Value and Exchange
Social Pressure vs. Consumer Preferences
Anti-capitalists love to claim that consumers don't really have free choice — that advertisers and peers really dictate to others what they should buy. In truth, consumers choose freely, but use others to filter information and simplify the process.
Why It’s Important to Understand “Economic Costs”
The concept of economic cost seems to confuse people. It is not the price you pay for a good, but the reason you pay it.
Can Cooperation Replace Competition?
Competition and cooperation and not two things in conflict. They are both essential ingredients in a society based on voluntary action instead of violence.
Billionaires Aren’t Quite As Rich as We Think They Are
If the Wal-Mart CEO were to take a $1 salary and the company were to spread that over each of the company's workers, each worker would receive a one-time bonus of $10.
How Human Action and Human Values Determine Prices
Prices are set by how much people value goods and services. And people value things based on what they think will improve their life and well-being.
Krugman Needs a Lesson on Why Truckers Are Paid Less Now than in the 1970s
Truckers are paid less now than in the 1970s because government regulators once tightly controlled competition, thus driving up the cost of living for everyone else.
Agree or Disagree? On the Role of Negotiations for the Valuation of Business Enterprises
Valuation of businesses must be based on appraisement, investment appraisal, and—terra incognita in Austrian economics—negotiation. Discounted cash flow and "relative valuation" methods are well-suited for negotiation purposes.
Capitalist “Expropriation”: Resentment versus Reality
Being resentful about a business transaction after the fact isn't the same thing as being exploited or abused.