PragerU

Nicole Gelinas of the Manhattan Institute shows why price ceilings on apartments hurt those it intends to help -- but also why rent control is here to stay. She explains the background of rent control in America (focusing on New York in particular) and the negative effect it has on prospective renters and on the quality of rent-controlled apartments. Did you know that landlords of rent controlled apartments in New York City rarely improve their properties? Watch this video and learn why. Hint: They know that there's a long line of people ready to move in if their current tenants get fed up. And even though evidence suggests (and economists on the Left and Right agree) that rent control is self-destructive, the voters love it!

Should Taxes Be Higher? It's the million dollar question! Up? Down? No change? Where in the world should taxes go? In election years, the question of tax rates fills the airwaves. In non-election years, the question of tax rates, again, fills the airwaves. So what's the answer? George Mason University Professor of Economics Tim Groseclose explains his research on the topic. Basically, there's a certain point at which higher tax rates actually reduce the amount of revenue the government collects. What's that point? When are tax rates too high? Learn a valuable lesson in economics, and public policy.

Fact: America's national debt stands at $17 trillion. That's a tough number to grasp. Most people will never come close to making $1 million in any given year. How can we understand the magnitude of the hole our country is in? Well, imagine you owed your credit card company $200,000. On top of that you have to pay them about $4,000 per year in interest. You are bringing in $150,000 per year, but you are spending way more than that. How are you going to ever pay back that $200,000 debt? And what happens if you default? Well, that is America today. The problem is clear. And we brought Michael Tanner, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, to propose a solution.

Cultural depictions of capitalism are almost all negative. There's the Monopoly guy with the top hat and cigar. There's Gordon Gekko saying, "Greed is good." And, most recently, there's the hedonism of the "Wolf of Wall Street." The message is clear: capitalism is selfish. Socialism, or something like it, is selfless. In fact, the opposite is true. Renowned social critic George Gilder offers this startling insight: capitalism, at its core, is first an expression of altruism, that is, of giving. An entrepreneur can only succeed by satisfying a customer's need. This is why capitalism, and only capitalism, can create the prosperity that all societies crave and why all other economic prescriptions are doomed to failure.

Many states are talking about raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. So are some politicians in Congress. How does the minimum wage work? Would raising it help workers, or hurt them? Find out in this short video.

How many Americans are really unemployed? Does the unemployment rate reflect reality? Or is it ignoring the millions of people who simply gave up and are no longer looking for work? Learn the truth about unemployment in this short video.

Built into the foundation of free enterprise is a promise. It's a promise that no other economic system offers. This promise has a great deal to do with your sense of well-being, that is, your happiness. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton understood this. So does renowned social scientist, Arthur Brooks. In five minutes, he explains how happiness and free enterprise are marvelously entwined.

The U.S. government has spent trillions of dollars in recent decades attempting to combat poverty, yet the poverty rate has remained virtually unmoved. Why? As social economist Michael Tanner explains, the "War on Poverty" has both discouraged work and ensnared people in hardship. The "War on Poverty," it turns out, is actually a "War on Work." In five minutes, learn the truth about government's counterproductive efforts to eliminate poverty.

SHARE: Why are some countries rich and some countries poor? Is it access to natural resources? Is it tax policy? A motivated work force? These are important, but not determinative. The answer is deceptively simple - it's what's in our heads: knowledge. Thus, the surest way to promote economic growth is to cultivate an environment that encourages the spread of knowledge. Such an environment requires freedom, which is why the freest societies are the most prosperous. In five minutes, economist George Gilder explains why.

Does the minimum wage help Americans who are in financial straits? No. In fact, it makes their lives worse. Learn why in this short video.

Everyone complains about America's debt, and rightly so, but how do we get out of it? As Cato's Michael Tanner explains, spending on entitlement programs -- Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid -- has exploded in recent decades. We must slow their growth or they will soon swallow the entire federal budget. In five minutes, learn how America can preserve these programs and get out of debt.

Want to quickly understand the basics of running a business? Then studying your neighborhood lemonade stand is a great place to start. From supply and demand, to pricing, marketing and the costs of labor and supplies, lemonade stands provide a fundamental, albeit simple, way of understanding how hard it is to make a buck, and how much harder it is when the government takes its cut.

