No sooner had I closed off the previous entry by noting that “the specific rules of any country’s semi-presidential system matter less when the election has actually resulted in an assembly majority,” than I read that President Andrzej Duda of Poland has initiated the process of government formation. He has done so by nominating a […]
Poland: Steps on the way to cohabitation
Poland: Steps on the way to cohabitation
07 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
CHRIS TROTTER: Threatening “consequences”
07 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
Chris Trotter writes – “CONSEQUENCES” – it’s a word that acquires an ominous quality in the mouths of political radicals, as in: “Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from its consequences.” Or, as Te Pāti Māori’s Debbie Ngarewa Packer expressed it, when asked what would happen if the Act Party secured its referendum on […]
CHRIS TROTTER: Threatening “consequences”
Still under-policed and over-imprisoned
07 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, economics of bureaucracy, economics of crime, Gary Becker, labour economics, law and economics, occupational choice, Public Choice Tags: crime and punishment, criminal deterrence, law and order
A new paper, The Injustice of Under-Policing, makes a point that I have been emphasizing for many years, namely, relative to other developed countries the United States is under-policed and over-imprisoned. …the American criminal legal system is characterized by an exceptional kind of under-policing, and a heavy reliance on long prison sentences, compared to other […]
Still under-policed and over-imprisoned
Smith’s Siren: Can Trump Be Convicted for the Lure of Bad Lawyering?
07 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
Below is my column in The Messenger on the emerging controversy in the Trump prosecutions over the testimony of former counsel to the former president. Various lawyers have now accepted plea bargains. However, Special Counsel Jack Smith and Fulton County District Attorney appear to be arguing that, while Trump was assured of these claims by […]
Smith’s Siren: Can Trump Be Convicted for the Lure of Bad Lawyering?
The Case Against Affordable Housing
06 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, econometerics, economic history, urban economics Tags: affordable housing
Affordable housing projects aren’t making housing more affordable. In fact, says a new study by an MIT economist, construction of new subsidized housing displaces new unsubsidized housing for little net gain in the housing supply. Specifically, the study found, ten new subsidized housing units resulted in eight fewer unsubsidized units. … Continue reading →
The Case Against Affordable Housing
Liberal Hypocrisy is Fueling American Inequality. Here’s How. | NYT Opinion well worth watching
04 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, comparative institutional analysis, economics of bureaucracy, economics of education, economics of regulation, income redistribution, labour economics, labour supply, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - USA, property rights, Public Choice, public economics, rentseeking, urban economics Tags: housing affordability, top 1%, zoning
Quotation of the Day…
04 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, Austrian economics
Tweet… is from pages 86-87 of Georgetown University philosopher Jason Brennan’s excellent 2014 book, Why Not Capitalism?: So, to summarize, there is a range of reasons to have private property, even in utopian conditions. People get value from having objects that they can use at will, without having to ask permission from others. They get…
Quotation of the Day…
The Limited Effects of Taxes on Sugar-Sweetened Beverages
04 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, health economics Tags: nanny state, sugar taxes
Here’s the case for imposing a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages: 1) Obesity is a major public health problem, through its effects on diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, asthma, certain cancers, and mental health; 2) Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is an outsized contributor to obesity; 3) Taxing sugar-sweetened beverages will raise the cost that consumers pay, and thus…
The Limited Effects of Taxes on Sugar-Sweetened Beverages
More Evidence for Trump’s Corporate Tax Reform, Part I
03 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, econometerics, economic growth, entrepreneurship, fiscal policy, macroeconomics, public economics Tags: taxation and investment
I’m very critical of bad policies we got during the Trump years, most notably profligacy and protectionism. But I shower praise on the good policies, such as the 2017 tax legislation (especially the lower corporate tax rate and the curtailing of the state and local tax deduction). Today, we’re going to focus on the positive. […]
More Evidence for Trump’s Corporate Tax Reform, Part I
ANANISH CHAUDHURI: Labour stuffed up; that’s why they lost – deal with it
02 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
Ananish Chaudhuri writes – With power about to change hands, I see more and more commentary about how this election was somehow unfair. There was Rob Campbell, Chancellor of AUT, pontificating in the Herald that this election was “bought”. Then more recently David Williams of Newsroom weighed in about the influence of the Taxpayers’ Union […]
ANANISH CHAUDHURI: Labour stuffed up; that’s why they lost – deal with it
Walter Block on Sexual Discrimination & the Pay Gap(Uncut)
02 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, Austrian economics, discrimination, econometerics, economic history, economics of education, gender, health economics, history of economic thought, human capital, labour economics, labour supply, occupational choice Tags: gender wage gap, sex discrimination
DON BRASH: SHOULD WE HAVE A REFERENDUM ON THE TREATY?
31 Oct 2023 Leave a comment
A couple of days ago, K Gurunathan – described as a former mayor of Kapiti – had an article in Stuff under the heading “ACT’s Treaty referendum: a bad idea, and even worse timing”. In the article, he noted that former Prime Minister John Key had ruled out the idea of scrapping Maori electorates, even…
DON BRASH: SHOULD WE HAVE A REFERENDUM ON THE TREATY?
Claudia Goldin with Kiana Scott: The Century-Long Fight to Close the Gen…
31 Oct 2023 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, comparative institutional analysis, discrimination, economic history, economics of information, gender, health and safety, history of economic thought, human capital, labour economics, labour supply, occupational choice, poverty and inequality Tags: gender wage gap, sex discrimination
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