Topic: Economic History

Sanctions Against South Africa and the Cuban Embargo

– July 22, 2021

“The sanctions undoubtedly had psychological and moral effects, just like the US embargo on Cuba. Neither Levy nor Lowenberg and Kaempfer–or any followup literature I’ve been able to find–thinks these effects have as much explanatory power as apartheid’s inefficiency, growing internal political opposition, and the fall of the Soviet Union.” ~ Art Carden

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Appreciating F. A. Hayek’s Insights on Money and the Business Cycle

– July 13, 2021

“Hayek’s monetary and business cycle writings from 90 years ago, and his many contributions to the general understanding of the dynamic market process and the limits to government omniscience, are and will be crucial to that task of fighting for the free and prosperous society.” ~ Richard M. Ebeling

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July 2, 1962: The Day Retail Changed Forever

– July 2, 2021

“Nothing is stopping commentators or humanitarians from starting a competing enterprise–call it HeartMart–run by a team of executives who are just as able as the people running Walmart but who are less greedy and, therefore, positioned to create better jobs for the people Walmart is so ruthlessly exploiting without compromising shareholder returns, prices, or selection.” ~ Art Carden

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Death by Policy Lottery

– July 2, 2021

“Despite the costly consequences of bad policies, Americans just won’t give up their beloved policy lotteries. Many date to the New Deal and Progressive eras and hence were deliberately and structurally racist. Yet somehow the same government that perpetrated them is being entrusted to ameliorate their intentional effects with additional lottery-like policies instead of radical rollback.” ~ Robert E. Wright

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“Progressives” Blame F. A. Hayek for Everything They Dislike

– June 29, 2021

“Slobodian’s vision – clearly one parallel to or coterminous with a socialist remake of society – would turn us away from all of liberalism’s accomplishments, however imperfect and incomplete they have been, and take us back to the primitive tribalism that Friedrich Hayek explained has taken humanity so long to escape from.” ~ Richard M. Ebeling

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Do We Need Patents? A Look at Biological Innovations in 19th Century America

– June 24, 2021

“Considerable resources are expended in the regulatory process to obtain (and defend) patents which may be unnecessary incentives to innovation. In the process, we may end up deterring innovation. With our presently heightened sense of the importance of research and development in setting our living standards, this possibility must be seriously taken into consideration.” ~ Vincent Geloso

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free to choose

The Political Paternalists Take Aim at Milton Friedman

– June 23, 2021

“How very disappointed Mr. Carter will no doubt be, when the policies he espouses end up, once again, having the disastrous effects they have always produced in the past. Much to Mr. Carter’s chagrin, it will be Milton Friedman’s ideas on liberty that will be shown to be the far more enduring ones.” ~ Richard M. Ebeling

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The Bubble That Never Was: Finance’s Definition Problem

– June 22, 2021

“That is not to say that the Teslas and the GameStops and the Bitcoins of today aren’t bubbles; they may be, due for corrections of bubble-like implosions rivaling those of our financial past. The point is, we won’t know until after – long after.” ~ Joakim Book

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A Conversation on the Decline of American Civil Society

– June 20, 2021

“Robert Wright, Senior research fellow at AIER, joins the Authors Corner with an introduction to an upcoming publication, Liberty Lost. Robert outlines how voluntary association died in antebellum America and what lessons there are to be learned from hyper-regulated economies in the modern era.” ~ AIER

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Decentralized Cryptocurrency Systems and Hayek’s Unplanned Economy

– June 19, 2021

“Pure free market money is emerging upon the world to compete from a position of zero against a Goliath establishment. If it wins, the debate is settled. With luck, but thankfully without the permission of any planner, we all get to witness Hayek’s ideal of decentralization bear out across financial markets in all of the years ahead.” ~ Erik Voorhees

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The Horrors of Hyperinflation

– June 16, 2021

“Governments have few universally accepted goals. National defense, protection of property, and stability of the unit of account are arguably the three most important because all else rides on them. Hyperinflation destroys all three, so any serious risk of hyperinflation is simply unacceptable from a policy standpoint.” ~ Robert E. Wright

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The 1980s Called, And It Wants Its Industrial Paranoia Back

– June 11, 2021

“Sad about it all is that formerly free market conservatives have joined the echo chamber this time around, and turned the volume way up. A $250 billion industrial policy bill reminiscent of ‘80s paranoia is the result. Good work, conservatives.” ~ John Tamny

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