The Impotence of Knowledge in Economics

It’s become fashionable among economists to refer to knowledge as a silver-bullet explanation for all kinds of phenomena and processes. Whereas Hayek (and Hayekians) is known for the “knowledge problem,” mainstreamers, too, rely on a vague conceptualization of knowledge (specifically, the lack thereof) to explain important economic processes. Both exogenous and endogenous growth theories, for example, suggest “knowledge” explains an economy’s growth and, thus, society’s prosperity.

Companies Don’t “Pass the Cost of Tariffs on to Consumers”

There is a common mistake a lot of opponents of Trump’s tariffs are making right now. When pointing out, correctly, that the tariffs Trump is implementing will drive prices up, they often pin that on “companies passing the cost on to consumers.” 

But that’s not how prices work. The actual reason prices go up is a bit different, but it’s important to understand. 

Paul1

Paul Brownstein spent 25 years in equity derivatives, working closely with top institutional investors.