What's the perfect minimum wage: is it $10 an hour? $15? $20? How about zero? That's right. Zero. While Congress discusses a minimum wage hike, economist David Henderson shows that any minimum wage makes it harder for unemployed people (particularly young people) to find work, and forces business owners to cut the hours of lower-skilled employees.

"The Progressive Income Tax" is one of those economic terms that gets bandied about, but few actually know what it means or how it works. This tale of three similar brothers with three different incomes (but one shared expense) helps explain the tax system under which we live. Adapted from an article by noted investor and economist, Kip Hagopian, and narrated by actress Carolyn Hennesy of "General Hospital" and "True Blood" fame, this animated story will change the way you think about how you pay your taxes.

Why is college tuition so high? Why are so many students in so much debt? Is it the fault of colleges, the government, or both? And can anything be done? Get the answers in this short video

What do McDonald's, 7-Eleven, and Subway have in common? They're all franchisors that license franchises to small business people, who in turn employ countless Americans. But the federal government is endangering this hugely successful business model. Learn how in this short video.

Does free enterprise hurt the poor? Is it unfair and driven by greed? Did it cause the Great Recession? In five minutes, Arthur Brooks answers these questions and more about capitalism.

Do the rich pay their fair share of taxes? It's not a simple question. First of all, what do you mean by rich? And how much is fair? What are the rich, whoever they are, paying now? Is there any tax rate that would be unfair? UCLA Professor of Economics, Lee Ohanian, has some fascinating and unexpected answers.

The minimum wage is supposed to help entry-level workers, right? So why do many young people lose their jobs when the minimum wage is raised? Watch this short video to find out.

Where does your electricity come from? Whether it's charging your phone or keeping your refrigerator running, the energy sources that power modern life have allowed electricity in the U.S. to remain inexpensive. But these very energy sources are under attack. What are these energy sources? And why are they under political siege? Find out the answers in this short video.

SHARE: Is profit a dirty word? Would the world be better off without them? Or are profits progressive -- the only thing that can move potatoes from Idaho to Manhattan and medicine from America to Africa? Professor and economist Walter Williams explains.

Kelly, a college student, also works full-time at a nearby grocery store. But her hours were just cut to 29 per week. Why? Because of a new regulation on employers imposed by the Affordable Care Act; a regulation harming millions of working Americans. Learn more in this one-minute video.

Should the government bail out big banks that may otherwise go bankrupt? Or should it let them go under, as it did with Lehman Brothers in 2008? Economist Nicole Gelinas, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute, has the answer, and it will have big implications for policymakers when they grapple with the next economic crisis.

Is capitalism moral or greedy? If it's based on greed and selfishness, what's the best alternative economic system? Perhaps socialism? And if capitalism is moral, what makes it so? Walter Williams, a renowned economist at George Mason University, answers these questions and more.

Why does student debt keep going up and up even as it's harder and harder to find a good job with a college degree? And why does it seem that the more aid the government and colleges give, the less it helps? Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, shows how politicians and universities have saddled students with dangerous debt...and with little to show for it.

America is the world's largest economy, and yet many American companies are moving jobs and factories overseas. Why? Find out in this short video.

This election season there's a lot of talk about corruption, about politicians being "bought and sold", and about "crony capitalism". What do those terms mean? Why should we care? Is there a way to reduce corruption and restore our trust in government? Author Jay Cost, staff writer at The Weekly Standard, answers these questions and proposes a solution that every society could benefit from.

Was America once socialist? Surprisingly, yes. The early settlers who arrived at Plymouth and Jamestown in the early 1600s experimented with socialist communes. Did it work? History professor Larry Schweikart of the University of Dayton shares the fascinating story.

If you were mailing an extremely important package, you'd probably trust FedEx more than the U.S. Postal Service. But why? Is it because FedEx is a private company, while the post office is run by the government? What are the differences between the "private sector" and the government sector? Why does it matter? Find out in this animated two-minute video.

From transportation to energy, and everything in between, should the government invest money in as many promising projects as possible? Or would that actually doom many of those ventures to failure? Burt Folsom, historian and professor at Hillsdale College, answers those questions by drawing on the fascinating history of the race to build America's railroads and airplanes.

Larry, a salaried car mechanic, was just bumped down to hourly pay, and thus no longer has a guaranteed income. Why did this happen? Because of a new government regulation. What's the regulation, and will it impact your job? Watch this short video to find out.

