Siamak1

Siamak Etefagh is studying for a Master of Economic Law degree in Iran. 

Why Marx Was Wrong about Workers and Wages

One of the central tenets of Marxism is the labor theory of value, which states that the value of a commodity is determined by the amount of socially-necessary labor time required to produce it. In this framework, labor itself becomes a commodity—something that can be bought and sold in the marketplace. Marx argues that, under capitalism, workers are forced to sell their labor power to capitalists, who exploit them by paying wages that are less than the full value their labor produces. This difference—or “surplus value”—is appropriated by the capitalist as profit.

The Bolognese Jurists behind the Proto-Austrians of the Salamanca School

Bologna, a city in northern Italy, is considered by many scholars to be the oldest university city in the Western world. Its university—the Alma Mater Studiorum—dates back to the year 1088. From the very beginning, the University of Bologna specialized in the analysis of law, especially in the study of canon law (the set of laws and decrees concerning the clergy and religious matters). Bologna became the home of famous jurists who studied and analyzed the laws issued in Rome by the Pope.

Back to School—A Critique of the College Model

In a recent conversation with my college-educated friend, they expressed their sentiments that college, for many, was a waste, echoing a common critique among libertarians. Further, they continued, that if they were not led to believe that college would guarantee a well-paying career, they could have started working earlier, developing real-world skills, therefore, making closer to the comfortable pay of their non-college-attending colleagues.