Ryan Yonk

Director of Education and Senior Research Fellow

Ryan M. Yonk is the Director of Education and Senior Research Fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research.  He holds a PhD from Georgia State University and a MS and BS from Utah State University. Prior to joining AIER he held academic positions at North Dakota State University, Utah State University, and Southern Utah University, and was one of the founders of the Strata Policy. He is the (co) author or editor of numerous books including Green V. GreenNature Unbound: Bureaucracy vs. the Environment, The Reality of American Energy,  and Politics and Quality of Life: The Role of Well-Being in Political Outcomes. He has also (co) authored numerous articles in academic journals including Public ChoiceThe Independent ReviewApplied Research in Quality of Life, and the Journal of Private Enterprise. His research explores how policy can be better crafted to achieve greater individual autonomy and prosperity.

The Social Security Reform Bill Clinton Almost Brought to America

Clinton’s plan, inspired by Chile’s pension reform, marked the first time a sitting US president publicly called for personal retirement accounts.

The Social Security Reform Bill Clinton Almost Brought to America

Xi Jinping Braces For Struggle 

China’s strongman leader is purging his advisors again, looking politically insecure amid demographic and economic decline.

Xi Jinping Braces For Struggle 

China’s ‘Vanishing’ Data Can’t Hide Its Economic Slowdown

Beijing has stopped providing many statistics to international agencies. But China's faltering economy and fractured polity can't be concealed.

China’s ‘Vanishing’ Data Can’t Hide Its Economic Slowdown

Understanding Public Debt Redux 

Readers have sent in excellent questions about public debt since the release of our Explainer. Here, the authors answer a few.

Understanding Public Debt Redux 

Why Big Oil Is Now Fighting to Keep the Inflation Reduction Act Alive

Fossil fuel companies shifted big investments into technologies that capture not just carbon, but big subsidies and tax breaks.

Why Big Oil Is Now Fighting to Keep the Inflation Reduction Act Alive

AIER Explainer Series Demystifies Public Debt

"The debt problem is a spending problem, not a revenue problem. Research shows that raising taxes covers barely a fraction of the outstanding debt." ~Thomas Savidge and Ryan Yonk

AIER Explainer Series Demystifies Public Debt

Understanding Public Debt

Whether at the federal, state, or local level of government, the rate of growth of government debt is unsustainable. Fortunately, solutions are available for all levels of government.

Understanding Public Debt

Industrial Policy’s Short-Run Booms Risk Long-Term Failures

"Small firms like GF will enjoy morsels, but legacy firms like Intel — who are already more immune to market shocks and decline — make subsidies into a buffet." ~Ryan…

Industrial Policy’s Short-Run Booms Risk Long-Term Failures

Is There Any Such Thing as Legislation Anymore?

"With congressional opposition to a legislative approach clear, the Administration decided to work through the Department of Education to use the HEROES Act to accomplish administratively what they had been…

Is There Any Such Thing as Legislation Anymore?

Public Health Amidst a Smart Pandemic

"Government officials and big tech alike should take seriously that with the rise of big data comes a corresponding concern about privacy and transparency." ~ April Liu and Ryan M.…

Public Health Amidst a Smart Pandemic