How to Really End ESG
Russell Greene
September 13, 2024
“It’s incumbent upon ESG critics to advocate an alternative vision, not merely to fall in line with convention.” ~Russell Greene
Daily Economy
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.
Tariffs ‘Protect’ Insiders, While Americans Pay the Price
Vance Ginn
September 13, 2024
“The best way to address unfair trade practices is not through blanket tariffs but by expanding trade with allies and non-hostile nations.” ~Vance Ginn
From ‘Taxachusetts’ to ‘City Upon a Hill’
Thomas Savidge
September 12, 2024
“Tax and spending reform takes more than ‘electing the right people.’ It must be politically profitable for the wrong people to make the right choices.” ~Thomas Savidge
Selling a House in Jersey: a Personal Story of Transaction Costs
Paul Mueller
September 12, 2024
“Sellers see fewer dollars from their sales while dealing with time-consuming headaches. Buyers see higher home prices.” ~Paul Mueller
AIER’s Everyday Price Index Eases Marginally in August 2024
Peter C. Earle
September 11, 2024
“Inflation in the United States will end 2024 above the Fed’s target range.” ~Peter C. Earle
Moderate Inflation Affirms Fed’s Path to Easing
Alexander W. Salter
September 11, 2024
“The Fed should ignore the political noise and follow the data. Central bankers failed to curb inflation, but that doesn’t mean they should deliberately make the opposite mistake now.” ~Alexander W. Salter
Unity in Disunity
Gary Galles
September 11, 2024
“When ‘unity’ means government policies will substitute for choices we would make for ourselves, it means domination, even though we do not want to be dominated.” ~Gary Galles
Remembering the Truly Forgotten
Peter C. Earle
September 11, 2024
“Money and finance are the font and essence of modernity. I honor and praise the memory of the professionals who worked in the World Trade Center.” ~Peter C. Earle
Overhaul for the Uninsured?
James Capretta
September 10, 2024
“Full reliance on a public budgeting system for providing access to medical care is a certain prescription for millions of disappointed patients.” ~James C. Capretta
Kroger Invests $1B in Antitrust Defense
Noah Gould
September 10, 2024
“Consumers would be better served if companies could spend more time on improving their services and less on fending off litigation.” ~Noah C. Gould
Lose the Political Informality
Donald J. Boudreaux
September 9, 2024
“Politicians’ first-name basis… is a mercenary maneuver to gain our confidence on the cheap. It is literally a con game.” ~Donald J. Boudreaux
Harris’s ‘Joy’ Would Cost US Dearly
Alexander W. Salter
September 9, 2024
“Economists have a duty to point out just how destructive these proposals are.” ~Alexander W. Salter
Tax Cryptocurrencies as Money, Not Property
Gerald P. Dwyer
September 6, 2024
“Treating cryptocurrencies like property for tax purposes discourages people from using them like monies.” ~Gerald Dwyer
The Fed’s Balance Sheet Feeds Bailout Culture
Paul Mueller
September 6, 2024
“It appears that Fed officials came to believe that they had the authority and power to do whatever they deem necessary to ‘fix’ the economy.” ~Paul Mueller
‘Reagan’ Biopic Fails the Man and the Moviegoer
Jack Butler
September 5, 2024
“Those who have longed for a satisfactory depiction of Reagan’s made-for-the-movies life will have to keep waiting.” ~Jack Butler
College Football’s Lesson About Political Economy
Art Carden
September 5, 2024
“College football fandom is a microcosm of the problem of a political economy. It shows that people are willing to pay a price to make their enemies suffer.” ~Art Carden
Is America’s Cultural Glue Weakening?
David Rose
September 4, 2024
“Not so long ago in America it was considered rude to ask anyone other than one’s inner social circle which positive moral actions they undertook. But it now happens every second of every day.” ~David Rose
DNC Celebrates ‘Freedom,’ But Not Liberty
Gary Galles
September 4, 2024
“As the DNC has just demonstrated so well, a host of rhetorical abuses can find a foothold in offering so many freedoms but so little liberty.” ~Gary M. Galles
Price Theory and Portion Sizes: Why Chipotle Got Cut for Cutting Costs
Andrew den Boggende
August 13, 2024
“Chipotle leadership could try the risky option of waiting out the bad PR, but the brand may not be willing to take that risk. It’s not expensive for customers to switch to a Chipotle substitute.” ~Andrew den Boggende and Thomas Savidge
Erik Angner’s Defense of Our Dismal Discipline
Joakim Book
August 13, 2024
“The conversational tone is excellent for the wide audience he intends — those skeptical of economists and economics — and it’s easy enough to follow along his clear prose even for those without prior training in our arcane arts. ” ~Joakim Book
Should Taxpayers Fund a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve?
