A fascinating working paper by economists Filipe Campante and Edward Glaeser about two initially very similar cities with divergent paths over the last century. Here is their abstract: Buenos Aires and Chicago grew during the nineteenth century for remarkably similar reasons. Both cities were conduits for moving meat and grain from fertile hinterlands to eastern […]
Comparing Buenos Aires and Chicago over the 20th century Read More »
Two economists report on survey results of professional economists’ policy views and voting from the mid-2000s, before the financial crisis hit. Their abstract: In Spring 2003, a survey of 1000 economists was conducted using a randomly generated membership list from the American Economics Association. The survey contained questions about 18 policy issues, voting behavior, and
Economists’ policy views and voting behavior Read More »
What makes liberal capitalism good? Here is a flowchart I’ve developed for use in some upcoming talks. The chart diagrams the positive claims about liberal capitalism by its defenders — John Locke, Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill, Ludwig von Mises, Ayn Rand, Friedrich Hayek, Milton Friedman, and others. Click on the image for full size
Justifying liberal capitalism Read More »
My talk at the 2012 Atlas Summit in Washington, DC, is now online. My themes: * Our schizophrenic public policy culture: health, sex, religion, money * What wealth is: tangible, intangible, and institutional assets * Entrepreneurism as a cultural asset * Objectivism’s entrepreneurial ethic * Principled strategy in a mixed economy * Three challenges: abstractness,
Video lecture: “Public Policy, Objectivism, and Entrepreneurship” Read More »
After a terrible yesterday, like many people I am still trying to understand how someone could do those horrible things. I run through the list of factors and wonder which ones contributed causally. His being male? His mental abilities/disabilities? How his parents raised him? His living in a society with access to firearms or with
Firearm death rates and more Read More »
The ten-point list from The Communist Manifesto, with my rough quantification: 1. Abolition of property in land and application of all rents of land to public purposes. [Partial check: property taxes, zoning laws, the federal government alone owns 30% of all land in the USA. .6 points.] 2. A heavy progressive or graduated income tax.
Marx’s 10-point plan 50% realized in USA Read More »
Below is the text of an open letter published in The Huffington Post on September 19, 2012 by Thor Halvorssen, Founder of the Human Rights Foundation. The letter is useful for Business Ethics courses in discussions of marketing and advertising using popular political figures, especially political figures with a record like Guevara’s. An Open Letter
Marketing ethics and Che Guevara Read More »
Theories of International Politics and Zombies is Daniel Drezner’s mostly tongue-in-cheek* discussion of various theories’ takes on the zombie threat. Having watched two zombie shows in my life — The Omega Man** when I was 11, and The Walking Dead this year — I consider myself expertly qualified to comment on Drezner’s book: It is
Zombies and International Politics Read More »