Paul Krugman described behavioural economics as the most important innovation in the economics discipline for half a century.[1] Three decades ago, I reviewed The Winner’s Curse: Paradoxes and Anomalies of Economic Life by Richard Thaler which reported behaviour which appeared anomalous according to the economist’s standard model of ‘rational economic man’. Anomalies are at the heart of scientific […]
The Winner’s Curse: Behavioural Economics Anomalies Then and Now
The Winner’s Curse: Behavioural Economics Anomalies Then and Now
24 Jul 2026 Leave a comment
in behavioural economics, history of economic thought
The Case Against a Universal Basic Income
23 Jul 2026 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, fiscal policy, income redistribution, labour economics, labour supply, macroeconomics, politics - New Zealand, poverty and inequality, Public Choice, welfare reform
A Universal Basic Income, or UBI, is a superficially attractive idea. Under such a scheme, every adult would receive a regular payment from the government, regardless of income, employment or need. Supporters argue that it would reduce poverty, simplify welfare, provide security in an uncertain labour market and give people greater freedom to choose how […]
The Case Against a Universal Basic Income
“Start Spreadin’ the News”: New York Losing Billions as Millionaires Flee the Big Apple
23 Jul 2026 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, economic growth, fiscal policy, macroeconomics
Below is my column in the New York Post on the sharp decline in millionaires in New York, costing the…
“Start Spreadin’ the News”: New York Losing Billions as Millionaires Flee the Big Apple
The Rise of the Champagne Socialists: Democratic Leaders Join Socialists in Criticizing Capitalism
23 Jul 2026 Leave a comment
in Marxist economics, politics - USA
Below is my column on Fox.com about the growing condemnation of capitalism in the Democratic Party as establishment figures such…
The Rise of the Champagne Socialists: Democratic Leaders Join Socialists in Criticizing Capitalism
DAYS OF LOVE AND RAGE: A STORY OF ORDINARY PEOPLE FORGING A REVOLUTION by Anand Gopal
22 Jul 2026 Leave a comment
in defence economics, laws of war, war and peace Tags: Iraq, Syria
(Turkish-backed Syrian rebels stand on the back of a truck at Manbij countryside, December 29, 2018. Turkey-backed rebels have been mobilizing for an attack on Manbij in nearby areas that have been under Turkey’s control since it swept into northern Syria in 2016, part of its effort to roll back the YPG). Syria is a […]
DAYS OF LOVE AND RAGE: A STORY OF ORDINARY PEOPLE FORGING A REVOLUTION by Anand Gopal
Nozick on equality and envy
22 Jul 2026 Leave a comment
Envy is not simply the desire to possess what another person has. It is the painful awareness that someone else possesses an advantage—wealth, talent, beauty, status or success—that we lack. In its most destructive form, envy does not merely say, “I wish I had what he has.” It says, “Since I cannot have it, I […]
Nozick on equality and envy
US DOT Amends List of Safety Measures
22 Jul 2026 Leave a comment
in transport economics, urban economics
NPR reports that the Department of Transportation has deleted bike lanes and four other practices from its list of “proven safety measures.” Bike advocates complain that the “administration has clearly decided to reject science and abdicate its role as the stewards of transportation safety.” Photo by Gene Bisbee. But just … Continue reading →
US DOT Amends List of Safety Measures
Oren Cass Again Swings and Misses in His Attempt to Discredit Economists
21 Jul 2026 Leave a comment
in human capital, labour economics, labour supply, politics - USA Tags: economics of immigration
TweetHere’s a letter to the Financial Times. Editor: Oren Cass’s attempt to discredit economists’ support for a policy of liberal immigration is flawed (“Mass immigration is not the silver bullet economists think it is,” July 10). For example, consider this question that he poses rhetorically: “If employers believe they will always have access to a…
Oren Cass Again Swings and Misses in His Attempt to Discredit Economists
Goldsmith on consent laws
21 Jul 2026 Leave a comment
in discrimination, economics of crime, gender, law and economics, politics - New Zealand
Paul Goldsmith announced: A re-elected National Government will modernise sexual consent laws to specify there must always be a “yes,” rather than an absence of a “no,” National’s Justice spokesperson Paul Goldsmith says. “National is focused on fixing the basics in law and order, and modernising our consent laws is an important part of that.…
Goldsmith on consent laws
Pronatal policies
21 Jul 2026 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, labour economics, labour supply, population economics Tags: economics of fertility
The Institute for Family Studies puts up a pro-natal proposal that I’d not seen before.Most of the literature I’ve seen on baby bonuses suggests that the amount on offer would have to be hefty to have substantive effects. This version could harness a bit of loss aversion:President Trump launched a small savings account seeded with…
Pronatal policies
Operation Valkyrie: The July 20, 1944 Plot
20 Jul 2026 1 Comment
in defence economics, war and peace Tags: Nazi Germany, World War II
The July 20 Plot, also known as Operation Valkyrie, represents one of the most significant assassination attempts against Adolf Hitler during World War II. This bold initiative was led by a group of senior German officers who, driven by a mix of moral indignation and practical considerations, aimed to eliminate the Führer and put an […]
Operation Valkyrie: The July 20, 1944 Plot
Fixed It. Examining BBC Backflips over Hamas Responsibility
20 Jul 2026 1 Comment
in defence economics, laws of war, war and peace Tags: Gaza Strip, Israel, Middle-East politics, war against terror
On July 14, the BBC website published a short update piece by David Gritten titled “Israeli strike on police post in north Gaza kills… The post Fixed It. Examining BBC Backflips over Hamas Responsibility appeared first on CAMERA UK.
Fixed It. Examining BBC Backflips over Hamas Responsibility
Fixing Argentina’s Punitive Tax System
20 Jul 2026 1 Comment
in applied price theory, Austrian economics, development economics, economic growth, economic history, fiscal policy, growth disasters, macroeconomics Tags: Argentina
Almost exactly one year ago, the Center for Freedom and Prosperity released this short video as part of a series on the additional reforms Javier Milei should implement to maximize Argentinian prosperity. Let’s take a closer look at the country’s tax policy, and I’ll start today’s column with an analogy. When Milei took office, Argentina […]
Fixing Argentina’s Punitive Tax System
Book review: Econometrics for Dummies
19 Jul 2026 1 Comment
in econometerics, economics of education
I just finished reading Roberto Pedace’s 2013 book Econometrics for Dummies. As you might expect from a book written as part of Wiley’s ‘Dummies’ series, the book is written as a basic introduction to its topic, starting from the basics of probability distributions, and ending with a brief primer on how to conduct an econometrics…
Book review: Econometrics for Dummies
Arthur Nebe
18 Jul 2026 1 Comment
in defence economics, war and peace Tags: Nazi Germany, The Holocaust, World War II
The last few days I have seen articles about the German government commemorating those who were involved in the 20th July 1944 assassination plot. In a way I can understand it why they are doing this, but having that said I don’t agree with it. Yes it is true these men planned to kill Hitler […]
Arthur Nebe
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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