How much cheaper would it be to fill up your car if not for the taxes included in every gallon of gas? Watch this short video to find out.

Which is better: socialism or capitalism? Does one make people kinder and more caring, while the other makes people greedy and more selfish? In this video, Dennis Prager explains the moral differences between socialism and capitalism, and why anyone who wants a kind and generous society must support one and oppose the other.

Did you know the government deducts money out of every paycheck you get? Do you know where that money goes? Watch this short video on payroll taxes to learn more.

With the smartest experts and the best economists, could the federal government run the U.S. economy? Could it keep America's $17 trillion economy going like a well-oiled machine? Steve Forbes, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Media, explains why no one person or group can "run" the economy, and why any attempt to do so can only make things worse.

What if everything you've heard about income inequality is wrong? What if it's actually a good thing for there to be people who are rich and people who aren't? John Tamny, editor of RealClearMarkets, clarifies one of the big misunderstandings of our time.

The American Dream is real, but it may not be for much longer. What exactly is the American Dream? And why is it in danger? Elaine Parker of Job Creators Network explains.

Is the U.S. tax system fair? Are the rich paying too little or too much? What about the middle and lower class? New York Times bestselling author Amity Shlaes answers these questions, and offers a tax solution that most Americans could get on board with.

What is democratic socialism? What makes it different than regular socialism? Has it been tried? Could it work in the United States? Comedian and political commentator Steven Crowder, host of Louder With Crowder, explains.

What would happen if there was just one tax rate for most Americans? Would that be fair? Could it even work? Steve Forbes, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Media, explains.

Small businesses employ over 57 million Americans. And yet, the government's taxes and regulations overwhelmingly favor big businesses at the expense of small ones. Why? Find out in this short video.

The Affordable Care Act was supposed to lower healthcare costs, but it has done just the opposite. Why? Because it ignored the realities of how markets work.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is a recently created federal agency. But what does it do? Who is it supposed to help? Is it protecting or hurting consumers? Should we even keep it around? Learn more in this short video.

Why is America the world's richest nation? Is it mostly because of the government, or is it thanks to entrepreneurs and businessmen? Historian Burt Folsom of Hillsdale College explains.

Did you know that U.S. businesses are taxed at one of the highest rates in the developed world? How bad is it? And why should you care? Watch this short video to find out.

Politicians are always talking about growing the middle class. But what policies can actually accomplish that goal? Watch this short economics video to find out.

What's the best way to help people stuck in poverty get out of poverty? Arthur Brooks, president of the American Enterprise Institute, shows where conservatives and progressives differ.

Is Bernie Sanders right? Are people living under socialism better off? Brazil is a good case study. Felipe Moura Brasil, a journalist and Veja magazine columnist, explains how his country has fared under socialism.

SHARE: Could a single-payer, government-run health care system work in the United States? We already know the answer, because America already has single-payer, government-run health care. Author and commentator Pete Hegseth explains.

Do you use an iPhone? Watch Netflix? Listen to Spotify? Then you love capitalism and can't stand big government. How do we know? Jared Meyer of the Foundation for Government Accountability explains.

Why is the government so bad at healthcare? Why did Obamacare make it more expensive than it already was? Is there a solution? Former Member of Congress Bob McEwen explains.

Would a nationwide $15 minimum wage help or hurt American workers? Andy Puzder, former CEO of the parent company of Hardee's and Carl's Jr., explains.

Venezuela is falling apart. Its economy? Ruined. Its people? Hungry. Its government? Corrupt. What happened? In a word, socialism. Debbie D'Souza, a native Venezuelan and political activist, explains.

Did you know that since 1970, the percentage of humanity living in extreme poverty has fallen 80 percent? How did that happen? Arthur Brooks, president of the American Enterprise Institute, explains.

Why is health insurance so complicated, while car insurance and life insurance are so simple? Can health insurance be more like, well, insurance? Lanhee Chen, fellow at the Hoover Institution, explains.

Restaurants are a big part of many Americans' lives. They are also a massive part of the U.S. economy. Watch this short video to learn five things you didn't know about the restaurant industry.

Washington is gigantic, corrupt, and unaccountable. Could a Convention of States fix that? Get informed, and see what an Article V Convention would look like. Jim DeMint, former senator from South Carolina, explains.

