Mamdani’s Grocery Experiment: Big on Subsidies, Light on Economics

New York wants private companies to run the stores, but outsourcing the work doesn’t make the campaign arithmetic add up. Turn any article into a podcast. Upgrade now to start listening. Members can share articles with friends & family to bypass the paywall. New York City has already declared its municipal grocery experiment a success before a single store has opened, with City Hall saying its project “will prove” government can make food more affordable through the “efficient use of public resources.” But while Mayor Zohran Mamdani campaigned on city-owned stores, the city now wants private grocers to operate them—and to reveal what taxpayers will spend to make its fantasyland model “work.” Apparently, the first rule of municipal socialism is to invite profit-seeking grocers to explain how grocery stores work. Tad DeHaven is a policy analyst on federal and state economic and fiscal policy issues for the Cato Institute. More We Think You’d Like