Flawed Economic Policies Will Exacerbate the Pandemic
The COVID-19 crisis has resuscitated some seriously bad ideas.
Economics
How 'Price Gouging' Helps Consumers During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Q&A with Duke's Michael C. Munger, who also believes that big cities will see rationing and that higher education will never be the same.
When 'Price Gouging' Is Good: Michael Munger
The Duke economist and political scientist discusses the response to COVID-19, the coming recession, and the end of higher ed as we know it.
Spanish Flu Experience Might Indicate That Public Policy Interventions Don't Have Long-Term Economic Effects
Though focused on manufacturing and banking, this study sees economic optimism in quick and thorough interventions to keep people isolated.
How Much Is $2.3 Trillion? More Than Even Obama Could Imagine
The CARES Act plunges the nation into a crash course on experimental economics.—and we're the lab rats.
No, British Epidemiologist Neil Ferguson Has Not 'Drastically Downgraded' His Worst-Case Projection of COVID-19 Deaths
But he has raised his estimate of the virus's reproduction number, which implies a lower fatality rate than his research group initially assumed.
The Private Sector's Heartening Response to COVID-19
Creativity and selflessness are on display everywhere.
Is Preventing COVID-19 Deaths Worth a Severe Recession? The Answer Depends on Controversial Assumptions About the Epidemic's Lethality.
A cost-benefit analysis of COVID-19 lockdowns highlights crucial gaps in the data.
Trump Is Right To Worry About the Cost of Aggressive COVID-19 Control Measures
So far politicians have been acting as if only one side of the ledger matters.
Trump's Top Trade Official Says China Tariffs Didn't Harm Coronavirus Preparedness. Don't Buy His Spin.
Robert Lighthizer, head of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, says tariffs aren't hurting America's response to the virus. He's also lifting those tariffs to help with the response.
Should the Government Break Up Companies Like Amazon and Facebook? A Soho Forum Debate
Law professors Tim Wu and Richard Epstein went head to head at a live event.
What Economic Analyses of Past Pandemics Can Tell Us About the COVID-19 Aftermath
A big contraction was followed by a bustling aftermath—but with notable negative long-term effects as well.
Should the Government Break Up Big Tech? A Soho Forum Debate
Tim Wu vs. Richard Epstein on whether antitrust laws should be applied to firms like Amazon and Facebook.
Coronavirus Pandemic Inspires Private Generosity
Examples abound of the generosity and sense of community of the American people.
Why Price Gouging Laws Are a Bad Idea
What politicians call "gouging" is just supply and demand. Prices rise and fall all the time.
Why You Can't Solve a Public Health Problem With Economic Stimulus
Is a new stimulus package the right response to a pandemic?
No, Stimulus Spending Wouldn't Be an Economic Vaccine Against the Coronavirus
If it works at all (and it usually doesn't), a fiscal stimulus is meant to boost demand. The biggest potential economic problem from coronavirus has to do with supply.
How Mandatory Paid Leave Hurts Low-Income Workers
Proponents always forget to figure in the costs.
Is Trump's Trade War on China Good for America? A Soho Forum Debate
Stephen Moore and Gene Epstein debate whether or not President Trump's Chinese trade policy deserves broad public support.
How Much More Should Trump Be Spending on You?
Federal outlays per person have increased $1,441 since 2016, to a grand total of $14,652 per person.
Trump's Budget Follows in the Footsteps of Giant Spenders
It’s a testament to fiscal irresponsibility.
Uncle Sam Doubles Down on His Spending Addiction
The federal government is not a good steward of your money.
In California, Protecting Workers Means Outlawing Their Jobs
Assembly Bill 5 was designed to constrain the growth of the so-called gig economy. In practice, it's closing off opportunities
Trump's Tariffs Keep Hurting American Manufacturers
The Tariff Man doubles down on bad economics.
Trump's Labor Department Provides Clarity on Joint Employment
Good news on the economic front.
Will Robots Lead to Widespread Joblessness and Economic Inequality?
Martin Ford and Antony Sammeroff debate the future of robotics and its potential economic impacts at the Soho Forum.
Will Robots Cause Mass Unemployment? A Soho Forum Debate
Martin Ford and Antony Sammeroff debate the impact of robotics on the economy
Elizabeth Warren Has a Fake Plan To Pay for Medicare for All
Warren claims total costs for middle-class families would go down under her plan, but there are reasons to doubt this.
Social Engineering Run Amok in the Department of Labor
Government control is not the answer.
Occupational Licensing Hurts the Little Guy
People who want to work should be allowed to work.
The 'Negativity Effect' Leads to Bad Journalism, Big Government, and Busted Relationships
John Tierney and Roy F. Baumeister want to defeat The Power of Bad.
How To Fight the 'Power of Bad' and the 'Negativity Effect'
Human beings are designed to remember trauma more than joy, bad times more than good ones. But John Tierney and Roy F. Baumeister have good news on the despair front.
Don't Trade Stock Tips or Obsess About the Fed, Read Moby Dick Instead
You need to be inoculated from some strange but popular notions about the economy.
On Thanksgiving, Take a Moment to Focus on the Good News
It will help us feel grateful for our lives.
Bryan Caplan Says Milton Friedman Is Wrong About Open Borders
The George Mason economist partnered with Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal's Zach Weinersmith to offer a thoughtful look at immigration policy in comic form.
Trump Is Wrong About the Fed, and the Fed Is Wrong About Economics
Milton Friedman once said that "money is much too serious a matter to be left to the central bankers." He was right. Still, we should ensure the Fed isn't being swayed by partisan interests.
Capitalism vs. Socialism: A Soho Forum Debate
Richard Wolff, "America’s most prominent Marxist economist," debates former Barron's economics editor Gene Epstein on which economic system best promotes, freedom, equality, and prosperity.
When the Government Creates Mandatory Shortages
Don’t let regulators and their cronies suppress competition.
Is Socialism Preferable To Capitalism? A Soho Forum Debate
Richard D. Wolff squares off against Gene Epstein on which system better promotes freedom, equality, and prosperity.
Why the Middle Class is Better Off Than You Think
The consensus view that the American middle class "is dead, dying, hollowed out" is based on an "incomplete reading of the data," says economist Russ Roberts.
Democratic Wealth Tax Proposals Demonstrate Economic Ignorance
Bashing the rich may be good politics, but it’s terrible economics.