If you're counting on Social Security to finance your retirement, you're in for a big surprise. Money expert Chris Hogan explains why.

Did you know that the U.S. federal government collects more than $3 trillion in taxes each year? Where does all that money come from? Find out in this short video.

Roughly half of the United States’ workforce depends on small businesses thriving. But high taxes and intrusive government regulations hurt these businesses and their workers. How would tax cuts for these small businesses benefit the U.S. economy and help just about everyone? Find out in this short video.

The rich are getting richer, and the poor are... also getting richer. What's driving this wealth creation process? In this video, Daniel Hannan explains why it is capitalism — and capitalism alone — that has led to the unprecedented enrichment that is the central fact of Western life.

If you get sick or suffer a serious injury, you not only want medical care, you want quality medical care. What’s the best way to get it? Through a government-run program like Medicare for All or through our current free market system? Stanford policy expert Lanhee Chen has the answer in this video from Prager University. Get informed. After all, this is your health we’re talking about.

What’s the difference between America’s millionaires and the rest of us? Chris Hogan, author of Everyday Millionaires, and his research team interviewed over 10,000 millionaires to find out, and what they discovered exploded a number of common myths.

Decades after capitalism seemed to have triumphed over socialism, politicians are once again arguing about the merits and drawbacks of these opposing economic systems. Why are we still having this debate? Andy Puzder, former CEO of the parent company of Hardee's and Carl's Jr., explains the misconceptions that keep the debate alive.

The Western world has produced some of the most prosperous and most free civilizations on earth. What makes the West exceptional? Ben Shapiro, editor-in-chief of the Daily Wire and author of “The Right Side of History,” explains that the twin pillars of revelation and reason — emanating from ancient Jerusalem and Athens — form the bedrock for Western civilization's unprecedented success.

Socialism has failed across the world – from the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe to China, Vietnam, North Korea and, most recently, Venezuela. So now the left references countries like Denmark as “proof” that socialism works. Otto Brons-Petersen explains why they’re wrong: Denmark is just as capitalist as the United States.

The U.S. national debt is massive – so massive that most Americans cannot comprehend it, much less solve it. But a crisis is looming, and a day of reckoning that will affect every American is coming. The Manhattan Institute’s Brian Riedl explains how we got here and what you can do about it.

Did Jesus support socialism? Do the teachings of Jesus Christ condemn the accumulation of wealth while pushing for the equal distribution of resources? Lawrence Reed, president of the Foundation for Economic Education, explains the misconceptions surrounding one of history’s greatest figures.

Is college a good investment? It’s getting harder and harder to make that case – for students and their parents. Today students often graduate weighed down by debt and free of practical wisdom. Before starting down the path to college, some sober, common sense reflection is more necessary than ever. Charlie Kirk of Turning Point USA provides some much needed tutoring.

Most small businessmen have enough problems improving their product, marketing and meeting payroll. When Uncle Sam and his state and local cousins get involved, life and business invariably get harder. Common sense regulation benefits everyone. But there is a level of regulation that benefits no one — except bureaucrats. In this video, Joseph Semprevivo, founder and CEO of Joseph’s Lite Cookies, gives his not-so-sugar-coated account of how the government too often hinders much more than it helps.

Who cares about public pension liability? Well, you should – after all, it’s the reason entire cities and even states are facing bankruptcy. Joshua Rauh, professor of finance at Stanford and Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, paints a startling picture of just how broken the public pension system really is, and what will happen if we continue to ignore it.

“Fairness” has become a Progressive obsession. The childhood lament, “it’s not fair!” is now a common refrain among many adults. No political discussion seems complete without someone insisting that the wealthy pay "their fair share.” But what does anybody mean by “fair”? In this video, social commentator Daniel Hannan attempts to answer this critically important question.

It’s time for free-market capitalism to reclaim its legacy as a creator of prosperity — not just for citizens of the Western world, but for people everywhere. It’s not capitalism that has to justify itself; it’s everything else. Why? Because everything else has resulted only in poverty. Does that surprise you? Are you skeptical? Andy Puzder, author of “The Capitalist Comeback,” has the charts and data to prove it.

Why can’t America’s healthcare system be more like Canada’s? Here’s a better question: why would you want it to be? French-Canadian entrepreneur Alain Lambert has first-hand experience with both Canada's and America's healthcare systems, and he offers some cautionary tales. Canadian-style healthcare might not be as good for your health as you think.

