My paper “ The Southern Economy ” is finally available. Here’s the abstract: “This essay surveys some of the key themes in Southern economic history and traces the development of the region through the colonial and revolutionary eras, the antebellum period, the Civil War and Reconstruction, the post-bellum period, and the modern period. In
Steve Horwitz and I assess Jane Smiley’s discussion of economists and economics . Passages on economists, rationality, and moral philosophy: We assume people are “rational,” but we don’t mean they are omniscient or wise or even quick learners. We mean people want to make themselves as well-off as possible; people try to shape the world according
Forbes.com published this article yesterday . It’s based on my paper “ Economic Calculation in the Environmentalist Commonwealth .” Here’s the gist: private property and prices are necessary for rational economic calculation; therefore, without private property we cannot know what responsible environmental stewardship even means. Bringing more
I take a lot of my inspiration for public writing, blogging, etc. from George Mason University’s Don Boudreaux. Over the last several years, Professor Boudreaux has waged a prolific letter-writing campaign for economic literacy. Here’s an excellent example in which he dissects the claim that capitalism is too materialistic. I plan to incorporate
With the minimum wage set to increase tomorrow, these videos of Walter Williams are worth considering (HT: Don Boudreaux). Public Schools: Minimum Wages and Occupational Licensing: Welfare: Cross-Posted at Division of Labour and the
I spoke to the local Campaign for Liberty group last night and wanted to thank everyone who made it an excellent event. It was everything a speaker could want: a large and enthusiastic crowd (they said they counted 72 people, I think), great conversation, and excellent questions peppered with healthy skepticism. My long-run optimism is, perhaps, a
Here are some links based on my “Environmental and Resource Economics” lecture. The audio will be available at Mises.org soon. After the IHS Liberty & Society seminar I taught at in June, we collected links relevant to the discussions we had there. The links are here . For links on resource economics more specifically, here is an excellent
In a rush to stimulate the economy, the Obama administration is touting various “visionary” plans to make the American economy more progressive, more innovative, and more forward-looking by subsidizing politically-motivated projects like “green” technology. These hands-on policies will be ineffective. Recent research suggests that a much more
So you’ve been to a summer program sponsored by Mises, IHS, FEE, Cato, Independent, or any of a number of other organizations dedicated to economic research and education. You’re excited, and you’re firmly grounded in your understanding of the classical liberal tradition. You wonder: what now? Here are a few suggestions that will help you make a
Carden, Art and Robert A. Lawson. 2009. Human Rights and Economic Liberalization , under review at Business and Politics . This paper has made the rounds at a handful of conferences and is finally available. Thanks to everyone who has offered comments and suggestions. The abstract: Using several case studies and data from the Economic Freedom 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.