Robert Mulligan
Senior Fellow
He is the author of Entrepreneurship and the Human Experience and Executive Compensation. Both books can be purchased through Amazon either in hard copy or as a Kindle eBook.
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Trade, Debt, and Growth
“What are we getting for this unprecedented debt? Mostly, all it’s purchased for us is political leadership which can only charitably be characterized as mediocre.” ~ Robert F. Mulligan
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Understanding the CPI
“Regardless of substitution, businesses have to use some commodities for production. With PPI inflation for all commodities at 24 percent, though that does not necessarily forecast a future CPI increase that high, it strongly suggests CPI inflation will continue to rise.” ~ Robert F. Mulligan
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Windfall Profits Tax Redux
“Government intervention like windfall profits taxes keeps market participants, both producers and consumers, from acting to moderate extreme price changes on either the supply or the demand sides. It’s a proven strategy for making a bad situation worse.” ~ Robert F. Mulligan
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How the Fed Painted Us into a Corner
“Over the months and years to come, it will be very interesting to see how faithfully the Fed pursues its policy of returning interest rates to normal and sustainable levels—approximately 3-4 percent for the federal funds rate.” ~ Robert F. Mulligan
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Understanding Unemployment
“The real impact of recession is felt directly on the unemployed and their families, in lost income, lost opportunities, and a host of social problems, including impaired mental health, domestic violence, and substance abuse.” ~ Robert F. Mulligan
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Understanding GDP
“GDP is a crude measure of economic performance, but it captures a tremendous amount of information in a single number. It provides a one-dimensional measure of the output of a complex and multidimensional modern exchange economy.” ~ Robert F. Mulligan
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Lessons from the Tokugawa Shogunate 1603 – 1868
“The impact of the Shogunate was one of stability and unification over the course of the 1600s. The Shogunate established peace and stability after a period of destructive civil war, which in turn allowed commerce and domestic industry to flourish.” ~ Robert F. Mulligan
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Trade-Offs in Economics
“Real-world complications highlight the limits of applying the basic idea of trade-offs in economics, but even with these complications, understanding this one basic economic principle offers powerful insights into consumer choice, economic growth, and international trade.” ~ Robert F. Mulligan
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Money and the Constitution
“The dubious constitutionality of the Federal Reserve System set up in 1912 might have been overlooked if it had provided price stability, lower unemployment, or enhanced economic growth.” ~ Robert F. Mulligan
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Lessons from the Financial Instability Hypothesis
“The Covid-19 recession was not triggered by financial causes, but the ballooning government debt the U.S. is currently pursuing, recklessly and with a vengeance, can only substitute a new unsustainable expansion for a sustainable recovery.” ~ Robert F. Mulligan
-
•
Trade, Debt, and Growth
“What are we getting for this unprecedented debt? Mostly, all it’s purchased for us is political leadership which can only charitably be characterized as mediocre.” ~ Robert F. Mulligan
-
•
Understanding the CPI
“Regardless of substitution, businesses have to use some commodities for production. With PPI inflation for all commodities at 24 percent, though that does not necessarily forecast a future CPI increase that high, it strongly suggests CPI inflation will continue to rise.” ~ Robert F. Mulligan
-
•
Windfall Profits Tax Redux
“Government intervention like windfall profits taxes keeps market participants, both producers and consumers, from acting to moderate extreme price changes on either the supply or the demand sides. It’s a proven strategy for making a bad situation worse.” ~ Robert F. Mulligan
-
•
How the Fed Painted Us into a Corner
“Over the months and years to come, it will be very interesting to see how faithfully the Fed pursues its policy of returning interest rates to normal and sustainable levels—approximately 3-4 percent for the federal funds rate.” ~ Robert F. Mulligan
-
•
Understanding Unemployment
“The real impact of recession is felt directly on the unemployed and their families, in lost income, lost opportunities, and a host of social problems, including impaired mental health, domestic violence, and substance abuse.” ~ Robert F. Mulligan
-
•
Understanding GDP
“GDP is a crude measure of economic performance, but it captures a tremendous amount of information in a single number. It provides a one-dimensional measure of the output of a complex and multidimensional modern exchange economy.” ~ Robert F. Mulligan
-
•
Lessons from the Tokugawa Shogunate 1603 – 1868
“The impact of the Shogunate was one of stability and unification over the course of the 1600s. The Shogunate established peace and stability after a period of destructive civil war, which in turn allowed commerce and domestic industry to flourish.” ~ Robert F. Mulligan
-
•
Trade-Offs in Economics
“Real-world complications highlight the limits of applying the basic idea of trade-offs in economics, but even with these complications, understanding this one basic economic principle offers powerful insights into consumer choice, economic growth, and international trade.” ~ Robert F. Mulligan
-
•
Money and the Constitution
“The dubious constitutionality of the Federal Reserve System set up in 1912 might have been overlooked if it had provided price stability, lower unemployment, or enhanced economic growth.” ~ Robert F. Mulligan
-
•
Lessons from the Financial Instability Hypothesis
“The Covid-19 recession was not triggered by financial causes, but the ballooning government debt the U.S. is currently pursuing, recklessly and with a vengeance, can only substitute a new unsustainable expansion for a sustainable recovery.” ~ Robert F. Mulligan