Let me give you some examples of monopolies and ask: Which are good and which are bad? 1. Megan and Ramon begin dating and become enraptured of each other. Soon they are monopolizing each other’s time and decide to form a lifetime, exclusive relationship. 2. A town in a remote area has a few stores […]
Good Monopoly, Bad Monopoly: When Are Monopolies Actually a Problem? [Good Life series] Read More »
A perverse implication of minimum wage laws is their effect on volunteer work. Suppose politicians set a minimum wage at $10 per hour. Employers are now forbidden from offering a wage below $10 and employees are forbidden from accepting such wages. (Side note: See Adkins v. Children’s Hospital for the Supreme Court’s 1923 decision that
Should We Also Ban Volunteering? Read More »
Raise the topic of monopolies, and the ensuing discussion will quickly highlight ideological blind-spots. A colleague with whom I’ve taught courses in business and capitalism sent to me, enthusiastically, this article by Paul Krugman, a Nobel-Prize-winning economist. Krugman attacks Amazon and calls for it to be cut down a few notches. Amazon, he says, has
Who Is Really Serious About Monopolies? [Good Life series] Read More »
[This is a Portuguese translation of “Profits: Good, Bad, and Obscene”, originally published in English at EveryJoe.] Ninguém gosta de ter prejuízos, todavia, o lucro gera atitudes polarizadas. Como todos os fenômenos com alta carga moral — concorrência, riqueza, pobreza, propriedade — superar discussões muitas vezes confusas exige algumas distinções sutis. Vamos abordar o lucro por
Lucros: bons, ruins e obscenos [Portuguese translation] Read More »
My short article introducing business ethics, “The Best Work of the Best Minds,” has been republished as a Kindle e-publication and as an Audible audio edition narrated by Scott A. Smith. It was originally published in the IOS Journal. More of my publications in business ethics are at my Business Ethics page.
The Best Work of the Best Minds — republished Read More »
CEE’s Entrepreneurship and Values series includes seven 15-20-minute lectures on foundational issues in entrepreneurship. 1. What Is Entrepreneurship? 2. Unleash Your Inner Company 3. Management and Entrepreneurship 4. What Makes Entrepreneurs Tick? 5. Entrepreneurship and Virtue Ethics 6. Entrepreneurship and Liberty 7. Entrepreneurship and Public Policy The lecturers are all entrepreneurs or university professors —
Entrepreneurship and Values — seven short lectures Read More »
Interview conducted at Rockford University by Stephen Hicks and sponsored by the Center for Ethics and Entrepreneurship. Hicks: I’m Stephen Hicks. Our guest today is Professor Terry Noel, who teaches Entrepreneurship and Management at Illinois State, here today at Rockford College speaking on the theme of the virtuous entrepreneur. Interesting title, but your broader context
Terry Noel on The Virtuous Entrepreneur — transcript Read More »
First, some good news about the 1970s Love Canal environmental disaster in New York: long-term studies have shown no increase in rates of cancer or birth defects among the area’s residents. That’s welcome news, even though toxic chemicals were released into the environment, homeowners were frightened, dislocated, and suffered large losses of property value. Now
The Love Canal Environmental Disaster — Four Decades Later [Good Life series] Read More »