In a rush to stimulate the economy, the Obama administration is touting various “visionary” plans to make the American economy more progressive, more innovative, and more forward-looking by subsidizing politically-motivated projects like “green” technology. These hands-on policies will be ineffective. Recent research suggests that a much more
I find myself wondering how great life must have been for generations past. They never had to deal with the vagaries of the 21st century competitive marketplace or the stresses of day-to-day life. I just had to change a flight and hotel schedule for a trip I’m taking in November because the flight I was originally taking was changed. I just spent
“What’s with all the teenagers without costumes coming to my front door and expecting candy?!” This was the gist of several Facebook status updates I saw last night. I don’t discriminate against the uncostumed because it isn’t worth ruining someone’s evening to save a dollar or so worth of candy, but at least one friend has a “no costume, no
One of the most enduring myths of popular economics is that war is good for the economy. One ofthe most enduring myths of the twentieth century is that World War II ended the Great Depression. In a series of important papers that culminated in his book Depression, War, and Cold War , Robert Higgs has argued convincingly that the War didn’t end the
Following on the heels of the excellent discussions during Secession Week at Let A Thousand Nations Bloom , my new Forbes column discusses secession at the state level. Specifically, a state legislator in Alabama has been looking into what it would take for Greene County–and the entire 7th Congressional District–to secede and form a new state. I
Summer is fast approaching, and that means it’s going to be time for some of my favorite summer traditions: week-long seminars on economics, political theory, and philosophy aimed at the study of liberty. I have attended and taught at seminars sponsored by the Mises Institute, the Foundation for Economic Education, and the Institute for Humane
Last week, I put forth a couple of questions on airline pricing and got a lot of great comments in response. As I mentioned, the post was inspired by a few things I’ve seen on the blog that accompanies Alex Tabarrok and Tyler Cowen’s textbook . David Youngberg offers links . The answer involves a bit of knowledge about American air travel.
Sundays have become “clean-out-the-fridge” days in the Carden house, which leads to some interesting culinary experiments. Yesterday, I jerry-rigged something resembling a gyro using leftovers from a couple of meals: hummus, homemade pita bread, red onions, feta cheese, pot roast, and Cholula Chili Lime sauce. The end product was pretty good, if I
This Chronicle of Higher Education piece on anarchism and its influence on the Occupy Wall Street protests is a pretty interesting read that gets at some of the complexities of a movement that’s obviously much more than spoiled rich kids upset that they don’t have the cash to upgrade to the new iPhone but obviously much less than a thoughtful
What is the Mises Institute?
The Mises Institute is a non-profit organization that exists to promote teaching and research in the Austrian School of economics, individual freedom, honest history, and international peace, in the tradition of Ludwig von Mises and Murray N. Rothbard.
Non-political, non-partisan, and non-PC, we advocate a radical shift in the intellectual climate, away from statism and toward a private property order. We believe that our foundational ideas are of permanent value, and oppose all efforts at compromise, sellout, and amalgamation of these ideas with fashionable political, cultural, and social doctrines inimical to their spirit.
