Unintended Consequences
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Univ. of Michigan’s Hidden Grades Will Backfire on Students
Hiding student grades may sound compassionate, but it will weaken an important signal of merit and push employers toward less transparent ways of sorting applicants.
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When Paris Went Hungry Under Government Food Controls
During the French Revolution, authorities in Paris turned to “a series of ventures in price-fixing and food control” to ensure people did not go hungry. It didn’t work as planned.
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What Slaughtered Pigs Can Teach Us About Europe’s Wine Policy
There’s a senselessness to Europe’s attempt to manage wine supply and dictate prices that echoes the New Deal’s effort to alleviate poverty by destroying millions of pigs.
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Japan’s Debt Crisis Is a Global Warning
Japan can watch debt-service costs consume its budget, or suppress rates and risk inflation. Decades of borrowing have eliminated the easy options.
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When ‘Consumer Protection’ Protects Producers from Competition
Claims to “protect consumers” often shield established industries from competition. The century-old battle over the definition of “whiskey” shows how.
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When Rational Individual Choices Produce Collective Waste
Why we keep paying for practices nobody wants—and what finally makes them disappear.
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Tariffs Didn’t Rebuild Factories. They Fueled a Lobbying Boom.
When government decides who pays and who is exempt, businesses rationally redirect resources from investment to lobbying and favor seeking.
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Upward Mobility Is a Better Measure of Justice Than Income Equality
If your wealthy boss earns less, will you earn more? France’s compressed salary scale shows more ‘equal’ pay clusters at levels that could keep you both poorer.
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Half of Students Now Get A’s, But Actual Achievement Is Declining
Your child’s report card may be sending the wrong signal. Grades and GPAs increasingly reflect institutional incentives rather than academic achievement.
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Trump Uses NATO Summit to Reinforce Mercantilist Policy
NATO members are finally taking more responsibility for their own defense. Using those security commitments to squeeze trading partners threatens markets and undermines diplomacy.
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•
Univ. of Michigan’s Hidden Grades Will Backfire on Students
Hiding student grades may sound compassionate, but it will weaken an important signal of merit and push employers toward less transparent ways of sorting applicants.
-
•
When Paris Went Hungry Under Government Food Controls
During the French Revolution, authorities in Paris turned to “a series of ventures in price-fixing and food control” to ensure people did not go hungry. It didn’t work as planned.
-
•
What Slaughtered Pigs Can Teach Us About Europe’s Wine Policy
There’s a senselessness to Europe’s attempt to manage wine supply and dictate prices that echoes the New Deal’s effort to alleviate poverty by destroying millions of pigs.
-
•
Japan’s Debt Crisis Is a Global Warning
Japan can watch debt-service costs consume its budget, or suppress rates and risk inflation. Decades of borrowing have eliminated the easy options.
-
•
When ‘Consumer Protection’ Protects Producers from Competition
Claims to “protect consumers” often shield established industries from competition. The century-old battle over the definition of “whiskey” shows how.
-
•
When Rational Individual Choices Produce Collective Waste
Why we keep paying for practices nobody wants—and what finally makes them disappear.
-
•
Tariffs Didn’t Rebuild Factories. They Fueled a Lobbying Boom.
When government decides who pays and who is exempt, businesses rationally redirect resources from investment to lobbying and favor seeking.
-
•
Upward Mobility Is a Better Measure of Justice Than Income Equality
If your wealthy boss earns less, will you earn more? France’s compressed salary scale shows more ‘equal’ pay clusters at levels that could keep you both poorer.
-
•
Half of Students Now Get A’s, But Actual Achievement Is Declining
Your child’s report card may be sending the wrong signal. Grades and GPAs increasingly reflect institutional incentives rather than academic achievement.
-
•
Trump Uses NATO Summit to Reinforce Mercantilist Policy
NATO members are finally taking more responsibility for their own defense. Using those security commitments to squeeze trading partners threatens markets and undermines diplomacy.