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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Government Failure in One Lesson
“Perhaps the easiest way to explain government failure in one lesson is to remember that there is no such thing as ‘the state.’ Instead, essential decisions about resource use will be made by political actors.” ~Michael Munger
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Our Kids Have No Economic Immune Systems
“Kids are told they can do anything, that they are personally mighty and important. But they never have the experience of everyday effort and failure.” ~Michael Munger
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Private Governance Will Make You Free
“Enforcement of these emergent rules can be accomplished largely by what Adam Smith called ‘propriety,’ rather than by armed employees of the state.” ~Michael Munger
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The Magic Food Cupboard
“Every small aspect of the work that people do to deliver and stock those Whole Foods grocery shelves is noble, in its own way. Dismissing the parts as meaningless fails to understand the power of the larger system.” ~Michael Munger
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Competition Can’t Be Perfect
“Since if something is perfect, it must be desirable, a new generation of attorneys is attempting a wholesale takeover of antitrust enforcement.” ~Michael Munger
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Look With Two Is
“Look at institutional arrangements as they actually play out, making the comparison by looking through two Is: information and incentives.” ~Michael Munger
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Commoditizing Excess Capacity
“If all the cars, and apartments, have people using them, and all the tools have people making things with them, we will need far fewer of those things. We have ‘enough’ stuff, it’s just in the closet.” ~Michael Munger
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Division of Labor Makes Us Wealthy…And Fragile
“Our dependence on the ability to serve others in highly specialized ways is contingent on the rest of the system working constantly and efficiently. Our shrinking command of general competence puts us at greater risk.” ~Michael Munger
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Property in Words: Not Even Under Suspicion
“Respect for the creators of ideas, and the words through which those ideas are conveyed in the literature, is the highest value we have in the academy.” ~Michael Munger
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ChatGPT is a Calculator; Deal with It
“For many routine tasks—and, honestly, most writing is routine, not creative—it is faster and actually better to have the AI create the text, at least for the first draft.” ~Michael Munger
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•
Government Failure in One Lesson
“Perhaps the easiest way to explain government failure in one lesson is to remember that there is no such thing as ‘the state.’ Instead, essential decisions about resource use will be made by political actors.” ~Michael Munger
-
•
Our Kids Have No Economic Immune Systems
“Kids are told they can do anything, that they are personally mighty and important. But they never have the experience of everyday effort and failure.” ~Michael Munger
-
•
Private Governance Will Make You Free
“Enforcement of these emergent rules can be accomplished largely by what Adam Smith called ‘propriety,’ rather than by armed employees of the state.” ~Michael Munger
-
•
The Magic Food Cupboard
“Every small aspect of the work that people do to deliver and stock those Whole Foods grocery shelves is noble, in its own way. Dismissing the parts as meaningless fails to understand the power of the larger system.” ~Michael Munger
-
•
Competition Can’t Be Perfect
“Since if something is perfect, it must be desirable, a new generation of attorneys is attempting a wholesale takeover of antitrust enforcement.” ~Michael Munger
-
•
Look With Two Is
“Look at institutional arrangements as they actually play out, making the comparison by looking through two Is: information and incentives.” ~Michael Munger
-
•
Commoditizing Excess Capacity
“If all the cars, and apartments, have people using them, and all the tools have people making things with them, we will need far fewer of those things. We have ‘enough’ stuff, it’s just in the closet.” ~Michael Munger
-
•
Division of Labor Makes Us Wealthy…And Fragile
“Our dependence on the ability to serve others in highly specialized ways is contingent on the rest of the system working constantly and efficiently. Our shrinking command of general competence puts us at greater risk.” ~Michael Munger
-
•
Property in Words: Not Even Under Suspicion
“Respect for the creators of ideas, and the words through which those ideas are conveyed in the literature, is the highest value we have in the academy.” ~Michael Munger
-
•
ChatGPT is a Calculator; Deal with It
“For many routine tasks—and, honestly, most writing is routine, not creative—it is faster and actually better to have the AI create the text, at least for the first draft.” ~Michael Munger