Jeff Deist and Claudio Grass discuss the uniquely Swiss mindset behind the upcoming Swiss gold referendum, and how decentralization of political power is part of Swiss DNA; the tremendous geopolitical aftershocks that would occur if the referendum passes — including the physical repatriation of gold to Switzerland; and how the Swiss people may be
We ran four articles on the Swiss gold initiative, beginning with Claudio Grass of Switzerland, who was interviewed on Mises Weekends. Grass was generally positive about the intitiative, if not its prospects for success, here and here. During the second interview, however, Jeff Deist noted several critics who have pointed out numerous point
If you examine the attached graph one factor that might jump out at you is that the current “recovery” has been the worst one since WWII in terms of the percentage job losses and the time necessary for a full recovery in the job market making it, already, the most expensive since WWII. Another less clear, but equally valid observation is that the
Volume 5, No. 1 (Spring 2002) George Selgin and Lawrence White have sought to tie their modern free banking school to the views of Ludwig von Mises . Whatever the validity of their own views on the gold standard and fractional-reserve free banking, their assessments of Mises’s positions on these issues are dubious. Mises felt
Volume 6, No. 4 (Winter 2003) It seems odd that economists would find the idea of falling prices to be a bad thing. Likewise, it is peculiar that policymakers would fear deflation and be willing to take drastic measures to insure the so-called “defeat” of deflation. Policymakers and politicians, after all, would supposedly want the general
Volume 6, No. 4 (Winter 2003) This three-volume collection, edited by William Rees-Mogg and published in 2002 by Pickering and Chatto presents, in more than 949 pages, essays and excerpts from books written by 19 of the most remarkable monetary theorists from the sixteenth century to the present. Sir Rees-Mogg’s selection begins with
Volume 8, No. 3 (Fall 2005) Throughout much of modern history, gold served as the commodity that most widely facilitated free exchange. While its virtues as a medium-of-exchange were clear to people of previous eras, gold has fallen out of favor, both in its use as money and in the esteem in which it was once held among academics. It used to
In this audio interview, Ron Paul touches on recent developments affecting the value of the dollar, the potential for currency collapse, gold, war, Russia, and more. The Ron Paul portion begins at 2:30 and ends at 17:30. (Note: My posting of this video is not an endorsement of any of the advertised products that appear on screen in the course of
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.