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.
Gene Smiley – Rethinking the Great Depression
In this great little book, U.S. economic historian Gene Smiley presents the most recent economic historiography on the Great Depression. He concludes that the crisis was caused by the economic dislocations of World War I along with the attempts by
“A Three-Point Plan to Save the Euro”
“The rescue package requested by Greece will, if endorsed, buy the eurozone six months, perhaps a year at most. By then, the Greek government will have exhausted the aid and be forced to ask for more or to borrow at
“Senate Ends Financial-Bill Standoff”
“Lawmakers ended the three-day standoff holding up action on the financial-overhaul bill, setting up a Senate debate in which both sides will be maneuvering for advantage. The breakthrough came in a bipartisan agreement on a single contentious element of the
What Austrian Economics Can Tell Us about the Crisis
The recent financial crisis has called into question several basic tenets of mainstream macroeconomics. In the words of William White, former chief economist of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), “the prevailing paradigm of macroeconomics allows no room for crises
“Greece’s Threat to the Euro”
“All too often in the midst of an economic and financial crisis, policymakers either engage in denial or else take flights into fantasy. Sadly, the present Greek crisis is proving to be no exception. Rather than recognising the Greek crisis
“The Limits of Monetary Policy”
“History has shown that monetary stability—money growth consistent with a stable and predictable value of money—is an important determinant of economic stability. Safeguarding the long-run purchasing power of money is also essential for the future of private property and a
“The Case for Auditing the Fed is Obvious”
“Recently, the Federal Reserve has significantly altered the procedures and goals that it had followed for decades. It has more than doubled its balance sheet, paid interest to banks on reserves held as deposits with the Fed, made decisions about
“The Early Word: Financial Fights”
“Senate Democrats will try for the third consecutive day to bring a financial overhaul to the floor for debate, after Republicans twice blocked such attempts. Like clockwork, Republicans are expected to block the bill once more. It’s probably not the
Wolf and Krugman Discuss Austrian Economics
Martin Wolf (Financial Times) and Paul Krugman (New York Times) discuss Austrian economics.
“The Free-Coinage Scheme is Impracticable at Every Point”
“The amount of circulating cash of all kinds in the hands of the people at the present time is about nine hundred millions. If the dollar was reduced to half its present value, and if allowance was made for reserves,
Lessons from the History of Financial Regulation
Charles W. Calomiris, who is Professor of Financial Institutions at Columbia Business School and a visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, has recently published a paper on the lessons that can be drawn from the history of financial regulation.
Overdose – Documentary on the Financial Crisis
On May 17, the Cato Institute will host a premiere of a new documentary on the financial crisis–Overdose. The trailer can be seen here. The documentary is based upon Swedish writer Johan Norberg’s book Financial Fiasco. Cato describes Overdose as
“Inflation May Not Be Kind to the Stock Market”
“Investors seem to see inflation as no big deal, or maybe even a good thing. But they forget how inflation killed the stock market in the 1970s… and just how easily those conditions could return. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S.
“Greece Formally Requests EU/IMF Aid”
“Prime Minister George Papandreou said Friday that ‘the time has come’ for Greece to request aid under a joint European-International Monetary Fund bailout mechanism following months of turmoil in Greek financial markets. ‘The time has come,’ Papandreou said in televised
Deflating China’s Bubble
Reining in China’s investment boom will be hard. The Chinese authorities are damned if they do and damned if they don’t.
In a Culture of Excess, the Fat Cats will Rule
“Free market economists are not necessarily defenders of business. Crony capitalism has a long history. Mercantilism was a form of crony capitalism, and was the main target of Adam Smith’s critical abilities. And while modern Smithians understand how important a
China on a Tightrope
Economic reform requires political reform. China’s leaders must loosen control if they want harmony.
