Nonrival

March 30, 2026

Human experts + AI summaries - on public policy, economics, and technology.

How Government Can Use AI Without Destroying Due Process

niskanen

• Government agencies are caught between dysfunctional bureaucracy and reckless AI adoption, with some states claiming AI systems can eliminate massive backlogs in weeks while Trump's efficiency plans call for mass layoffs and rapid automation
• Current civil service rules create contradictory guidance that forces agencies to choose between violating timeliness requirements or merit-based staffing rules, leaving AI deployment in a legal gray area
• The solution isn't abandoning AI or preserving the status quo, but requiring rigorous evaluation of human-AI systems to ensure they meet constitutional due process standards while modernizing government services

Europe Is Falling Behind the US in AI Adoption, and It's Already Showing in Productivity

nber

• New research finds significant gaps in AI adoption between the US and Europe, with differences in company management practices and demographics playing key roles in explaining these disparities.
• Industries with higher AI adoption rates have experienced faster productivity growth in recent years, though the study doesn't establish direct causation.
• Workers report meaningful time savings from AI tools, but researchers found no clear evidence that AI adoption is affecting employment levels at the industry level.

Remote Work Could Help Reverse Plummeting Birth Rates in Rich Countries

voxeu

• New research covering 38 countries finds that adults who work from home at least one day per week have higher fertility rates, with couples where both partners work remotely having 14-18% more children over their lifetimes.
• The effect appears causal: when remote work opportunities increase in specific occupations, birth rates rise even before the pandemic made remote work widespread.
• Countries with low remote work rates like Japan and South Korea could see thousands of additional births annually if they matched the remote work levels of the US, UK, and Canada.

In the News

Why NASA and China Are Racing to Send Humans to Space Despite Robots Being Safer and Cheaper

the_conversation

• NASA's Artemis II mission will send four astronauts around the Moon in April, marking the start of a new space race with China to establish permanent lunar bases and eventually reach Mars
• Robots could accomplish most scientific and economic goals in space more safely and cheaply, but we know surprisingly little about how deep-space radiation and partial gravity affect human health over long periods
• Human space missions continue because they capture public imagination and demonstrate national prestige in ways that robotic missions simply cannot, making the investment as much about inspiration as practical goals

Analysis

Chile's 1970s Computer Network Actually Helped Save the Economy During a Crippling Strike

nber

• During a 1972 truckers' strike that cut Chile's industrial output by 9%, the socialist government's experimental computer coordination system called Cybersyn helped protect key economic sectors.
• The system worked best in simple, state-controlled industries but failed to help complex sectors like food and beverages that needed protection most.
• This historical case study shows early networked information systems could provide real economic benefits, but only under specific conditions.

Also Worth a Look

• American Christians champion persecuted Middle Eastern Christians abroad, but those same Christians face suspicion and detention when they migrate to the US (the_conversation)
• Kenya's courts blocked a U.S. health deal over data sovereignty concerns, signaling trouble for Trump's bilateral approach to global health (carnegie)
• Banks' Overdraft Fee Reforms Helped Rich Customers More Than Poor Ones (nber)
• A Nuclear Thriller That Actually Matters: Why 'A House of Dynamite' Could Break the Cycle of Fear and Forgetting (new_america)
• Many Workers Would Accept Big Pay Cuts to Keep Their Jobs, But Employers Rarely Ask (microecon_insights)
• Prior Authorization Prevents Medicare Fraud Far Better Than Criminal Prosecution (microecon_insights)
• AI Is Creating a Skills Gap as Companies Demand Specialized Expertise Faster Than Workers Can Adapt (wharton)