Books & History
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The Swinging Sixties, Chicago School Style
At the height of the cultural revolution, a group of Chicago economists was quietly launching one of its own.
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How Markets Fought Mosquitoes
More than a cartoon prop, the old-fashioned FLIT gun was one of many innovations that gave ordinary households unprecedented power over pests that plagued us for centuries.
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The Nixon Shock 55 Years Later: Three Impossible Promises
Nixon promised jobs, stable prices, and protection for the dollar. His “fixes” helped usher in a new era of inflation, debt, and monetary instability.
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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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The Lesson of 1971 Was Never About Gold
President Nixon abandoned the gold standard. The deeper problem was a monetary system dependent on political judgment.
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The McNamara Fallacy Returns: How Inequality Metrics Distract From the Real Causes of Poverty
When policymakers obsess over inequality statistics, they often overlook the institutions and policies that actually keep people poor.
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Adam Smith’s Forgotten Theory of Artistic Independence
The great economist saw markets not as a threat to culture, but as the institution that allowed artists to achieve unprecedented freedom.
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The Post-Liberals Can’t Have Tocqueville
Tocqueville believed liberty depended on virtue — but he trusted free institutions, not the state, to cultivate it.
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The Case for Talking to Strangers
Nicholas Epley’s new book argues that small acts of connection build the trust and goodwill on which a free society depends.
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The Myth of the Free-Riding Billionaire: Ray Madoff’s ‘The Second Estate’
In her new book, Ray Madoff argues that America’s wealthiest exploit the tax code at the public’s expense. But her critique understates both what the rich pay and what they produce.
-
•
The Swinging Sixties, Chicago School Style
At the height of the cultural revolution, a group of Chicago economists was quietly launching one of its own.
-
•
How Markets Fought Mosquitoes
More than a cartoon prop, the old-fashioned FLIT gun was one of many innovations that gave ordinary households unprecedented power over pests that plagued us for centuries.
-
•
The Nixon Shock 55 Years Later: Three Impossible Promises
Nixon promised jobs, stable prices, and protection for the dollar. His “fixes” helped usher in a new era of inflation, debt, and monetary instability.
-
•
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.
-
•
The Lesson of 1971 Was Never About Gold
President Nixon abandoned the gold standard. The deeper problem was a monetary system dependent on political judgment.
-
•
The McNamara Fallacy Returns: How Inequality Metrics Distract From the Real Causes of Poverty
When policymakers obsess over inequality statistics, they often overlook the institutions and policies that actually keep people poor.
-
•
Adam Smith’s Forgotten Theory of Artistic Independence
The great economist saw markets not as a threat to culture, but as the institution that allowed artists to achieve unprecedented freedom.
-
•
The Post-Liberals Can’t Have Tocqueville
Tocqueville believed liberty depended on virtue — but he trusted free institutions, not the state, to cultivate it.
-
•
The Case for Talking to Strangers
Nicholas Epley’s new book argues that small acts of connection build the trust and goodwill on which a free society depends.
-
•
The Myth of the Free-Riding Billionaire: Ray Madoff’s ‘The Second Estate’
In her new book, Ray Madoff argues that America’s wealthiest exploit the tax code at the public’s expense. But her critique understates both what the rich pay and what they produce.