Topic: Economic Education

Central Banking, Economic Education, Economic Trends

Global Productivity Growth Post-Covid – Down But By No Means Out

– January 30, 2021

“The current pandemic has yet to run its course, and the social and economic impact will take much longer to work its way through. Productivity growth, in the medium term, is liable to disappoint, but deferred creative disruption – a deferral which artificially low interest rates have allowed to persist since 2008, if not earlier – could set the stage for an era of dramatic productivity growth in the decades ahead.” ~ Colin Lloyd

Economic Education, Fiscal Policy, Technology

A Pro-UBI Talking Point Debunked

– January 29, 2021

“Perhaps the robot apocalypse really will come at some point. Perhaps not. But what is clear is that it hasn’t come yet. Until it does, we should target our aid to Americans in need – not to the entire population.” ~ Nick Buffie

Authoritarianism, Crisis, Economic Education

No, Lockdowns Do Not Foster Creative Destruction

– January 29, 2021

“When recovery from the effects of lockdowns, stay-at-home orders, and other draconian measures finally comes, it will be in spite of, not with the help of––and certainly not because of––county, state, and Federal government measures.” ~ Peter C. Earle

Books, Economic Education, History

Thomas Sowell — Intellectual Maverick at Work

– January 28, 2021

“Watching this documentary on Sowell, I am once more struck on how many fruitful research questions can be raised by pursuing the hypotheses he raises in his works. I also respect the clarity of his voice, and the clarity of his purpose.” ~ Peter J. Boettke

Economic Education, Policy, Regulation

Fundamental Questions about Corporate Donations

– January 28, 2021

“Corporate governance today, after all, is not democratic, even in the vague sense of representative. Generally speaking, corporate elections are not secret and hence voters, especially employee shareholders, are subject to coercion. Moreover, voting power is a function of the number and type of shares owned, and executives control the proxies of many shareholders by default.” ~ Robert E. Wright

Crisis, Economic Education, Public Choice and Public Policy, Science

Too Many Experts, Too Little Knowledge

– January 27, 2021

“The kind of information people acquire in their myriad interactions with others is often undervalued as a means of preventative behavior. As helpful as science is for understanding causal mechanisms — and it is — it should not be the only source of knowledge that informs your behavior, let alone policy.” ~ Byron B. Carson III & David Waugh

Books, Economic Education, Media

Awash in Warped Words

– January 27, 2021

“The malleability of language has allowed new iterations of statism to masquerade as means to the good society, because linguistic misdirection has made foolish thoughts about social organization more viable. At the same time, it has made it harder to communicate the benefits that are only achievable through liberty.” ~ Gary M. Galles

Economic Education, Government, Regulation

Free Labor Markets vs. Biden’s Push for Compulsory Unionism

– January 26, 2021

“Joe Biden’s pro-union labor agenda, if implemented, would rob all those working for a living the liberty and latitude to do so freely and of their own choosing. They would be reduced to servants and supplicants to those controlling the unions and who possess the power to allow or prevent people from working in various walks of life, while determining the wages and conditions under which they may accept and find employment.” ~ Richard M. Ebeling

Economic Education, Fiscal Policy, Government

Is France Suffering from Excessive Austerity?

– January 26, 2021

“Given that the United States, with its medium-sized government, does so much better than France, with its large-sized government, how can Rokhaya Diallo reconcile those numbers with her dogmatic view that society will be better off if government is even bigger?”~ Daniel J. Mitchell

Books, Economic Education, Monetary Policy

The Case for Decentralizing Monetary Policy

– January 20, 2021

“Wood’s book was published in the year 2000 and cites history dating back hundreds of years, yet today those lessons are as timely as ever. Policy makers should heed the lessons of history and the principles of sound money to ensure that the future of money is guided by the democratic tendencies of the market rather than the arbitrary hand of the state.” ~ Ethan Yang

Economic Education, Regulation, Technology

On Richard Epstein on Regulating “Big Tech”

– January 18, 2021

“The chief condition for such competition to remain real and effective is that government not obstruct it. As long as government itself remains neutral and nondiscriminatory, the best protection for consumers and for the polity is the free-market process.” ~ Donald J. Boudreaux

Economic Education, Fiscal Policy, Government

CARES Act Stimulus Did Not “Replace Lost Wages”

– January 17, 2021

“Far from stimulus checks, PPP loans and jobless benefits ‘replacing lost wages,’ it was instead a swift increase in private wages during the reopening that replaced a swift withdrawal of ‘fiscal stimulus.'” ~ Alan Reynolds