Crisis
-
•
Globalization Does Not Increase Pandemic Risk
During the 20th century, the volume of international exchanges went in the opposite direction: trade increased and expanded as a result of trade liberalization and technological innovations in transport and communications. Thus, it appears that in spite of globalization, the damages wrought by pandemics have fallen.
-
•
Incarceration, Monetization, and Nationalization Can’t Preserve Our Health or Wealth
Perhaps the main difference between the mild reaction to the more lethal H1NI virus in 2010 and the hyped, heated reaction to the Wuhan China virus in 2020 is the difference between President Obama, who was adored by most of the media, and President Trump, who, we know, is reviled by most of it.
-
•
Counterfactual: What If Government Had Not Intervened?
Had governments done nothing in response to the Coronavirus, individuals and businesses would have done much more, and done so without going out of business. The Ruling Class overseeing this crack-up deserves the mother of all comeuppances that goes well beyond losing in the next election cycle.
-
•
The Columbia-NYT Model Can’t Be Right
Most of the disease-forecasting models hitting the headlines these days are based on applying dubious exponentials on vast numbers of unknowns, while the public-relations spin weaves the appearance of certainty that is unsustainable given existing knowns.
-
•
Alcohol to the Rescue!
People are, sadly, suffering and dying because of coronavirus, the harms from which are planetary in scale. We should remember, all of us, amid hardships and confusion, isolation and loss, disruption and sorrow, to appreciate the small, entrepreneurial miracles that have widespread and salubrious effects—like turning vodka into pocket-sized, germ-killing gel!
-
•
The Coronavirus Recession: What Can the China Experience Tell Us?
The U.S. coronavirus contagion began in February, is accelerating in mid-March, and is just now being confronted with major city, state, and industry closings. If we experience a 10-week long economic disturbance like China’s, then we will see sharply negative GDP growth effects for part of February, all of March, part of April and maybe…
-
•
Beware of Panic Policymaking
Precisely because we are now more willing to let our guard down we must keep a vigilant eye on all these politicians who are now hyperactively working to “protect” us.
-
•
Vital Information that Is Falling Through the Cracks
Too often in a crisis, level-headed voices are drowned out by demagogues, shouting, and fear. Below you will find interesting and credible information that should inform the policy response.
-
•
Medical-Supply Nationalism Is Deeply Harmful, Even Deadly
When there is a shortage of medical supplies, going out of our way to make them more expensive will hurt people. These are also not perishable goods – stockpiling them from efficient sources to be deployed in a future crisis seems like a safer bet than shiny new idle factories waiting to ramp up production…
-
•
Revolution Is in the Air
Compounding one mistake – allowing mission creep to divert resources away from the government’s presumed public health mandate – with another (unduly restricting civil liberties in a desperate attempt to make up for the first failure) is a recipe for revolution.
-
•
Globalization Does Not Increase Pandemic Risk
During the 20th century, the volume of international exchanges went in the opposite direction: trade increased and expanded as a result of trade liberalization and technological innovations in transport and communications. Thus, it appears that in spite of globalization, the damages wrought by pandemics have fallen.
-
•
Incarceration, Monetization, and Nationalization Can’t Preserve Our Health or Wealth
Perhaps the main difference between the mild reaction to the more lethal H1NI virus in 2010 and the hyped, heated reaction to the Wuhan China virus in 2020 is the difference between President Obama, who was adored by most of the media, and President Trump, who, we know, is reviled by most of it.
-
•
Counterfactual: What If Government Had Not Intervened?
Had governments done nothing in response to the Coronavirus, individuals and businesses would have done much more, and done so without going out of business. The Ruling Class overseeing this crack-up deserves the mother of all comeuppances that goes well beyond losing in the next election cycle.
-
•
The Columbia-NYT Model Can’t Be Right
Most of the disease-forecasting models hitting the headlines these days are based on applying dubious exponentials on vast numbers of unknowns, while the public-relations spin weaves the appearance of certainty that is unsustainable given existing knowns.
-
•
Alcohol to the Rescue!
People are, sadly, suffering and dying because of coronavirus, the harms from which are planetary in scale. We should remember, all of us, amid hardships and confusion, isolation and loss, disruption and sorrow, to appreciate the small, entrepreneurial miracles that have widespread and salubrious effects—like turning vodka into pocket-sized, germ-killing gel!
-
•
The Coronavirus Recession: What Can the China Experience Tell Us?
The U.S. coronavirus contagion began in February, is accelerating in mid-March, and is just now being confronted with major city, state, and industry closings. If we experience a 10-week long economic disturbance like China’s, then we will see sharply negative GDP growth effects for part of February, all of March, part of April and maybe…
-
•
Beware of Panic Policymaking
Precisely because we are now more willing to let our guard down we must keep a vigilant eye on all these politicians who are now hyperactively working to “protect” us.
-
•
Vital Information that Is Falling Through the Cracks
Too often in a crisis, level-headed voices are drowned out by demagogues, shouting, and fear. Below you will find interesting and credible information that should inform the policy response.
-
•
Medical-Supply Nationalism Is Deeply Harmful, Even Deadly
When there is a shortage of medical supplies, going out of our way to make them more expensive will hurt people. These are also not perishable goods – stockpiling them from efficient sources to be deployed in a future crisis seems like a safer bet than shiny new idle factories waiting to ramp up production…
-
•
Revolution Is in the Air
Compounding one mistake – allowing mission creep to divert resources away from the government’s presumed public health mandate – with another (unduly restricting civil liberties in a desperate attempt to make up for the first failure) is a recipe for revolution.