Joakim Book has recently published an essay at AIER arguing that Rothbard was wrong to change his mind about free banking in Scotland. Rothbard had originally praised the episode of Scottish free banking in his 1983 book The Mystery of Banking, but then changed his mind in a 1988 essay on The Myth of Free Banking in Scotland.
This criticism of the market is more existential than ethical. It is the popular argument that laissez faire, or the free-market economy, rests its case on the crucial assumption that every individual knows his own self-interest best. Yet, it is charged, this is not true of many individuals. Therefore, the State must intervene, and the case for the free market is vitiated.
I am quoted in the Washington Post in a story about the controversy over video game loot boxes. Loot boxes have been much debated in the past few years, with consumers frequently venting their outrage and regulators circling the gaming industry eager for a chance to flex their political muscles.
If one mentions in a discussion that Liechtenstein’s political system could possibly serve as a model for Germany, one usually reaps scorn and ridicule. If you dig a little deeper to find out what they know about Liechtenstein, the result is usually: little to none.
Last week, news of forest fires in South America received widespread media coverage. Sizable portions of the Amazon rainforest have burnt down and smoke has taken over the skies of large cities in Brazil, such as São Paulo and Belém.
As Congress mulls price controls on doctors and hospitals in the form of the Lower Health Care Costs (LHCC) Act, lawmakers must learn from history. Luckily, the message is abundantly clear: price controls have proved disastrous across the world throughout time, and this instance will be no different.
Many people think and talk about competition without a slight feeling of uneasiness. Often, it is only the entrepreneur who feels comfort about competition in the marketplace. Most people do not understand the sense of competitiveness the entrepreneur possesses. The saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Not so for the entrepreneur.
