The Curse of Good Government
Maybe the mechanism of action we know as government cannot be operated in a “proper” way at all, because no intellectual device exists that permits us to properly determine just what is “good” or “bad” government.
The Philosopher-Theologian: St Thomas Aquinas
The Light of Freedom Burns Brightly in Poland
Poland is home to some very committed and energetic free-market organizations and individuals. My recent trip to Warsaw, for example, was hosted and sponsored by the Polish Ludwig von Mises Institute.
What That Jobs Report Might Really Mean
This post is one in a series entitled Posthumous Refutations. Previously in this series: Cash for Cranks.
Here is a statement release from Christina Roemer, quick to take today’s employment report as...
What’s Wrong with the Utility Function?
There is no such thing as constant or increasing marginal utility, as is assumed by the use of a utility function. In the Austrian approach, there can only be diminishing marginal utility.
An Objectivist Recants on IP
On the Mises blog, I noticed one of the frequent commentators on IP-related blog threads, one Bala, used to defend the IP position but of late had been taking an anti-IP position. We discussed this privately and I asked him to give me a short write-up about his thought process as he changed his mind on this issue. I find such “conversion” stories interesting, and have seen it in others as well--myself, Jeff Tucker, etc. He sent it to me; I append it below.
Getting Nasty in Dubai
The ‘Skyscraper Curse’ strikes again
There is often a correlation between financial bubbles bursting and attempts to construct the world’s tallest building, says William Pesek on Bloomberg.com. In 1931, for instance, the Empire State building, designed in the exuberant 1920s, finally opened, “presaging years of gloom”.
New Paper: Human Rights and Economic Liberalization
Carden, Art and Robert A. Lawson. 2009. Human Rights and Economic Liberalization, under review at Business and Politics.
This paper has made the rounds at a handful of conferences and is finally available. Thanks to everyone who has offered comments and suggestions.
The abstract:
For Civilization, It Is Mises or Bust
When an Austrian economist considers the structure of production, he doesn’t just dwell on crude aggregates, such as the total value of capital goods. Rather, he considers how long (or how “roundabout”) a given structure of production is.
