Daily economy news from the American Institute for Economic Research: data, stories, research, and articles touching on economics, politics, culture, education, policy, opinion, technology, markets, healthcare, regulation, trends, and much more.
The Miracles of Human Cooperation Are Hidden in Plain Sight
“To the layman untrained in economics, the market economy presents a bewildering face. It consists of numerous individuals each intent on his own goals, giving no concern to the overall social implications of his pursuits.” ~Barry Brownstein
Thinking About the Regulation of Industrial Emissions Differently, Part II
“All we know here is that humans are innovative and have a great capacity to creatively meet challenges without being prodded by politicians or mandarins. But no one can predict in detail how this creativity will manifest itself.” ~Donald J. Boudreaux
Revisiting the Argument that Government is Too Small
“A balanced rebuttal to false and misleading claims will tend to be ineffective at reaching voters, which in turn makes deceptive political advertising more successful, over-expanding government.” ~Gary M. Galles
Garbled Economics in the WSJ on Argentina Dollarization
“Dollarization may not be the first-best solution for Argentina, though it’s hard to imagine it will be worse than hyperinflation.” ~Jason Sorens
Hyperinflation and Dollarization: A Path to Economic Stability for Argentina
“The risk of hyperinflation in Argentina does not arise from the intention to dollarize but from a central bank that appears incapable or unwilling to exercise restraint. Argentina’s historical record shows that central bank independence is absent.” ~Nicolas Cachanosky
Politicians’ Job Training and College Sales Pitch is Snake Oil
“Are job training programs actually providing useful training to the people affected by foreign trade? Don’t ask lawmakers. They’d prefer that people give them credit for the intent and ignore questions about outcomes.” ~James M. Hohman
Johan Norberg’s The Capitalist Manifesto: A Review
“What matters for the capitalist story to flourish is that its effect on the world continues to be positive, not whether market actors believe it while embodying its principles.” ~Joakim Book
Timiraos on Supply-Side Disinflation
“Slowing down total spending growth (current-dollar GDP) by hiking interest rates and shrinking the balance sheet clearly mattered. Supply-side improvements do too, but they’re likely playing the role of the sidekick rather than the hero.” ~Alexander W. Salter
Thankful for the Lessons of Failures
“Plymouth was a centrally planned community. Everything was controlled, regulated, and rationed by one central government authority. And like all central planning efforts, the results were scarcity, hunger, and desperation.” ~Thomas Krannawitter
Black Friday 2023 Will Test Consumer Confidence
“Although Black Friday is a day of discounts, rebates, and other sales promotions, examining the price changes in the most-marketed merchandise categories may provide some insights as to what consumers face this year.” ~Peter C. Earle
AIER’s Thanksgiving Cost Index Climbs Over 5 Percent from 2022 to 2023
“The constituents of the Thanksgiving Cost Index include turkey, sauces and gravies, bread, canned fruit, vegetables, and pies and cakes.” ~Peter C. Earle
Dollarization without Fiscal Prudence Is Not Possible. With Fiscal Prudence, It’s not Necessary.
“Argentinean problems are first political, then fiscal, and then monetary, and they need to be solved in the same order.” ~Leonidas Zelmanovitz
How to Rationally Consume News
“Most information is noise, and the human brain isn’t equipped for the overload that the modern world throws at us. Don’t clutter your brain with unnecessary stuff.” ~Joakim Book
TikTok: Five Cuts
“Americans already have a license to engage in free speech, in the form of the First Amendment. And if you are thinking that the United States has a long history of anonymous, public speech, you’re right.” ~James Harrigan
How Can We Stop Serving Students So Poorly?
