Mises Search

The CPI rose three tenths of one percent in October and one of the big factors was the rise in used car prices. Used car prices increased 3.4% in October. This is no doubt due to the hundreds of thousands of cars taken off the market and destroyed by the cash for clunkers program. This is good news for those trading in used cars to buy a brand new

A survey finds that economists agree that 17 our of 18 research practices are “unjustifiable.” However, many economists engage in these practices in alarming numbers. Many of the unjustifiable practices relate to econometric issues regarding data, modeling, and cherry picking.  Economists seem to be aware that such practices can be as damaging to

After nine years of outrageous, unwarranted and irrational monetary policy, some people are taking the current monetary regime as normal and natural — the new normal. You can see this on corporate ballot sheets, bank leverage, and the low personal savings rate. However, even the “man on the street” is beginning to believe in this “new normal.”

Economists understand very little about how technological progress occurs. — Alan Greenspan [ This article is adapted from Mark Thornton’s upcoming book on the skyscraper curse . ] Before we leave the topic of the problems and blessings of roundaboutness of production and the structure of production, it will be very useful to see a natural,

Auburn, Alabama, is featured on the front cover of today’s Wall Street Journal . I was interviewed extensively for the story, but was not mentioned.  The story is about the relationship between state universities and increased manufacturing jobs. It turns out that my input did not fit into the story.  The thesis of the article was that college

Many drug law reformers are frightful over who President-elect Donald Trump will appoint to his cabinet to oversee the war on drugs. Might there be a crackdown and reversal of marijuana law reform? While a president’s cabinet choices are always a concern, a big picture analysis shows that efforts to legalize and decriminalize drugs are spreading

There is nothing wrong with living with your parents as a young adult. After graduating from college you can save money to pay off your college loans or to save up for a down payment on your own house. You can also contribute to your parents living standard by paying some rent, paying some utilities, or doing your old chores around the house. I’ve

The National Institute for Health and the National Institute on Drug Abuse recently released a disturbing report on drug overdose deaths. The number of drug overdoses from both legal and illegal drugs increased from approximately 22,000 in 2002 to over 52,000 in 2016, making it a leading cause of accidental death. Even more disturbing is the

Donald Trump campaigned on the economic issues of international trade, immigration, and jobs. He condemned international trade, immigrants, and the economic policies of countries such China and Mexico. As such, he should be made an honorary member of the mid-19th century “Know Nothing” political party. This week he took aim at the trade deficit by

In the fall semester of 1980 I discovered the word libertarian . One of my dorm mates knocked on my door and told me to come see what was on his television. It was a Ed Clark for president advertisement in which Clark said that he was the Libertarian candidate for president and gave a description of what that meant. My friend and I were on the