Josiah Neeley
Josiah Neeley
Josiah Neeley

Josiah Neeley is senior fellow and Texas director for the R Street Institute. Josiah was previously a policy analyst at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Prior to TPPF, Josiah was an associate specializing in constitutional litigation with the firm of Bopp, Coleson & Bostrom in Terre Haute, Ind. He also clerked for federal district court Judge Roger Vinson in Pensacola, Fla. He has a bachelor’s in government and philosophy from the University of Texas and law degree from Notre Dame Law School. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas.

Why The College Cheating Scandal Proves The Meritocracy Largely Works

What the cheating scandal shows is that it’s actually really hard to game the system and very few people can successfully do it.

Taking The Environment Seriously Starts With Shaking Your Fist At The Kids On Your Lawn

I have grown to appreciate the sentiment behind Earth Day, and environmentalism generally, a bit more as I’ve gotten older and become a property owner, with kids and a mortgage and a yard.

If You Want To Stop Zika, Start Promoting GMOs

Our best chance at eliminating the mosquitoes that carry the deadly Zika virus is by releasing genetically modified mosquitoes into the wild.

SCOTUS Relieves Nation From An EPA Power Grab

The Supreme Court has paused the EPA’s attempt at taking over the nation’s power plants. Congress should take note.

How The Clean Power Plan Is Like The Death Star

The Clean Power Plan contains a provision that, if properly exploited, could nullify many of the rule’s otherwise harmful effects.

Texas Supreme Court Strikes Stupid Licensing Law

The Texas Supreme Court has struck down a requirement that hair threaders undergo 710 hours of entirely useless training to get licenses. Of course, progressives complain.

Geoengineering: The Cold War On Global Warming

Geoengineering would give the government control over the planet’s thermostat. Why anyone thinks that’s a good idea is beyond me.

The Keystone Pipeline Is Not About Oil—It’s About Milk

The ceaseless debate over the Keystone XL pipeline has nothing to do with affordable energy and everything to do with enriching the political class.

John Holdren: The Scientist Who Cried Wolf

Who is John Holdren? If you’re Jonathan Chait, the answer seems to be: I don’t really know.

The Pope’s Tweet: Are There Good And Bad Types Of Inequality?

The Pope is right that inequality can be socially toxic. But is all inequality problematic? Is it like cholesterol, with good and bad types?

How I Tested My Efficient Traffic Hypothesis

Can humans beat the traffic? After brooding on this topic for longer than I care to admit, I developed a theory.

Does Climate Change Cause Crime, Or Just Summer Vacations?

The crime and climate study is just one example of how clickbait science can give a distorted picture of the findings of scientific research.

How the EPA Helps Environmental Groups Sue the EPA

A symbiotic relationship between EPA and environmentalist has been going on for quite some time.

Historical Revisionism Update: Yes, Germany (Mostly) Started World War I

Revisionist history can be fun, but in this case it is just wrong. The First World War, like its sequel, was Germany’s fault.

The Republican Brain Dissected

The irony of Chris Mooney’s thesis – that conservatives are inherently more biased – is that it runs contrary to the views of many social psychologists working in the area.

Malthus at the Movies

Why does Hollywood continue to make movies based on discredited environmental theories rather than optimistic ones about human potential?