Driving Australia’s current trajectory is the mythical claim that so-called renewables – are inherently cheap and that any short‑term pain will give way to lasting price declines. The post Australia’s ‘Renewable’ Obsession Decimates Industry appeared first on Watts Up With That?.
Australia’s ‘Renewable’ Obsession Decimates Industry
Australia’s ‘Renewable’ Obsession Decimates Industry
19 Apr 2026 Leave a comment
in energy economics, environmentalism, politics - Australia Tags: solar power, wind power
Caturday felid trifecta: Larry the Cat repeatedly causes mischief; cat jumps US/Canada border; Max the cat gets honorary doctors in “litterature” from Vermont university; and lagniappe
19 Apr 2026 Leave a comment
in cats
Larry the Cat recently turne 19 (and celebrated his 15th year at 10 Downing Street), but the Senior Cat is still going strong. For example, he recently caught his third mouse, though that was nominally his job as Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office. All Brits love him now (save for the miscreants), and he’s…
Caturday felid trifecta: Larry the Cat repeatedly causes mischief; cat jumps US/Canada border; Max the cat gets honorary doctors in “litterature” from Vermont university; and lagniappe
The Laffer Curve and Limits to Class Warfare Tax Policy, Part II
19 Apr 2026 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, econometerics, entrepreneurship, fiscal policy, human capital, income redistribution, labour economics, labour supply, macroeconomics, poverty and inequality, Public Choice, public economics Tags: taxation and entrepreneurship, taxation and investment, taxation and labour supply
In Part I of this series back in 2014, we looked at some academic research from Canada showing that the revenue-maximizing tax rate on the richest taxpayers was 27.5 percent. A key insight from that research is that high-income taxpayers have considerable control over the timing, level, and composition of their income (just like in […]
The Laffer Curve and Limits to Class Warfare Tax Policy, Part II
Matt Ridley thinks the Climate Parrot is almost dead
18 Apr 2026 Leave a comment
in economics of climate change, economics of regulation, energy economics, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming Tags: solar power, wind power
A central theme in Ridley’s argument is the failure of renewable energy—particularly wind and solar—to deliver reliable and scalable solutions. He described these sources as inherently intermittent and argued that “the transition to them is simply failing to materialize.” While not dismissing renewable energy outright, he questioned why concern about climate change is often equated…
Matt Ridley thinks the Climate Parrot is almost dead
“F**k It…Just Do It”: Carville Lays Out Democratic Plan to Add States and Pack Court
18 Apr 2026 Leave a comment
in politics - USA Tags: constitutional law
Various Democrats have been openly discussing their plans after retaking power to change the system so they never lose power…
“F**k It…Just Do It”: Carville Lays Out Democratic Plan to Add States and Pack Court
The President(s) Fought the Law and the Law Won
18 Apr 2026 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, economic history, history of economic thought, income redistribution, industrial organisation, international economics, labour economics, labour supply, politics - USA, poverty and inequality, Public Choice, rentseeking, survivor principle Tags: creative destruction, free trade, tarrifs
In our textbook, Modern Principles, Tyler and I emphasize that Congress and the President are subject to a higher law, the law of supply and demand. In an excellent column, Jason Furman gives a clear example of how difficult it is to fight the law of inelastic demand: …Today a given number of autoworkers can…
The President(s) Fought the Law and the Law Won
‘Market Power in Antitrust: Economic Analysis after Kodak,’ by Benjamin Klein
17 Apr 2026 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, economics of regulation, history of economic thought, industrial organisation, law and economics, politics - USA Tags: competition law
In 1992, the U.S. Supreme Court held in Eastman Kodak Co. v. Image Technical Services that a firm without market power in photocopiers might still possess market power in photocopier parts and service. The Court’s logic turned on opportunistic hold-up: Kodak could profit by trading short-run exploitation of locked-in customers for long-run losses in equipment…
‘Market Power in Antitrust: Economic Analysis after Kodak,’ by Benjamin Klein
US Constitution provides for replacing an impaired President – but what happens in NZ?
