Marginal Revolution points to an interesting piece in Slate on the economics of beef and dietary trends. The question concerns how to explain the boon in beef and the bust in bread. ”Is there really an Atkins economy?” asks Charles Duhigg, and he attempts to disprove the idea that the Atkins craze is responsible. Instead the trend is due to the
New Rules Urged to Avert Looming Pension Crisis (NYT): “The high number of pension funds that have defaulted has already severely weakened the pension insurance agency [Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation], raising fears of a bailout. The agency finances its operations by charging companies premiums, and it still has enough cash flow to make all
What at first appeared to be a hoax is all-too real: the Pentagon really did have a plan to establish a website to permit futures trading in terror attacks. Responding to public outcry, the Pentagon pulled back, which makes you wonder what else a public outcry might accomplish. Perhaps there ought to be a public outcry against 7,000 civilian
The Fed Communicates All Too Well (Kasriel, Northern Trust): “Following the May 6 FOMC meeting, at which time the Fed made known its displeasure with further declines in the inflation rate, the yield on 10-year Treasury notes began to fall.... I, of course, have a different take on the reason for the recent backup in yields. I believe that the Fed
Based on the following reasoning, courtesy of CNN.com , technological regress would be a great way to create jobs: “technological improvements have led to a staggering surge in productivity, meaning employers are able to milk much more work out of fewer workers. That’s great news for corporate profitability and economic growth, but of small
Well, the word in any case. “ Stable Prices are No Cure-All “ (Christopher Farrell, August 1, 2003): “For the past quarter century, central bankers have preached the virtues of price stability — the elusive, long hoped-for goal, an economic equivalent of the holy grail. Economists of all stripes — liberal, conservative, Keynesians, neo-Keynesians,
Cnn.com explains why government regulations in France concerning labels on wine are hurting sales in the US. Regulations specify that wine makers use region, not grape variety, on the label. As a result, wines from Chile and Australia are far outselling the French in the hugely important American market--if only because consumers want to
Stephen J. Dubner, writing in the New York Times Magazine, pulls off an impressive journalistic accomplishment: an interesting feature article on the economic research of Chicago’s Steven Levitt . Among many interesting passages is this: “Levitt is a populist in a field that is undergoing a bout of popularization. Undergraduates are swarming the
Rothbard’s Man, Economy, and State , and Ethics of Liberty , reviewed at Samizdata.net : “But what a joy of leisured utility! Although Rothbard promises you he’s about to cover the whole of economics in one mighty swoop, it’s a breeze. You almost feel you do understand the whole of economics, in one go, as he whisks you from Robinson Crusoe’s
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.
