Michael Munger
Senior Fellow
Michael Munger is a Professor of Political Science, Economics, and Public Policy at Duke University and Senior Fellow of the American Institute for Economic Research.
His degrees are from Davidson College, Washingon University in St. Louis, and Washington University.
Munger’s research interests include regulation, political institutions, and political economy.
Books by Michael Munger
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The State Isn’t Going Crazy; It’s Going State
“If you want to use the state to accomplish your goals, you cannot “fall out only with the abuses.” You have to recognize that it’s the nature of the state, the thing itself, to use violence against its own citizens.” ~ Michael Munger
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A Stay-At-Home Summer Travelogue
“One of the reasons we travel, and interact with people different from ourselves, is that we need to remember that things we take for granted could be done differently, and maybe improved.” ~ Michael Munger
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There Really Is a Solid Reason for Optimism
“We can make the rebuilt political economy better than the bloated, creaky rent-selling machine that we had at the start of 2020.” ~ Michael Munger
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After the Virus, Universities Will Survive
Attracting students to a bricks-and-mortar campus requires a mix, or bundle, of services that cannot be easily replicated, even piecemeal, and which nowhere are available as a bundle with such convenience.
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Why Politicians Focus on Trivia in the Midst of Disaster
Why would a city, short of tax money in a crisis, pay an enormous sum to disable a public space from being used by the citizens who paid for it? Because the city can do nothing about the virus.
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Five Things That Will End the Madness
Winston Churchill famously said: “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” We are not at the end of the damage to the world economy from COVID-19, but we are, perhaps, at the end of the beginning. Here are…
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A Government That Does Everything Can’t Do Anything Well
The often-prescient Tyler Cowen commented not long ago that libertarianism, if it is to grow as a political movement, should embrace arguments for expanding state capacity in some areas. He named this approach “State Capacity Libertarianism” (SCL). I’m not sure you have to go that far, accepting a version of libertarianism that also takes the…
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Without Individual Autonomy, There’s No Equality
Economists usually say, “SINCE exchange is voluntary….” but the rest of the world says, “IF exchange is voluntary….” It makes a difference. To explain why, I have developed a concept of “truly voluntary” exchange in a number of writings, including one overview here at AIER. If an exchange is truly voluntary, we know for certain…
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A Case for Corruption
Suppose you live in a country with nationalized communications companies, indifferent and intermittent service, and extremely slow maintenance and repair responses. But you have an idea that is likely to produce tens of millions of sales, and quickly.
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The Future of Academic Publishing
Given the extent of the competition in modern academics for publication space, and the breakdown of the process of physical publication and dissemination on paper, we are nearing a state of crisis.
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•
The State Isn’t Going Crazy; It’s Going State
“If you want to use the state to accomplish your goals, you cannot “fall out only with the abuses.” You have to recognize that it’s the nature of the state, the thing itself, to use violence against its own citizens.” ~ Michael Munger
-
•
A Stay-At-Home Summer Travelogue
“One of the reasons we travel, and interact with people different from ourselves, is that we need to remember that things we take for granted could be done differently, and maybe improved.” ~ Michael Munger
-
•
There Really Is a Solid Reason for Optimism
“We can make the rebuilt political economy better than the bloated, creaky rent-selling machine that we had at the start of 2020.” ~ Michael Munger
-
•
After the Virus, Universities Will Survive
Attracting students to a bricks-and-mortar campus requires a mix, or bundle, of services that cannot be easily replicated, even piecemeal, and which nowhere are available as a bundle with such convenience.
-
•
Why Politicians Focus on Trivia in the Midst of Disaster
Why would a city, short of tax money in a crisis, pay an enormous sum to disable a public space from being used by the citizens who paid for it? Because the city can do nothing about the virus.
-
•
Five Things That Will End the Madness
Winston Churchill famously said: “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” We are not at the end of the damage to the world economy from COVID-19, but we are, perhaps, at the end of the beginning. Here are…
-
•
A Government That Does Everything Can’t Do Anything Well
The often-prescient Tyler Cowen commented not long ago that libertarianism, if it is to grow as a political movement, should embrace arguments for expanding state capacity in some areas. He named this approach “State Capacity Libertarianism” (SCL). I’m not sure you have to go that far, accepting a version of libertarianism that also takes the…
-
•
Without Individual Autonomy, There’s No Equality
Economists usually say, “SINCE exchange is voluntary….” but the rest of the world says, “IF exchange is voluntary….” It makes a difference. To explain why, I have developed a concept of “truly voluntary” exchange in a number of writings, including one overview here at AIER. If an exchange is truly voluntary, we know for certain…
-
•
A Case for Corruption
Suppose you live in a country with nationalized communications companies, indifferent and intermittent service, and extremely slow maintenance and repair responses. But you have an idea that is likely to produce tens of millions of sales, and quickly.
-
•
The Future of Academic Publishing
Given the extent of the competition in modern academics for publication space, and the breakdown of the process of physical publication and dissemination on paper, we are nearing a state of crisis.