Gerald P. Dwyer
August 12, 2024
“Given that the reserve of gold can be viewed only as the federal government holding it for investment purposes, there is no particular reason to focus only on gold and not include other assets, including cryptoassets such as bitcoin.” ~Gerald P. Dwyer
Why Corporate America’s Retreat from Social Activism Is Good for Everyone
Jon Miltimore
August 12, 2024
“While corporations are free to inject values into the workplace and support social and religious programs, they have no societal responsibility to do so. In fact, there are compelling reasons they should not be doing so.” ~Jon Miltimore
Competing Narratives on Real Wages
William J. Luther
August 9, 2024
“Democrats want to take credit for the higher real wages. Republicans want to deny that real wages are higher. Both are obscuring the facts.” ~William J. Luther
Cuban Food Shortages: Another Red Flag
Byron Carson
August 9, 2024
“Facing price controls, taxes and tariffs on food in Cuba, and it shouldn’t be surprising that food markets are increasingly becoming distorted, shortages are frequent, and people remain impoverished.” ~Byron B. Carson, III
Minimum Wages Wreak Labor Havoc
David Hebert
August 8, 2024
“They arrogantly believe that this time will be different; that their version of a minimum wage will work where every other has failed. Unfortunately, this is what every previous lawmaker believed, too.” ~David Hebert
Trillion-Dollar Surprise in the Inflation Reduction Act
Paul Mueller
August 8, 2024
“All this adds up to an open tab that renewable energy companies can use over and over again and that taxpayers will pick up. Unless Congress acts to close these loopholes, a $35 trillion debt will look quaint when the US surpasses $45 trillion or even $50 trillion in the 2030s.” ~Paul Mueller
There’s Nothing Conservative about Deficits and Debt
Alexander W. Salter
August 7, 2024
“Interest payments now suck up more of the federal budget, leaving less to spend on important political priorities. Since Republicans and Democrats disagree about what those priorities are, the resulting fiscal strain amplifies partisan divisions.” ~Alexander W. Salter
The Freedom of Discovery
Will Sellers
August 7, 2024
“America, with its freedoms of religious liberty and expression, was the ideal place for an inquiring mind to push the boundaries of discovery, unfettered by ideology, religious, scientific, or otherwise.” ~Will Sellers
Did Javier Milei Just Lift Argentina Out of Recession?
Jon Miltimore
August 6, 2024
“After decades of economic pain from Peronism and mass money-printing…Milei is showing no signs of relenting in his campaign to crush inflation and government spending to return Argentina to prosperity. ” ~Jon Miltimore
‘Counterweight’ to Conformity
Habi Zhang
August 6, 2024
“This book an accessible guide to understanding the ‘once insurgent but increasingly entrenched ideology’ that has inflicted upon society a culture of alienation, fear, resentment, revenge, hostility, and polarization.” ~Habi Zhang
Nike Takes Its Eye Off the Ball
Stefan Bartl
August 5, 2024
“Nike wanted to make an impact in the community, venturing beyond selling shoes and sports apparel. The results include a current 2-percent reduction in labor force.” ~Stefan Bartl
Europe’s Protectionist Arms Race
James Eiler
August 5, 2024
“If it wants to, in the short term, the state can ensure that any one good is produced at a greater quantity than it could be in the free market. But that particular increase always comes at the cost of an overall reduction in wealth.” ~James Eiler
10 Ways to Close the Tax Evasion Gap
RobertMcGee
August 2, 2024
“It is possible to reduce tax evasion without sending armed IRS agents to kick in doors or confiscate assets. The ten reasons given above provide some guidance to creating a tax system most people would voluntarily support.” ~Robert W. McGee
French Exports to Avoid: Wealth Taxes
Nikolai Wenzel
August 2, 2024
“Wealth taxes tend to yield low revenue, while dragging down economic growth. But they do make for good politics, especially in election years; envy commands votes.” ~Nikolai Wenzel
Free Kids from Their Cells
Michael Munger
August 1, 2024
“To keep our kids from harm, we have exposed them to brain-altering habits, online predators, and addictive pastimes that don’t just have the risk, but the near certainty, of making those now children turn out to be anxious and dysfunctional adults.” ~Michael Munger
Should the Fed Get Credit for Lower Inflation?
William J. Luther
August 1, 2024
“Labor market developments cannot explain the decline in nominal spending growth. Tighter monetary policy can… Given the lags of monetary policy, the Fed may have already undershot its target.” ~William J. Luther