“Academia’s War Against Free Market Money”
“In a confrontational and much-needed LewRockwell.com article, Prof. William Anderson launched a counter-attack against mainstream academic economists’ refusal to consider seriously the Austrian School’s theory of money. Despite the fact that Ludwig von Mises’ 1912 theory of money explains booms
Gene Smiley – Rethinking the Great Depression
In this great little book, U.S. economic historian Gene Smiley presents the most recent economic historiography on the Great Depression. He concludes that the crisis was caused by the economic dislocations of World War I along with the attempts by
“A Three-Point Plan to Save the Euro”
“The rescue package requested by Greece will, if endorsed, buy the eurozone six months, perhaps a year at most. By then, the Greek government will have exhausted the aid and be forced to ask for more or to borrow at
“Senate Ends Financial-Bill Standoff”
“Lawmakers ended the three-day standoff holding up action on the financial-overhaul bill, setting up a Senate debate in which both sides will be maneuvering for advantage. The breakthrough came in a bipartisan agreement on a single contentious element of the
What Austrian Economics Can Tell Us about the Crisis
The recent financial crisis has called into question several basic tenets of mainstream macroeconomics. In the words of William White, former chief economist of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), “the prevailing paradigm of macroeconomics allows no room for crises
“Greece’s Threat to the Euro”
“All too often in the midst of an economic and financial crisis, policymakers either engage in denial or else take flights into fantasy. Sadly, the present Greek crisis is proving to be no exception. Rather than recognising the Greek crisis
“The Limits of Monetary Policy”
“History has shown that monetary stability—money growth consistent with a stable and predictable value of money—is an important determinant of economic stability. Safeguarding the long-run purchasing power of money is also essential for the future of private property and a
“The Case for Auditing the Fed is Obvious”
“Recently, the Federal Reserve has significantly altered the procedures and goals that it had followed for decades. It has more than doubled its balance sheet, paid interest to banks on reserves held as deposits with the Fed, made decisions about
“The Early Word: Financial Fights”
“Senate Democrats will try for the third consecutive day to bring a financial overhaul to the floor for debate, after Republicans twice blocked such attempts. Like clockwork, Republicans are expected to block the bill once more. It’s probably not the
Wolf and Krugman Discuss Austrian Economics
Martin Wolf (Financial Times) and Paul Krugman (New York Times) discuss Austrian economics.
“The Free-Coinage Scheme is Impracticable at Every Point”
“The amount of circulating cash of all kinds in the hands of the people at the present time is about nine hundred millions. If the dollar was reduced to half its present value, and if allowance was made for reserves,
Lessons from the History of Financial Regulation
Charles W. Calomiris, who is Professor of Financial Institutions at Columbia Business School and a visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, has recently published a paper on the lessons that can be drawn from the history of financial regulation.
Overdose – Documentary on the Financial Crisis
On May 17, the Cato Institute will host a premiere of a new documentary on the financial crisis–Overdose. The trailer can be seen here. The documentary is based upon Swedish writer Johan Norberg’s book Financial Fiasco. Cato describes Overdose as
“Inflation May Not Be Kind to the Stock Market”
“Investors seem to see inflation as no big deal, or maybe even a good thing. But they forget how inflation killed the stock market in the 1970s… and just how easily those conditions could return. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S.
“Greece Formally Requests EU/IMF Aid”
“Prime Minister George Papandreou said Friday that ‘the time has come’ for Greece to request aid under a joint European-International Monetary Fund bailout mechanism following months of turmoil in Greek financial markets. ‘The time has come,’ Papandreou said in televised
Deflating China’s Bubble
Reining in China’s investment boom will be hard. The Chinese authorities are damned if they do and damned if they don’t.
In a Culture of Excess, the Fat Cats will Rule
“Free market economists are not necessarily defenders of business. Crony capitalism has a long history. Mercantilism was a form of crony capitalism, and was the main target of Adam Smith’s critical abilities. And while modern Smithians understand how important a
China on a Tightrope
Economic reform requires political reform. China’s leaders must loosen control if they want harmony.
“Academia’s War Against Free Market Money”
“In a confrontational and much-needed LewRockwell.com article, Prof. William Anderson launched a counter-attack against mainstream academic economists’ refusal to consider seriously the Austrian School’s theory of money. Despite the fact that Ludwig von Mises’ 1912 theory of money explains booms
