“The science and evidence in Roland Emmerich’s anticipated blockbuster Independence Day may be flawed and the posited scenario may be impossible as far as we know, but the movie has the potential to do a lot of good. It will raise awareness of the possibility that a race of hostile aliens may someday attempt to exterminate humanity. What’s more,
Anti-Wal-Mart crusaders take Wal-Mart’s “negative long-run impact” as an article of faith without solid empirical or theoretical support. Readers interested in good economics should consult Bill Anderson’s discussion of the predatory pricing doctrine and Emek Basker’s study of Wal-Mart’s long run impact on employment . In addition, Russell Roberts
So Georgia is picking off top Alabama scientists . Georgia leaders are touting a high “return on investment” in the form of government research contracts. Naturally, AL legislators say this means that the state of Alabama has to spend more on basic science. To say nothing of the “broken window” problems associated with this line of reasoning, it
is parbaked, high-quality “artisanal” bread that you can get at your local supermarket . Some small-scale artisanal bread makers are understandably upset that bigger operations have found ways to make near-perfect substitutes for their lovingly-crafted, locally-produced loaves. Some will lose their jobs and have to find other lines of work. But
Exports good, imports bad. And those awful Chinese! Selling us goods we want to buy. What’s next? You know, since the economic liberation of Communist lands and India, nothing’s been right. They’re competing with us! Bush isn’t protectionist enough. Where is a man like John Edwards to lead us, to impose more bureaucratic management on the economy?
An excellent piece of analysis from the American Enterprise Institute . The finding: if you eat nothing but McDonald’s every day and stop exercising, you get fat. The (implicit or explicit) conclusion: therefore, the government should crack down on big, bad McDonald’s. I agree with the finding; however, I’m a little worried about the fact that
The theory of public goods (and bads) is pretty simple. The argument is that there are welfare-enhancing trades that would occur but do not because property rights to all the valuable characteristics of a so-called public good cannot be specified. “Basic science” is a perfect example. Presumably, we all benefit from basic science. However,
Wal-Mart is screwed. According to new commentary , it appears that Aldi, a super-discounter that generally serves low-income neighborhoods (on this continent, anyway), may be prove to be a formidable foe for Big-Box Behemoths. Their recipe for success includes chain-specific brands, amazingly low prices, high quality, small stores. Aldi offers the
Especially when you’re talking about running other people’s lives . The food-stamps-for-candy controversy provides a pretty good example of the unintended consequences of public policy. So we want people to eat more? Give them food stamps. But they’re spending the food stamps on candy and soft drinks. So we tell them that they can’t spend the
According to Steven Taylor at Poliblogger.com (via Virginia Postrel and Jane Galt ), a drive is underway to re-stock the library at Baghdad U. They say they need medical, math, and science books, preferably no more than 5 years old. The effort is apparently being headed up by Dr. Safaa al-Hamdani, professor of Biology at Jacksonville State. While
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.