Policy
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A Vaccine Auction
“As long as the problems of efficiency and distributive justice are separable, one can leave vaccine allocation to a (thoughtfully designed) market while leaving it to elected officials to debate and pursue, at their own pace, the kind of distributive justice that they think their constituents deserve.” ~ Romans Pancs
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Why the UK Government Now Must, But Won’t, Abandon Lockdown
“Were it to be capable of learning from its ‘achievement,’ the Government should now self-consciously abandon the policy aimed at the entire population, the most important part of which would be to end lockdown, tiers, and all such general restrictions. But this would require the Government to acknowledge that its policy has been a mistake…
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Is the Public Interest Really In the Public’s Interest?
“The fact that something is popular doesn’t mean it is right or even beneficial. A better way forward is to simply lay out arguments in full, detailing why and how such proposals would result in the best outcomes for the most people while being prepared to own the consequences. This discussion should be accepting of…
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Who Wanted Pandemic Lockdowns?
“That we will look back with astonishment at what has happened to the world is a near certainty. The folly! And people of the future will never stop asking that great question of why. The answer is finally unsatisfying. It was a massive screw up by people and groups who wanted to try something completely…
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A Nuanced Approach to China Part 2
“Chinese economic prosperity does directly contribute to its authoritarian goals, but trade wars and isolation have not done anything to remedy the situation. Rather a strategy of economic integration will likely lead to not only mutually beneficial outcomes, but also greater leverage in the future if the need to take action arises.” ~ Ethan Yang
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Changing DC’s Status Remains Unconstitutional
“By reducing the buffer zone around the core parts of the federal government, DC statehood could very well jeopardize the security of the nation’s capital. One would think that the recent attempt to overrun the White House and the temporary loss of government control of the Capitol would, if anything, have policymakers thinking about reexpanding…
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Did Market Failures Require A Lockdown Response?
“Economists and policymakers must ask the question: what are people actually doing in the status quo to manage the harm? We may find that what, on its face, appears to be a failure is actually preferable to the reasonable and feasible alternatives.” ~ Jon Murphy
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The Only Way To Win Is Not To Play
“Ignoring one another is a peaceful way of coexisting; Not interacting is a viable solution unless we’re forced to do so through a one-size-fits-all political process. Playing the political game makes it worse, and the collapse of personal grand narratives have let politics substitute for every other desire we have.” ~ Joakim Book
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Fundamental Questions about Corporate Donations
“Corporate governance today, after all, is not democratic, even in the vague sense of representative. Generally speaking, corporate elections are not secret and hence voters, especially employee shareholders, are subject to coercion. Moreover, voting power is a function of the number and type of shares owned, and executives control the proxies of many shareholders by…
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A Nuanced Approach to China Part One
“Diplomacy, economic engagement, and the reserved use of military force are the core principles that define disciplined interstate relations. Throwing them out in favor of romanticized visions of conflict and glory would be playing checkers while China is playing chess.” ~ Ethan Yang
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•
A Vaccine Auction
“As long as the problems of efficiency and distributive justice are separable, one can leave vaccine allocation to a (thoughtfully designed) market while leaving it to elected officials to debate and pursue, at their own pace, the kind of distributive justice that they think their constituents deserve.” ~ Romans Pancs
-
•
Why the UK Government Now Must, But Won’t, Abandon Lockdown
“Were it to be capable of learning from its ‘achievement,’ the Government should now self-consciously abandon the policy aimed at the entire population, the most important part of which would be to end lockdown, tiers, and all such general restrictions. But this would require the Government to acknowledge that its policy has been a mistake…
-
•
Is the Public Interest Really In the Public’s Interest?
“The fact that something is popular doesn’t mean it is right or even beneficial. A better way forward is to simply lay out arguments in full, detailing why and how such proposals would result in the best outcomes for the most people while being prepared to own the consequences. This discussion should be accepting of…
-
•
Who Wanted Pandemic Lockdowns?
“That we will look back with astonishment at what has happened to the world is a near certainty. The folly! And people of the future will never stop asking that great question of why. The answer is finally unsatisfying. It was a massive screw up by people and groups who wanted to try something completely…
-
•
A Nuanced Approach to China Part 2
“Chinese economic prosperity does directly contribute to its authoritarian goals, but trade wars and isolation have not done anything to remedy the situation. Rather a strategy of economic integration will likely lead to not only mutually beneficial outcomes, but also greater leverage in the future if the need to take action arises.” ~ Ethan Yang
-
•
Changing DC’s Status Remains Unconstitutional
“By reducing the buffer zone around the core parts of the federal government, DC statehood could very well jeopardize the security of the nation’s capital. One would think that the recent attempt to overrun the White House and the temporary loss of government control of the Capitol would, if anything, have policymakers thinking about reexpanding…
-
•
Did Market Failures Require A Lockdown Response?
“Economists and policymakers must ask the question: what are people actually doing in the status quo to manage the harm? We may find that what, on its face, appears to be a failure is actually preferable to the reasonable and feasible alternatives.” ~ Jon Murphy
-
•
The Only Way To Win Is Not To Play
“Ignoring one another is a peaceful way of coexisting; Not interacting is a viable solution unless we’re forced to do so through a one-size-fits-all political process. Playing the political game makes it worse, and the collapse of personal grand narratives have let politics substitute for every other desire we have.” ~ Joakim Book
-
•
Fundamental Questions about Corporate Donations
“Corporate governance today, after all, is not democratic, even in the vague sense of representative. Generally speaking, corporate elections are not secret and hence voters, especially employee shareholders, are subject to coercion. Moreover, voting power is a function of the number and type of shares owned, and executives control the proxies of many shareholders by…
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•
A Nuanced Approach to China Part One
“Diplomacy, economic engagement, and the reserved use of military force are the core principles that define disciplined interstate relations. Throwing them out in favor of romanticized visions of conflict and glory would be playing checkers while China is playing chess.” ~ Ethan Yang