Should the U.S. Government Adopt an Industrial Policy? A Soho Forum Debate
American Compass Executive Director Oren Cass vs. the Cato Institute's Scott Lincicome on whether the U.S. should increase its intervention in the manufacturing industry.
Economics
Should the Federal Government Assume a Larger Role in Managing the Economy? A Soho Forum Debate
American Compass Executive Director Oren Cass vs. the Cato Institute's Scott Lincicome on whether the U.S. should increase its intervention in the manufacturing industry.
Black Markets in COVID-19 Vaccines Were Inevitable Once Government Got Involved
A politicized vaccine distribution process intended to take price out of the picture has given the edge to the rich, connected, and powerful.
RIP William R. Allen (1924-2021)
Bill Allen was my multiple-times UCLA econ professor, author of The Midnight Economist and co-author of Alchian & Allen's University Economics.
Big Government Is a Bipartisan Problem
Neither major party is a friend to limited government.
Professor Elinor 'Lin' Ostrom
Ostrom was best known for her studies of how local groups manage natural resources.
2020: An Awful Year With a Legacy We Won't Soon Escape
Fortunately, 2020 is nearly at an end. Unfortunately, its events will leave one hell of a mark on the years to come.
Determined To Kill Businesses That Survived Lockdowns, New York Plans Minimum Wage Hike Later This Month
New York's unemployment rate is nearly 10 percent and roughly one-third of small businesses in New York City may have closed forever. Seems like a great time to make it more expensive to employ people, right?
Alex Nowrasteh and Benjamin Powell: Immigrants Revitalize Faith in American Institutions
A new book, Wretched Refuse?, documents that newcomers not only increase economic activity but often revitalize faith in free market, limited-government institutions.
Assessing Trump's Experiment With Protectionist Trade Policies
The Trump years were more than infuriating on trade matters—they were destructive.
Libertarian History/Philosophy
Walter E. Williams, Free Market Scholar and Iconoclast, RIP
"I just do my own thing," said the George Mason University economist and author of The State Against Blacks.
Universal Student Debt Forgiveness Is Regressive, Say Economists
Plus: Uber abandons self-driving autos, on being "both loud and silenced," and more...
$75 Billion in Band-Aids Won't Cure Ailing Airlines
Airlines keep claiming they need a second bailout to bring back 35,000 furloughed employees. Don't buy their argument.
The Unseen Costs of the COVID-19 Pandemic
We must not ignore the suffering that this pandemic and our collective response to it have inflicted on millions of fellow citizens.
'I Just Do My Own Thing': Walter Williams, RIP
The self-described "crazy-ass man" and libertarian economist focused on government's role in perpetuating racial inequality.
Private Charity Beats One-Size-Fits-All Government
Charities are free to help people who truly need help.
Libertarian History/Philosophy
Charles Koch and Brian Hooks: Believe in People
The libertarian billionaire and the head of his foundation discuss their new book, leaving partisanship behind, and learning from their critics.
Be Grateful for Capitalism This Thanksgiving
If government controlled the production of turkeys and toilet paper, this would be a very unhappy holiday.
Libertarian History/Philosophy
Charles Koch and Brian Hooks on Learning From Your Critics
The libertarian philanthropist and CEO of Stand Together on their new book, Believe in People: Bottom-Up Solutions for a Top-Down World
Virginia Postrel: When Calico Was Treated Like Cocaine
The former Reason editor discusses her new book, The Fabric of Civilization, and why she's optimistic about the future.
Don't Freak Out About the Election
The most important parts of life happen outside of politics.
Milton Friedman's Free to Choose Proved Capitalism Is Superior to Socialism
Forty years later, the libertarian Nobel laureate's PBS series is still winning hearts and minds.
PPParty Time!
Turns out some of the federal government's PPP loans ended up going to people who didn't need them quite as badly.
Bob Chitester: How Free To Choose Changed the World
Here's the inside story of Milton Friedman's path-breaking PBS series about economic and political freedom, from the man who produced it.
California Is a Cautionary Tale for America
California bounds from one crisis to another; most of them being self-imposed.
After the Stimulus Binge, Brace for a Crash
Skyrocketing debt, higher borrowing costs, and a hobbled economy are predicted in the latest Congressional Budget Office report.
Both Biden and Trump Plan to Spend Well Beyond the Government's Means
Whether Biden or Trump wins this November, we're in for big, unaffordable government. How much bigger and how unaffordable are the only real questions.
Trump's War on Economic Freedom
In the president’s mind, trade is not a right to be respected but a process to be managed by politicians.
The Fed Sees Lingering Economic Pain From the Pandemic and the Lockdowns
The danger of the virus can’t be considered to the exclusion of the need for jobs and prosperity.
Why Stimulus Spending Fails
More spending means more debt and more future taxes.
Don't Expand Coronavirus Unemployment Insurance
The negative impact of the program is well documented.
What State and Local Governments Can Learn From the Coronavirus Crisis
Why should the responsible states bail out the irresponsible ones?
A Legal Challenge to New York's Latest Rent Control Laws
Government growth and abuses are not challenged nearly enough.
To Get Americans Safely Back to Work and Play, We Need Cheap and Plentiful At-home COVID-19 Testing
Enable people to act responsibly toward their neighbors and co-workers.
The Next Pandemic Will Be Caused by the National Debt. It Will Crater the Economy.
Debt held by the public equals about 100 percent of GDP. That's hurting growth and will fuel a major crisis.
As Bastiat Would Say, Peer Past the Obvious With Pandemic Policies
Don’t forget the unseen costs of government actions.
The Pandemic's Economic Carnage Looks Worse Than Expected
Get ready for more pain caused by COVID-19 as well as by the policies intended to hold it in check.
Congress Drops the Ball on Small Business Coronavirus Rescue
Another case of typical congressional carelessness.
Give Individuals and Small Businesses a Government-Backed Line of Credit
An economic response to COVID-19 that's fiscally responsible.
Trump Is Still Losing His Own Trade War
The president’s tariffs have hiked prices and harmed consumers.
Rory Sutherland on How Red Bull Explains Why Capitalism Is Great
The Ogilvy ad man and Alchemy author says Ludwig von Mises is his hero and that efficiency has nothing to do with free markets.
How Many COVID-19 Infections and Deaths Did Lockdowns Avert?
Two new studies create counterfactual pandemic scenarios seeking to answer that question.
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.
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.