Why the Minimum Wage Is so Bad for Young Workers
Studies have shown that the amount of money paid in the low-wage labor market declined overall as a result of minimum wage hikes.
Mises Wire
Butler Shaffer, RIP
Butler belongs in the pantheon of genuine heroes, along with his friends Murray Rothbard and Burt Blumert. Fortunately for us, another of those heroes, Butler’s friend Ron Paul, is still here to lead us and inspire us.
2019 Was a Bad Year for the “Only Cops Should Have Guns” Narrative
From cops killing innocents in their living rooms to private citizens shooting down criminal gunmen, 2019 provided some highlights of why so many Americans choose to arm themselves rather than trust in government protection.
Hunter-Gatherers Ravaged the Environment. Industrialization Saved It.
Hunter-gatherer societies stripped the local environment of resources and then moved on to another place. There was nothing environmentally responsible about this sort of economy, in spite of modern efforts to portray prehistoric humans as tree huggers.
New Year’s Resolutions with F. A. Harper
"Truth has a power that cannot be touched by physical force. It is impossible to shoot a truth."
“Rules of Origin” Show Why Trade Agreements Aren’t Free Trade
A “free trade agreement” in practice isn’t simply an index card declaring, “Tariffs on Country X are 0 percent, three cheers for Bastiat!” These are managed trade agreements, with hundreds of pages devoted to detailed regulations that smack of top-down Soviet planning.
Economic Stats Won’t Tell Us What Really Causes Recessions
The mainstream National Bureau of Economic Research definition of recessions is of little value. Real saving, not consumer demand, is the real driver behind economic growth.
In Healthcare, a Little Bit of Market Freedom Goes a Long Way
Clearly marked prices on private-sector cash-payment surgeries are a great thing. In fact, the competition of for-profit surgery centers drives down prices at more "traditional" (i.e., highly bureaucratized) hospitals.
Is China a Better Trading Partner for Latin America Than the US?
Some Latin American policymakers seem to think China will offer easy terms for loans and trade agreements. They're wrong. China isn't as rich as many think.
To Be Useful, Data Needs Theory
Statistical data is merely history, but a competent historian does not simply let the events speak for themselves. He arranges them according to the ideas underlying the general notions he uses in their presentation. He does not report facts as they happened, but only relevant facts.
