Policy Solutions to Future-proof Workforces Against AI Displacement
Authored by Caden Rosenbaum, Senior Policy Analyst at Libertas Institute
Public discussions about AI in the workforce often focus on fears of job displacement, echoing concerns from past technological booms. While AI does pose some risks, especially for older workers who struggle to adapt, panic is unwarranted. Other groups’ vulnerability will remain unclear until specific AI applications emerge.
Policymakers should prioritize human capital investment and just-in-time responses to workforce disruptions. Existing workforce programs and past efforts must be reassessed to ensure they effectively support displaced workers. Future policies should emphasize upward mobility through models like Self-Employment Assistance, micro-credentialing, and nondegree programs to help workers transition before displacement occurs. State-level public-private workforce initiatives offer a blueprint for addressing displacement while fostering future-proof careers. Policymakers should expand these flexible, next-generation programs to prepare workers for the evolving demands of AI and broader economic changes.
Read the briefLegalize Backyard Cottages: What to Do About ADUs
Authored by Lee Sands, Local Government Policy Analyst at Libertas Institute
Young couples and others trying to save up money to buy their own home face an uphill battle. With rising rents and a limited supply of housing, finding an affordable place to live is a real challenge.
One solution is for city councils, planning commissions, staff, and stakeholders to all collaborate on reforming Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) regulations, including the Detached ADU ordinance outlined in this policy brief. Luckily, the proposal in this brief does not require government subsidies, mandate detached ADUs, or burden the taxpayers of Utah.
Attached and detached ADUs, distinct from the already-legal “internal” ADUs, deserve careful consideration from cities and counties. They would enable homeowners to offer relatives and young families entry-level housing, with the increased privacy of sharing fewer walls. These units would also be part of the solution Utah needs to ease both its housing shortage and its affordability crisis.
Read the briefMake Zoning Make Sense: Three Tools for Clarity & Prosperity
Authored by Lee Sands, Local Government Policy Analyst at Libertas Institute, and Greg Brooks, President of Better Cities Project
Utah residents are presented with a daunting task when attempting to understand which zoning regulations apply to their properties. Questions like, “What can I build and do on my property?” become difficult to answer as they require navigating complex codes with dozens of zones, subzones, and overlays.
Local officials and staff charged with updating ordinances and conducting public meetings likewise suffer from zoning regulations with low intelligibility and an excess of districts.
It doesn’t have to be this way. By considering and acting on the ideas presented in this toolkit, local officials can deliver much needed clarity for residents, expand property rights, and empower residents to preserve their neighborhoods.
For example, this toolkit explores different approaches to zoning changes, the benefits of reducing the number of zoning districts, and the clarity achieved by creating user-friendly zoning documents.
Read the briefFindings and Recommendations of the Utah Flexible Benefits Working Group
Authored by Dr. Liya Palagashvili of the Mercatus Institute at George Mason University and Caden Rosenbaum, Senior Policy Analyst at Libertas Institute
The report outlines the findings and recommendations of the Flexible Benefits Working Group, chaired by Senator John Johnson and Representative Ryan Wilcox.
Comprising industry leaders, academics, and government officials, the group examined SB 233, Utah’s voluntary portable benefit law for independent contractors. While SB 233 aimed to enable firms to contribute to portable benefit plans for contractors, challenges remain, including federal regulation and weak economic incentives.
Despite legal uncertainties, the group’s consensus on SB 233’s potential was positive. Recommendations focus on strengthening the economic rationale for benefit contributions, emphasizing state-level reforms to support independent contractors’ access to benefits.
Read the briefHow to Turn Laid-Off Talent into Entrepreneurs
Authored by Caden Rosenbaum, Senior Policy Analyst
Hundreds of thousands of tech industry workers were laid off in 2023. But in some states these layoffs provided an opportunity for workers, thanks to alternative reemployment programs called Self-Employment Assistance (SEA).
SEA programs allow motivated and talented workers to start their own businesses and create new jobs. But despite decades of success, only five states still operate active SEA programs. The lack of programs in the remaining forty-five states translates to thousands of missed opportunities for economic growth across the nation.
However, with new rounds of layoffs continuing on into 2024, states still have an opportunity to rethink unemployment by implementing SEA programs. This policy brief details the economic benefits of Self-Employment Assistance programs, stories of entrepreneurs who relied on these programs, the regulatory barriers to expanding these programs, and recommendations for overcoming them.
Read the brief
Transforming Treatment: Psilocybin’s Role in Mental Health
Authored by Amy Pomeroy, Criminal Justice Policy Analyst
Mental illness has been on the rise in Utah and the United States at large. And yet most psychiatric drugs provide only short-term symptom relief rather than modifying the course of mental illness.
Research demonstrates that ancient psychoactive medicines may be an important part of addressing the current mental health crisis. One particular psychedelic, psilocybin,has been shown to be a safe, effective, and long-term way to treat a variety of mental illnesses, most notably treatment-resistant depression and PTSD.
A majority of states have already taken tentative steps towards varying degrees of legalization. in lieu of waiting for action from the Federal government since it may never come.
Utah should take a cautious approach by narrowly legalizing the use of psilocybin in approved therapeutic settings with appropriate medical safeguards, giving Utah patients another option to address their mental illness. This would open the door to veterans, first responders and other mental health patients to a potentially life changing treatment.
Read the brief