Daily Economy
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We All Depend on the Kindness of Strangers
Again, these are strange and frightening times. I want things to get back to “normal,” or at least as close to normal as they can get, as soon as possible. Until they do, though, I will remain grateful for the strangers who are helping me weather this particular storm.
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A Classical Economic Response to the Coronavirus Recession
If ever there has been a downturn that cannot in any way be explained as a fall in demand it is the forced closures that have followed the coronavirus panic. The downturn is entirely structural in nature, even if, as is the usual case, the problem has been driven by government actions and decisions.
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Job Losses Show Unprecedented Surge
The unprecedented economic impact of the COVID-19 outbreak is hitting economic statistics.
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The Anatomy of Government Failure in a Pandemic
It likely cannot be fixed by electing or appointing “better” people or by giving regulatory agencies like the FDA bigger budgets. Their failures are a product of their incentives, not their intentions–and until their incentives change, we can expect to see a recurring pattern of government failure.
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Bitcoin’s Disappointing Performance Shows Why Having a Good Product Is Not Enough
Developers, miners, and other players in the Bitcoin community should not let the next opportunity to make the blockchain-based currency useful pass. Bitcoin can’t be the asset many of its developers want it to be without incentivizing the type of curiosity needed to change deeply held beliefs.
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Boettke Makes Economics Life-Affirming and Intellectually Adventurous
For centuries, economists have struggled for ways to impart economic lessons to the general public, with the hope of impressing upon people who are not studying formally the need to grasp the logic and meaning of economics.
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Say No to Subsidies
We should just say no to all subsidies, especially at a time like this. The actual harm from coronavirus and the destructive government-ordered business shutdowns cannot be undone by subsidies.
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800 Medical Specialists Caution Against Draconian Measures
If you worry that the coercive measures government is proposing go way too far, you are not alone: many in the mainstream of the medical profession agree with you.
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It’s the Poor Who Are Suffering Most
Let’s be very clear about what’s happening: Coronavirus is a rich man’s disease, and the economy-crushing shutdown something created by the relatively rich. The poor? They’ll be the victims of this freakout born of mass affluence.
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Government Common Stock Ownership: Cure Worse than Disease
In this age of SWF (sovereign wealth funds, not the flick Single White Female, which is almost thirty already!), it may seem odd to question the right of a government to own corporate common shares directly (e.g., by the Treasury), or indirectly through the Federal Reserve or other government-sponsored organizations.
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•
We All Depend on the Kindness of Strangers
Again, these are strange and frightening times. I want things to get back to “normal,” or at least as close to normal as they can get, as soon as possible. Until they do, though, I will remain grateful for the strangers who are helping me weather this particular storm.
-
•
A Classical Economic Response to the Coronavirus Recession
If ever there has been a downturn that cannot in any way be explained as a fall in demand it is the forced closures that have followed the coronavirus panic. The downturn is entirely structural in nature, even if, as is the usual case, the problem has been driven by government actions and decisions.
-
•
Job Losses Show Unprecedented Surge
The unprecedented economic impact of the COVID-19 outbreak is hitting economic statistics.
-
•
The Anatomy of Government Failure in a Pandemic
It likely cannot be fixed by electing or appointing “better” people or by giving regulatory agencies like the FDA bigger budgets. Their failures are a product of their incentives, not their intentions–and until their incentives change, we can expect to see a recurring pattern of government failure.
-
•
Bitcoin’s Disappointing Performance Shows Why Having a Good Product Is Not Enough
Developers, miners, and other players in the Bitcoin community should not let the next opportunity to make the blockchain-based currency useful pass. Bitcoin can’t be the asset many of its developers want it to be without incentivizing the type of curiosity needed to change deeply held beliefs.
-
•
Boettke Makes Economics Life-Affirming and Intellectually Adventurous
For centuries, economists have struggled for ways to impart economic lessons to the general public, with the hope of impressing upon people who are not studying formally the need to grasp the logic and meaning of economics.
-
•
Say No to Subsidies
We should just say no to all subsidies, especially at a time like this. The actual harm from coronavirus and the destructive government-ordered business shutdowns cannot be undone by subsidies.
-
•
800 Medical Specialists Caution Against Draconian Measures
If you worry that the coercive measures government is proposing go way too far, you are not alone: many in the mainstream of the medical profession agree with you.
-
•
It’s the Poor Who Are Suffering Most
Let’s be very clear about what’s happening: Coronavirus is a rich man’s disease, and the economy-crushing shutdown something created by the relatively rich. The poor? They’ll be the victims of this freakout born of mass affluence.
-
•
Government Common Stock Ownership: Cure Worse than Disease
In this age of SWF (sovereign wealth funds, not the flick Single White Female, which is almost thirty already!), it may seem odd to question the right of a government to own corporate common shares directly (e.g., by the Treasury), or indirectly through the Federal Reserve or other government-sponsored organizations.