Rethinking Conventional Wisdom

Conventional wisdom can shape public policy long after its assumptions deserve reconsideration. This week, Fall Symposium speakers Kimberley Strassel and Tyler Goodspeed, along with a Washington Post profile of Joe Lonsdale, examine prevailing approaches to elections, recessions, and homelessness—and what happens when policymakers challenge them.

Alaska’s Ranked-Choice Voting Travesty

Kimberley Strassel '26

Kimberley Strassel examines Alaska’s experience with ranked-choice voting, arguing that a system promoted as a way to improve voter choice can instead create confusion and opportunities for political manipulation. Combined with nonpartisan “jungle” primaries, she warns it can produce elected officials with narrow bases of support and questionable mandates.

Are Recessions Inevitable?

Tyler Goodspeed ’26

Economist Tyler Goodspeed challenges the conventional view that recessions are inevitable corrections to the excesses of economic expansions. He argues that downturns are neither necessary nor an inherent flaw of capitalism—and that government intervention can sometimes make them worse. His lesson for policymakers: first, do no harm.

A New Approach to Homelessness

Joe Lonsdale ’26

The Washington Post profiles Joe Lonsdale and the Cicero Institute’s growing influence on homelessness policy. Cicero has pushed states toward alternatives to traditional homelessness programs, gaining traction in Republican-led states and with the Trump administration. Critics object to the approach, while supporters argue existing policies have failed despite substantial public spending.