Economics

Protectionism and the Fallacy of Composition

Protectionism can’t enrich the country as a whole, only boost certain individuals and industries while impoverishing the rest.

Imagine a Highway

Imagine a Highway

If roads were private the owners would have an incentive to provide capacity, safety, and invent a pricing mechanism that would enable traffic to flow freely.

Price “Gouge” Me, Please!

Price “Gouge” Me, Please!

Artifically low prices resulting from government decree causes an artificial shortage which results in long lines, empty stations, and lack of incentives for more supplies.

Spontaneous Order

Spontaneous Order

Central planning creates the kind of inefficiency that brought down the Soviet Union. While Americans shopped in malls full of goods, Russians waited in long lines.

Thomas Sowell’s Basic Economics

Thomas Sowell’s Basic Economics

“Whether one is a conservative or a radical, a protectionist or a free trader, a cosmopolitan or a nationalist, a churchman or a heathen, it is useful to know the causes and consequences of economic phenomena.”

The Most Common Error in Economic Debates

The Most Common Error in Economic Debates

Have you ever been in an argument about whether we should raise taxes and then someone tosses out a real whopper? “The top tax rate for decades after World War II was over 90% and look how the economy boomed!” Or perhaps you read a Paul Krugman column where he said...

The Doctor-Laborer Inversion

The Doctor-Laborer Inversion

The battle over minimum wage is raging. Emotions are running hot. Some cities are setting the bar very high. For example, Seattle is mandating a $15/hour wage. Economically, the issue is very simple. Minimum wage laws do not raise anyone’s wage. This is because it’s...

Embarrassing Economists

Embarrassing Economists

There are economists, most notably Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman, who suggest that the law of demand applies to everything except labor prices (wages) of low-skilled workers.

Predatory Journalism Against The Freedom To Price

Predatory Journalism Against The Freedom To Price

Editorial demagoguery against “predatory” lending might well be called predatory journalism — taking advantage of other people’s ignorance of economics to score ideological points, and promote still more expansion of government powers that limit the options of poor people especially.

Why is the Gold Standard Urgent?

Why is the Gold Standard Urgent?

After President Nixon’s gold default in 1971, many people advocated a return to the gold standard. One argument has been repeated: consumer prices are rising. While this is true, it wasn’t compelling in the 1970’s and it certainly doesn’t fire people up today. Rising...

The Wrong Idea About Inflation

The Wrong Idea About Inflation

I write often about inflation, and often emphasize that it is not about rising prices. It is important that we define our concepts correctly. Inflation is monetary counterfeiting. Here is a quick graph I made to underscore the point that although the quantity of...

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

Pin It on Pinterest