What happens when politicians decide they are in a better position than business owners to know how much workers should be paid? We don't have to guess. Cities like Seattle and New York have already done so with their $15/hour minimum wage mandates. Simone Barron, a lifelong restaurant worker, recounts how "helping" her impacted her wallet, her career, and her life.

What do Democratic Socialists like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez want America to look like? They say they want America to emulate Scandinavian countries like Denmark and Sweden. But do their proposed policies reflect that? Or do they point down a darker path? Debbie D’Souza, a native Venezuelan and political commentator, investigates.

What’s the best way to protect the rights of workers? Let them determine their own job preferences, or mandate that companies provide them with certain protections? California has chosen to take the latter path. Has it worked? Is it a victory for workers, or a debilitating defeat? Patrice Onwuka of the Independent Women’s Forum looks into these questions. Her findings may surprise you.

What is the difference between free-market capitalism and democratic socialism? And which system is actually more fair and responsive to the needs of the people? Here’s a hint: names can be deceiving. Dinesh D’Souza has the answers.

How can a simple blood test cost $30 at one lab and $300 at another across the street? The answer to this question could save billions, as well as make healthcare more accessible and affordable for everyone. Will Bruhn, co-founder of Restoring Medicine, explains.

More and more, it seems people find it difficult to defend capitalism—even those who benefit from it most. But former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley takes a refreshingly different view: she thinks we should double down on it. Here’s why.

How did one of the world’s poorest countries—China—become, in thirty years, one of the world’s richest? The answer is surprisingly simple and surprisingly powerful. China scholar Helen Raleigh breaks it down.

Capitalism has produced freedom and crushed poverty. Communism has produced poverty and crushed freedom. So why is there still a debate as to which system is more moral? Dennis Prager explains.

What happens when you spend money you don’t have? Everyone knows the answer to that question. But what happens when the government does it on an unprecedented scale? Sooner or later, all debts have to be repaid. The question is, who’s going to foot the bill? Economist Stephen Moore has the answer.

What’s more important for a company: to make a profit, or to do “social good?” More and more companies seem to be focusing on the latter. But is that a good business strategy? And, what does that mean for the economy, for you… and your bank account?

Since the start of the Covid crisis, the American economy has been turned on its head. Times are good for the big guys — Big Business and Big Government. But what about for the small business owner, the personification of the American dream?

How is it that Big Business “got woke?” Once the bastion of country club conservatism, it’s now a fortress of radical leftism. Vivek Ramaswamy explains this amazing and disturbing transformation.

In the past, the Social Credit System existed only in the world of science fiction. In the present, it’s happening in China. In the near future, it might become a reality right here in the West — unless we take a stand against it. Here’s what you need to know.

You can learn a lot about basic economics from great quotes. David Bahnsen, author of There's No Free Lunch: 250 Economic Truths, proves how true this is.

As you step off the podium with your degree in hand, here’s a question for you: did you learn anything about money? In PragerU’s 2022 commencement address, financial guru Robert Kiyosaki offers you the financial education that your formal education probably missed.

Few people have had as profound an impact on modern economics as economist Milton Friedman. His Nobel Prize-winning ideas on free enterprise resonated throughout the world and continue to do so. Johan Norberg, Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute, tells Friedman’s fascinating story.

Small business is the epitome of the American Dream. It’s the reason why America became the richest nation in the world. After all, every successful big business started out as a small one. So in a post-Covid world, how do we encourage and protect this most valuable asset? Carol Roth has the answer.

Look for the source of a society’s collapse, and you’ll usually find the i-word (inflation) at its core. So what exactly is inflation? How does it work? Why is it so dangerous? And how does it affect your everyday life? Steve Forbes breaks it down.

It’s hard to imagine how we could screw up higher education any more than we already have, but we’re about to—if we make sweeping student loan forgiveness a reality. How? To answer this question, we must start by asking another one: cui bono?

Is social activism the only way to improve the situation for minorities in America? Alfredo Ortiz, the son of Mexican immigrants and the CEO of Job Creators Network, has a different take.

If the government gave people enough money to take care of their basic needs, could we eliminate poverty? Proponents of Universal Basic Income think so. Are they right? Would it really be that simple? Aldo Buttazzoni lays out the pros and cons of UBI.