Will Big Labor Give the Boot to Police Unions? Be Skeptical.
Union leaders show very little interest in considering collective bargaining’s role in protecting bad cops.
Economics
Negative Interest Rates Will Damage an Already Crippled Economy
Some economists believe that a negative interest rate policy will stimulate the economy by reducing the cost of loans. That isn’t how it has worked in practice.
Professionalizing Police Hasn't Worked. Try Privatizing Instead.
No amount of protesting is likely to reduce police brutality in the absence of structural reforms that increase accountability, competition, choice, and incentives.
China Is Not Coming Close To Meeting Its Import Goals Under the 'Phase One' Trade Deal
That's probably because those goals were always completely unrealistic. Less than six months after the deal was signed, it's already coming apart.
3 Libertarian Tips for the #DefundPolice Movement
Reducing law enforcement requires more than merely cutting and shifting a budget.
The COVID-19 Recovery Is Starting. Extending 'Bonus' Unemployment Benefits Will Slow It.
If Congress extends boosted temporary unemployment benefits into early 2021, nearly five out of every six beneficiaries would be earning more money by not working.
Markets Are Finding Ways To Survive the COVID-19 Shutdowns
Even after government had imposed an almost unfathomable level of intervention on the economy, the markets are chugging along much better than expected.
Face Mask Volunteers DIY Their Own Kind of Division of Labor
Making masks, face shields, and other protective equipment is the bottom-up, COVID-19 version of rolling bandages or knitting socks for the troops.
Is a Universal Basic Income Program Worth the Costs?
There are problems with the UBI idea.
The Panic About China Cutting Off America's COVID-19 Drug Supply Was Fake News
The Food and Drug Administration now says there is no evidence that any country attempted to cut off America's essential pharmaceuticals.
Michael Munger Says 'Price Gouging' Gives Us Information We Need
Such laws end up causing more shortages than they solve, especially during a crisis.
NASA Astronauts Hitch a Ride With Elon Musk's SpaceX
Today's Crew Dragon launch marks the first time a private company has sent humans into orbit.
Police Unions and the Problem of Police Misconduct (Updated)
The available evidence suggests that police unions are a major obstacle to holding rogue police officers accountable.
Congress' Pathetic Effort at Revoking Trump's Trade War Powers Has Failed
Sen. Chuck Grassley says it's dead because lawmakers feared upsetting the president.
In Future Crises, Let People Make Their Own Decisions
Top-down, one-size-fits-few mandates are recipes for conflict.
Trump's Executive Order on Twitter Is a Total Mess
Plus: the weird new battle lines on warrantless surveillance, more CDC incompetence, Minneapolis on fire, and more…
It's Going To Be Hard Enough To Get Kids Back to Day Care After COVID-19
The pandemic has exposed many of America’s destructive barriers to work. It’s time to eliminate them.
The Trump Administration Wants To Subsidize Domestic Drug Manufacturing. The First Contract Looks Like a $350 Million Grift.
A member of the five-month-old company's board has been touting bogus stats about America's supposed dependency on Chinese-made drugs.
Charitable Giving Helps Mitigate the Impact of COVID-19. What's Wrong With That?
Rather than criticize the charitable donations of the very rich, we should be grateful for them.
Josh Hawley Wants To Wreck America's Economy To Own the Libs
In a Senate floor speech Wednesday, Hawley outlined a half-baked plan to tear down global trade. It's aimed at winning elections, not helping America prosper.
L.P. Presidential Candidate Jacob Hornberger Wants 'To Live in a Free Society'
The longtime activist is the front-runner for the L.P. presidential nomination and has a special message to young people.
A Third Option Beyond State Bailouts and Bankruptcy
John Baker and Robert Miller identify an alternative
South America Won the U.S.-China Trade War
Two economists calculate that U.S. farms lost $14 billion because of retaliatory tariffs, while South American countries boosted their exports by $13 billion to fill the gap.
Red Bull Is Disgusting. And It Perfectly Captures Why Capitalism Is So Great.
Ludwig von Mises is “my hero,” and free markets have nothing to do with efficiency, says Ogilvy ad man Rory Sutherland.
Twitter Is Shifting to Remote Work. Will Other Firms Follow?
Will changes to how many of us work outlast the pandemic?
Ghost Kitchens Can Help Feed New Yorkers While the City Is a Ghost Town
Regulations are making it harder for restaurants in NYC to adapt to COVID-19.
It's Official: Money Printer Go Brrr
The Reason Roundtable discusses Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's 60 Minutes admission, as well as the Libertarian Party presidential race post-Justin Amash
Is the Stock Market's Response to COVID-19 Optimistic or Just Plain Nuts?
It may be a statement about the decline of the dollar, but the best-case explanation of the resilient stock market is that it is sending us a positive message about a rapid recovery of both public health and corporate profits.
Two Billionaires Demonstrate the Limits of Money in Elections
No amount of money can buy victory for candidates who fail to persuade voters.
In Zimbabwe, It's Crisis as Usual
A new round of hyperinflation was taking a heavy toll on daily life, even before the coronavirus hit.
Plans for Extended Unemployment Benefits, Wage Subsidies Risk Creating a Zombie Economy
Businesses need to be able to adjust to a world where COVID-19 remains an ongoing concern.
Restaurants Are Facing a COVID-19 Crisis. Price Controls on Food Delivery Services Won't Help.
Cities are imposing "emergency" regulations capping the fees that delivery services like Uber Eats may charge. That's a mistake.
Creativity Flourishes, Even Amid a Pandemic
Marveling at people's endless ability to love, connect, and create.
Would Gov. Cuomo Rather Have No Businesses in New York Than Businesses That Employ Fewer People?
His proposed law would require that corporations return bailout funds if they don't rehire the same number of employees.
America's Long-Term Debt Crisis Is Now a Short-Term Problem
Even in a healthy economy, rising debt and deficits posed challenges. The current crisis has magnified those problems.
When Government Programs Do More Harm Than Good
Shame on the U.S. government for making unemployment pay better than work.
Quarantine Fatigue and the Social End to the Coronavirus Pandemic
What might learning to live with COVID-19 look like?
Have We Crossed the Threshold of Doom?
The Reason Roundtable discusses eternal New Deals, multi-trillion-dollar mistakes, and sobbing face-first in the parking lot of life. Happy Monday!
Working From Home May Be a Permanent Feature of the Post-Pandemic World
That has interesting implications for where people will base themselves in the future.
Open Borders vs. COVID-19: A Soho Forum Debate
Center for Immigration Studies' Mark Krikorian debates George Mason University economist Bryan Caplan on immigration and coronavirus.
Coronavirus Curfews Are Counterproductive and Un-American
Making businesses close early will not stop the spread of COVID-19.
Anti-Porn Groups Target Websites' Ability to Accept Credit Card Payments
We've seen this before...
We Need Economists, Civil Libertarians, and Epidemiologists in the COVID-19 Discussion
The tradeoffs among considerations of health, prosperity, and liberty are catching up with us even if we don't want to acknowledge them.
Sen. Josh Hawley's Plan To Abolish the World Trade Organization Is Based on Fake Economics and False History
Hawley is charting the next path for the Trump-style anti-trade nationalism that has infected the Republican Party.
The New Great Depression? Unemployment Hits Levels Not Seen Since 1930s
Plus: tax revolts, Mrs. America, sex-worker comedy, reopening poll, and more...
Texas Will No Longer Send People to Jail for Violating Strict Social Distancing
Gov. Greg Abbott made the change after a Dallas salon owner was jailed for reopening her salon.
