Board for Human Experimentation, co-author of On the Edge: America Faces the Entitlements Cliff, and has contributed chapters to several books, including Physician Assisted Suicide: Expanding the Debate and The 21st Century Health Care Leader and Stop Paying the Crooks (on Medicare fraud).
He has been published in numerous journals and newspapers, including The Wall Street Journal, Investor’s Business Daily, Barron’s, USA Today, Forbes magazine and the Washington Times. He was an award-winning political analyst for the USA Radio Network.
Dr. Matthews received his Ph.D. in Humanities from the University of Texas at Dallas.
What Biden Can Learn from Millei's Economic Reforms in Argentina (Audio: Podcast)
IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews explains how those of us who believe in free markets and limited government are cheered by the reforms being enacted by new Argentina President Javier Millei, and IPI President Tom Giovanetti wishes him well.
Net Neutrality Is Back (Audio: Podcast)
IPI has been involved in pushing back against federal regulation of broadband networks since the late 1990s. IPI President Tom Giovanetti explains to IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews how the Biden administration is planning to once again resurrect net neutrality from the dead.
IPI Policy Basics: Barbara Kolm of the Hayek Institute on Hayek and his Contribution to Economic Thought (Audio: Podcast)
Barbara Kolm of the Hayek Institute in Vienna, Austria is our special guest as IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews interviews Barbara about Hayek and his important contributions to economic and individual liberty.
How European Competition Regulation Causes Slow Growth and Inhibits Innovation (Audio: Podcast)
Taking advantage of the visit of Barbara Kolm of the Hayek Institute to Dallas, IPI President Tom Giovanetti and IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews discuss the comparison between EU regulation and competition policy with that of the US, and Barbara explains that these policy differences help explain the gap in economic growth between EU countries and the U.S.
Counterfeit Drugs: Losing Weight Rather than Losing Your Life (Audio: Podcast)
Counterfeit drugs has always been a serious problem, and a problem we’ve worked on here at IPI for many years. And it’s a topic that is back for a return engagement as demand for “miracle” weight loss drugs is creating opportunity for counterfeiters. IPI’s Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews guides us on the problems with counterfeit drugs and why you should be cautious about deals on drugs that seem too good to be true.
The Militarization of Space with Dr. Dan Garretson (Audio: Podcast)
A mysterious warning about a possible Russian nuclear space weapon set off consternation and stern warnings last week, and inspired IPI to chat with our favorite genuine rocket scientist, Dr. Dan Garretson. We talk space debris, the inevitable use of space for military purposes, Star Wars, and related issues. With space nerds Dr. Merrill Matthews and Tom Giovanetti.
Experiments on the Environment (Audio: Interview)
Merrill Matthews joins the Don Kroah Show to discuss the hypocracy and unintended consequences of artifically altering the environmen with "scientific" experiments.
Is that Robocall a Person or an AI? (Audio: Podcast)
We’re not afraid of AI, as just another technological innovation and tool, and we don’t think we need massive new federal regulation, but we agree with the FCC applying existing law and regulation to prevent deceptive use of AI to impersonate public persons in political advertising and robocalls. With IPI President Tom Giovanetti and Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews.
You Better Sit Down -- CBO's Ten Year Budget Deficit Projections (Audio: Podcast)
IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews explains the harms to the nation of our burgeoning budget deficits and national debt, and IPI President Tom Giovanetti tries to put debt into context.
IPI Policy Basics: The Costs of Protecting Teens Online (Audio: Podcast)
Taking advantage of IPI Research Fellow Bartlett Cleland’s presence in-studio, we discuss the problems with the state and federal legislative attempts to “protect children online” through age verification and other schemes. Hint: The problems are overwhelming and underappreciated. With IPI President Tom Giovanetti and Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews.
Can States Deny Donald Trump Ballot Access? (Audio: Podcast)
We discuss today’s Supreme Court arguments on Colorado’s case for denying Donald Trump ballot access, and agree with the apparent leanings of SCOTUS that Colorado’s arguments are unsustainable. Nevertheless, it’s a great opportunity to nerd-out on constitutional law and federalism. With IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews, IPI Research Fellow Bartlett Cleland, and IPI President Tom Giovanetti.
President Biden Says, 'Let the Vote Buying Begin' (Audio: Podcast)
In a single week the Biden administration announced a number of spending projects targeted at states and demographic groups considered vulnerable and critical to Biden’s re-election campaign. Huge federal spending is bad enough in and of itself, says IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews. But when Republicans sign on to massive spending projects like the infrastructure bill, they create opportunities for the President to use the money as an indirect contribution to his re-election campaign. Discussion led by IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews, with IPI President Tom Giovanetti.
East Palestine Ohio Derailment and the Railway Safety Act (Audio: Podcast)
As the anniversary of the East Palestine, Ohio freight derailment arrives on February 3rd, proponents will use the anniversary to try to renew support for the Railway Safety Act. But the proposed legislation is nothing more than a grab bag of demands from the 12 rail labor unions. It’s not surprising that liberal Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) is the lead author of the Railway Safety Act. What’s surprising, and telling, is that Republican Sen. J.D. Vance has been leading the charge for the legislation, which shows that right-wing populism has more in common with leftist progressivism than it does with Reagan conservatism. With IPI President Tom Giovanetti and Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews.
Immigration Takes Center Stage (Audio: Podcast)
IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews and IPI President Tom Giovanetti discuss how the border crisis and its related impacts have become the number one issue in American politics, and how this is liable to affect not only current legislative debates, but also the upcoming election.
IPI Policy Basics: Exaggerating the Public Domain (Audio: Podcast)
There was a rash of stories in the early days of 2024 about how, finally, Mickey Mouse had entered the public domain, and that this was somehow a triumph for the general public. Sounds like time for an explainer about the public domain, and why, for the most part, consumers are better off when creativity, distribution and promotion of creative works is incentivized. IPI President Tom Giovanetti with IPI Resident Scholar Dr. Merrill Matthews.