17 Apr 2026 Leave a comment
in politics - New Zealand Tags: constitutional law
Donald Trump’s erratic behaviour has led to increasing speculation that United States legislators may invoke the 25th Amendment to the United States’ Constitution to remove him from office. Respected media outlets like the New York Times have been openly raising questions about the President’s sanity and therefore his capability to remain in office.
US Constitution provides for replacing an impaired President – but what happens in NZ?
Interview with Ellen McGrattan: Business Cycles and Intangible Capital
17 Apr 2026 Leave a comment
in business cycles, Edward Prescott, entrepreneurship, financial economics, global financial crisis (GFC), great recession, history of economic thought, human capital, labour economics, macroeconomics, monetary economics, occupational choice, Robert E. Lucas
Tim Sablik of the Richmond Fed interviews “Ellen McGrattan: On measuring what businesses do, developing effective tax policy, and searching for answers beyond the lamppost” (Econ Focus: Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, First/Second Quarter 2026). Here are a few of the comments that caught my eye: How did McGrattan become interested in business cycles? In…
Interview with Ellen McGrattan: Business Cycles and Intangible Capital
Harnessing Mercantilist Idiocy for the Public Good
17 Apr 2026 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, history of economic thought, industrial organisation, international economics
TweetIdeally, every government would implement a policy of unilateral free trade. But governments, of course, by their nature testify that reality is very far from ideal. Here’s a letter to a long-time correspondent. Mr. B__: Thanks for your email in response to this blog post of mine in which I express support for the World…
Harnessing Mercantilist Idiocy for the Public Good
The Paramount Question Isn’t Paramount
17 Apr 2026 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, economics of media and culture, economics of regulation, entrepreneurship, industrial organisation, law and economics, managerial economics, market efficiency, movies, organisational economics, politics - USA, television Tags: competition law, creative destruction, merger law enforcement
Big mergers make headlines. They don’t always make antitrust problems. In a previous commentary, I explored the antitrust implications of a potential acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). That uncertainty is now resolved. On Feb. 27, Paramount Skydance Corp. agreed to acquire WBD for roughly $110 billion in enterprise value—$31 per share, all cash. The…
The Paramount Question Isn’t Paramount
Solar power threatens to overwhelm electricity grid
17 Apr 2026 Leave a comment
in energy economics, environmentalism Tags: British politics, solar power
By Paul Homewood h/t Philip Bratby Some of us have been warning about this for a long while! From the Telegraph: Energy chiefs are drawing up plans to stop the electricity grid being overwhelmed by solar power this summer. The National Energy System Operator (Neso) said it would be forced to use “more tools, more […]
Solar power threatens to overwhelm electricity grid
Abrupt Climate Change Also Occurred NATURALLY In The Past …25 Times During Last Ice Age
16 Apr 2026 Leave a comment
in economics of climate change, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming
Abrupt climate change also occurred naturally in the past The following video from the “Klimaschau” series (No. 256), published by the European Institute for Climate and Energy (EIKE), addresses the question of whether abrupt climate changes in the past were natural or man-made. Image cropped here. The claim of an unprecedented speed of climate change…
Abrupt Climate Change Also Occurred NATURALLY In The Past …25 Times During Last Ice Age
Guest Post: IOC Restores Common Sense to Women’s Sport – Now It’s Time for New Zealand to Follow Suit
16 Apr 2026 Leave a comment
in discrimination, gender, politics - New Zealand, sports economics Tags: sex discrimination
A guest post by Ro Edge, New Zealand Spokesperson, Save Women’s Sport Australasia (SWSA): The decision by the International Olympic Committee to restore the core purpose of women’s sport: providing biological females with a fair and safe arena to compete, is long-overdue. For years, many sporting bodies adopted the IOC’s earlier open-door policy, leading to…
Guest Post: IOC Restores Common Sense to Women’s Sport – Now It’s Time for New Zealand to Follow Suit
Incentives matter, Mexican cartel edition
16 Apr 2026 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, development economics, economics of crime, economics of regulation, law and economics, transport economics, urban economics Tags: Mexico
But the cartel’s interests may prove just as important to security as government efforts, according to a dozen local and state officials and security experts. The CJNG has much to gain from the regional economic boost of a successful tournament in Guadalajara — akin to its administrative headquarters — and much to lose from drawing…
Incentives matter, Mexican cartel edition
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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