-
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
Archives
Categories
Tag Cloud
- ARRA
- books
- capitalism
- children
- communication
- debate
- democrat
- Depression
- echo chamber
- economics
- education
- employment
- ethics
- farming
- Federal Reserve
- financial
- freedom
- free market
- goals
- government
- government intervention
- groupthink
- Hayek
- income
- inequality
- inflation
- jobs
- Keynes
- labor
- law
- libertarian
- Logic
- morality
- peace
- price controls
- profit
- rent seeking
- republican
- school
- Smith
- statistics
- theory
- unions
- voluntary exchange
- Wisconsin
Blogroll
Meta
Category Archives: Economics
Watch What You Wish For
Hayek wrote in The Road to Serfdom that we need to think long-term about the policies and ideas we propose for when you combine all the ideas adopted together over time in a nation and follow their natural consequences out … Continue reading
Happy Birthday Wealth of Nations!
Today is the 325th birthday of the publishing of Adam Smith’s An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations! Join the celebration by listening to Russ Roberts on Cato or reading Mark Skousen on the centrality … Continue reading
The Effect of Unions on Employment and Wages
We are seeing a lot of heated rhetoric here in Wisconsin about the governor and unions. The clearest treatment I have read of the effect of unions is Chapter 20 in Henry Hazlitt’s book Economics In One Lesson. Jeffrey Miron, … Continue reading
Posted in Economics, Politics, Unintended Consequences
Tagged labor, unemployment, unions, Wisconsin
Leave a comment
Fun with Numbers or “Lies, Damned Lies, and Statisticsâ€
In my work we use statistics to support or disprove a point. We mine data to look for patterns, answer questions, and search for evidence of impacts. We try very hard to be objective and accurate in our use of … Continue reading
Job creation by the government – slight of hand
When the government moves money around to ‘create jobs’ they achieve the opposite effect. Continue reading
Trade With Your Children
If it makes life easier if our children help out with the chores, then trade with China enhances everyone’s welfare! The two seem miles apart but are supported by the same logic. Continue reading
The Great Depression – Plenty of Blame to Share
[This is part of a series, which is introduced in the posting titled “Unintended Consequences” here.] [Edited September 13, 2011] There are plenty of options for pointing to government policies and behavior that brought about the Great Depression, deepened it, … Continue reading
Posted in Economics, Politics, Unintended Consequences
Tagged Depression, government intervention, Keynes
Leave a comment
Fiscal Irresponsibility
Well doesn’t that just fill you with confidence about the plans the federal government has for dealing with the deficit. The first big headlines they make after the Republican resurgence is three things guaranteed to fix the deficit: cut income … Continue reading
Unintended Consequences: legislation as the problem not the solution
Examples of government policies that produce significant unintended consequences. Continue reading
Posted in Economics, Politics, Unintended Consequences
Leave a comment
Robin Hood
Arguments that espouse taking from the rich and giving to the poor act as if this is a zero sum game being played. Under this frame of mind you can take surplus from the rich and give it to the … Continue reading