The first Nobel Prize in economics was awarded in 1969, to Ragnar Frisch and Jan Tinbergen. The fiftieth prize was awarded in 2018, to William Nordhaus and Paul Romer. In total up to that point, there had been 91 Nobel laureates in economics. This 2019 article by Allen Sanderson (University of Chicago) and John Siegfried (Vanderbilt…
An interesting paper about the first 50 years of Nobel Prize winners in economics
An interesting paper about the first 50 years of Nobel Prize winners in economics
23 May 2025 1 Comment
in economics of education, history of economic thought
Why “cheaper” wind and solar raise costs. Part I: The fat tail problem
23 May 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of climate change, energy economics, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming Tags: solar power, wind power

by Planning Engineer (Russ Schussler) Wind and solar power are often touted as the cheapest sources of electricity in many regions, capable of delivering low-cost energy for the vast majority of the time. At first glance, this might suggest that an energy mix heavily weighted toward renewables would be the most economical choice. However, this […]
Why “cheaper” wind and solar raise costs. Part I: The fat tail problem
Excusing the Government
22 May 2025 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, economics of bureaucracy, economics of regulation, history of economic thought, income redistribution, international economics, labour economics, law and economics, property rights, Public Choice, public economics, rentseeking, urban economics

An excerpt from Chapter 3 of *Unbeatable*
Excusing the Government
Pro-Market & Pro-Business: Firms Strive to Satisfy the Customer
22 May 2025 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, comparative institutional analysis, economics of information, economics of regulation, entrepreneurship, history of economic thought, industrial organisation, labour economics, law and economics, property rights
Econ 101 is Underrated: Pharma Price Controls
22 May 2025 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, development economics, economics of regulation, entrepreneurship, health economics, law and economics, politics - USA, property rights Tags: 2024 presidential election, patents and copyrights, price controls, price discrimination
Econ 101 is often dismissed as too simplistic. Yet recent events suggest that Econ 101 is underrated. Take the tariff debate: understanding that a tariff is a tax, that prices represent opportunity costs, that a bilateral trade deficit is largely meaningless, that a so-called trade “deficit” is equally a goods surplus or an investment surplus—these […]
Econ 101 is Underrated: Pharma Price Controls
Racist or righteous? Privileges Committee versus Te Pāti Māori
21 May 2025 Leave a comment
in politics - New Zealand Tags: constitutional law
Ani O’Brien writes – I have written many times before about narratives and the role of constructing the binary of good and evil in politics. This week we again see how storytelling is shaping a prominent political conflict with the race to own the narrative as the Privileges Committee hands down its recommendations. On the […]
Racist or righteous? Privileges Committee versus Te Pāti Māori
The Nail in the Coffin for Maori Seats
21 May 2025 Leave a comment
in politics - New Zealand Tags: constitutional law
Don Brash writes – I don’t know about you, but I have had a gutsful of the disrespect and disdain Te Pāti Māori show for our Parliament and for all of us. With their hateful rhetoric and disruptive antics they have demonstrated that Māori seats have become the home of the most extreme race activists.
The Nail in the Coffin for Maori Seats
David Friedman Explains Why Trump’s Tariffs Will Fail | IEA Live
21 May 2025 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, David Friedman, history of economic thought, industrial organisation, international economics
“For Posterity’s Sake”: Why the Biden-Hur Tapes is a Virtual Racketeering Indictment
21 May 2025 Leave a comment
in politics - USA Tags: 2024 presidential election, media bias

“For posterity’s sake.” Those words from President Joe Biden sum up the crushing impact of the leaked audiotapes from the interview between then-President Joe Biden and Special Counsel Robert Hur. Not only did they remove any serious doubt over Biden committing the federal crimes charged against President Donald Trump, but they also constituted what is […]
“For Posterity’s Sake”: Why the Biden-Hur Tapes is a Virtual Racketeering Indictment
Labour goes all in with Te Pāti Māori
20 May 2025 Leave a comment
in politics - New Zealand Tags: constitutional law
The Labour Party can’t form a potential Government without TPM, so they appear to have decided to go all in on their behalf. Evidence: Personally I’m delighted. The more Labour hug the toxic TPM, the more it will doom them come the election as voters realise that a vote for Labour is a vote for…
Labour goes all in with Te Pāti Māori
Kevin Gentry Talks With Me About Trade and Phil Gramm’s and My New Book
20 May 2025 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, Austrian economics, comparative institutional analysis, development economics, economic history, economics of regulation, entrepreneurship, history of economic thought
TweetThanks for the honor, Kevin! The post Kevin Gentry Talks With Me About Trade and Phil Gramm’s and My New Book appeared first on Cafe Hayek.
Kevin Gentry Talks With Me About Trade and Phil Gramm’s and My New Book
Courting Controversy: Justices’ Side Commentaries Undermine the Supreme Court
20 May 2025 Leave a comment
in politics - USA Tags: constitutional law

Below is my column in The Hill on the controversy this month over extrajudicial comments made by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. These are only the latest such comments by justices that became distractions during the discussion of pending cases before the Court. Here is the column:
Courting Controversy: Justices’ Side Commentaries Undermine the Supreme Court
Fiscal starting points
19 May 2025 Leave a comment
in budget deficits, business cycles, economic growth, fiscal policy, macroeconomics, politics - New Zealand, Public Choice Tags: economics of pandemics

Not that long ago, New Zealand’s fiscal balances looked pretty good by advanced country standards. Sure, the fiscal pressures from longer life expectancies were beginning to build – as they were in most of the advanced world – but in absolute and relative terms New Zealand still looked in pretty good shape. Just a few […]
Fiscal starting points
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