“Efforts to improve things with charter schools have shown some great results, and vouchers are attractive as a means to make educators more responsible to parents than to administrators. But we are still in the early stages of a very long struggle.” ~Gary M. Galles
Thinking About the Regulation of Industrial Emissions Differently, Part I
“Production of the likes of tires, furniture, steel, speedy transportation, and air conditioning and home heating is surely good for humanity. But such production requires energy and it produces harmful by-products.” ~Donald J. Boudreaux
ESG as an Artifact of Zero Interest Rate Policy
“The reasons attributed to billions of dollars leaving the ESG sector include concerns about greenwashing and political backlash. That the flight of funds coincides almost perfectly with the start of inflation and turned negative shortly after the Fed began its contractionary policy bias is either not noticed or considered.” ~Peter C. Earle
A Short Guide to ESG: History
“Browsing the websites of ESG-advocating organizations gives the sense that ESG is cutting edge, technologically sophisticated, a wise investment strategy, and the road to increasing profitability.” ~Paul Mueller
The Miracles of Human Cooperation Are Hidden in Plain Sight
“To the layman untrained in economics, the market economy presents a bewildering face. It consists of numerous individuals each intent on his own goals, giving no concern to the overall social implications of his pursuits.” ~Barry Brownstein
Thinking About the Regulation of Industrial Emissions Differently, Part II
“All we know here is that humans are innovative and have a great capacity to creatively meet challenges without being prodded by politicians or mandarins. But no one can predict in detail how this creativity will manifest itself.” ~Donald J. Boudreaux
Revisiting the Argument that Government is Too Small
“A balanced rebuttal to false and misleading claims will tend to be ineffective at reaching voters, which in turn makes deceptive political advertising more successful, over-expanding government.” ~Gary M. Galles
Garbled Economics in the WSJ on Argentina Dollarization
“Dollarization may not be the first-best solution for Argentina, though it’s hard to imagine it will be worse than hyperinflation.” ~Jason Sorens
Hyperinflation and Dollarization: A Path to Economic Stability for Argentina
“The risk of hyperinflation in Argentina does not arise from the intention to dollarize but from a central bank that appears incapable or unwilling to exercise restraint. Argentina’s historical record shows that central bank independence is absent.” ~Nicolas Cachanosky
Politicians’ Job Training and College Sales Pitch is Snake Oil
“Are job training programs actually providing useful training to the people affected by foreign trade? Don’t ask lawmakers. They’d prefer that people give them credit for the intent and ignore questions about outcomes.” ~James M. Hohman
Johan Norberg’s The Capitalist Manifesto: A Review
“What matters for the capitalist story to flourish is that its effect on the world continues to be positive, not whether market actors believe it while embodying its principles.” ~Joakim Book
Timiraos on Supply-Side Disinflation
“Slowing down total spending growth (current-dollar GDP) by hiking interest rates and shrinking the balance sheet clearly mattered. Supply-side improvements do too, but they’re likely playing the role of the sidekick rather than the hero.” ~Alexander W. Salter
Thankful for the Lessons of Failures
“Plymouth was a centrally planned community. Everything was controlled, regulated, and rationed by one central government authority. And like all central planning efforts, the results were scarcity, hunger, and desperation.” ~Thomas Krannawitter
Black Friday 2023 Will Test Consumer Confidence
“Although Black Friday is a day of discounts, rebates, and other sales promotions, examining the price changes in the most-marketed merchandise categories may provide some insights as to what consumers face this year.” ~Peter C. Earle
AIER’s Thanksgiving Cost Index Climbs Over 5 Percent from 2022 to 2023
“The constituents of the Thanksgiving Cost Index include turkey, sauces and gravies, bread, canned fruit, vegetables, and pies and cakes.” ~Peter C. Earle
Dollarization without Fiscal Prudence Is Not Possible. With Fiscal Prudence, It’s not Necessary.
“Argentinean problems are first political, then fiscal, and then monetary, and they need to be solved in the same order.” ~Leonidas Zelmanovitz
How to Rationally Consume News
“Most information is noise, and the human brain isn’t equipped for the overload that the modern world throws at us. Don’t clutter your brain with unnecessary stuff.” ~Joakim Book
TikTok: Five Cuts
“Americans already have a license to engage in free speech, in the form of the First Amendment. And if you are thinking that the United States has a long history of anonymous, public speech, you’re right.” ~James Harrigan
How Can We Stop Serving Students So Poorly?
“Efforts to improve things with charter schools have shown some great results, and vouchers are attractive as a means to make educators more responsible to parents than to administrators. But we are still in the early stages of a very long struggle.” ~Gary M. Galles
Thinking About the Regulation of Industrial Emissions Differently, Part I
“Production of the likes of tires, furniture, steel, speedy transportation, and air conditioning and home heating is surely good for humanity. But such production requires energy and it produces harmful by-products.” ~Donald J. Boudreaux
ESG as an Artifact of Zero Interest Rate Policy
“The reasons attributed to billions of dollars leaving the ESG sector include concerns about greenwashing and political backlash. That the flight of funds coincides almost perfectly with the start of inflation and turned negative shortly after the Fed began its contractionary policy bias is either not noticed or considered.” ~Peter C. Earle
A Short Guide to ESG: History
“Browsing the websites of ESG-advocating organizations gives the sense that ESG is cutting edge, technologically sophisticated, a wise investment strategy, and the road to increasing profitability.” ~Paul Mueller