If you want to drink deeply of unabashedly pro-globalization essays, the Cato Institute has a “Defending Globalization” project underway. The well-written essays are mostly short or mid-length, and clearly aimed at the general public–including undergraduate students. I can’t hope to summarize the essays here, and indeed, more essays are on their way (and you can…
A Pro-Globalization Banquet
A Pro-Globalization Banquet
05 Dec 2023 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, development economics, economic history, growth disasters, growth miracles, history of economic thought, income redistribution, international economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: Age of Enlightenment, The Great Enrichment, The Great Escape
Economic Progress and Fossil Fuels: The Elephant in the Room at U.N. Climate Conference
05 Dec 2023 Leave a comment
in development economics, energy economics, environmental economics, global warming, growth disasters, growth miracles Tags: India
The reality of economic imperatives, however, will eventually expose the folly of decarbonization plans.
Economic Progress and Fossil Fuels: The Elephant in the Room at U.N. Climate Conference
How to Kill a Country
04 Dec 2023 Leave a comment
in development economics, growth miracles, labour economics, public economics, urban economics Tags: ageing society, economics of fertility, population bomb, South Korea
Much of Seoul is a sea of high-rises. And not just Seoul: Busan and other cities in South Korea have lots of high rises. More than half of all South Korean households live in high rises, and well over 60 percent live in some kind of multifamily housing. Seoul: High … Continue reading →
How to Kill a Country
Biden Admin Pledges Millions To International ‘Climate Reparations’ Fund
02 Dec 2023 Leave a comment
in development economics, energy economics, environmental economics, global warming, growth disasters, growth miracles Tags: China
The Biden administration has pledged millions of dollars to a de facto international “climate reparations” fund at the United Nations (UN) climate summit in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Biden Admin Pledges Millions To International ‘Climate Reparations’ Fund
COP28: India doubles down on right to increase coal power and CO2 emissions
01 Dec 2023 Leave a comment
in development economics, energy economics, environmental economics, global warming, growth disasters, growth miracles Tags: India
“India cannot survive without coal as it has no other options.” The post COP28: India doubles down on right to increase coal power and CO2 emissions first appeared on Watts Up With That?.
COP28: India doubles down on right to increase coal power and CO2 emissions
The World’s Most Dangerous Place: Inside the Outlaw State of Somalia by James Fergusson (2013)
30 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
in defence economics, development economics, economic history, economics of crime, growth disasters, law and economics Tags: Somalia
Caado la gooyaa car alle ayey leedahay (‘The abandonment of tradition calls forth the wrath of Allah’, Somali proverb, quoted in The World’s Most Dangerous Place, page 398) James Fergusson worked on this book with help from a grant from the Airey Neave Trust, a charity whose objective is to promote research ‘designed to make […]
The World’s Most Dangerous Place: Inside the Outlaw State of Somalia by James Fergusson (2013)
Why Argentina’s dollarization is likely to come in sudden, messy ways
30 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
in budget deficits, business cycles, currency unions, development economics, fiscal policy, growth disasters, macroeconomics, monetary economics Tags: Argentina, dollarisation
Yes, I do still favor it, but here is part of the problem, as I explain in my latest Bloomberg column: The simplest way for Argentina to dollarize would be to inflate the peso even more. For purposes of argument, imagine a peso inflation rate of one billion percent a year. Pesos would be worthless, […]
Why Argentina’s dollarization is likely to come in sudden, messy ways
Claim: The Cuban Economy is a Model for Successful Green Degrowth
28 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
in development economics, energy economics, environmental economics, global warming, growth disasters, Marxist economics
Green British academic pushing a non GDP measure of social progress which gives a high score to Cuba.
Claim: The Cuban Economy is a Model for Successful Green Degrowth
Follow the Climate Money Updated
28 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
in development economics, energy economics, environmental economics, global warming, growth disasters
Why climate-finance ‘flows’ are falling short of $100bn pledge is an informative article from CarbonBrief. Excerpts below in italics followed by a comment from Bjorn Lomborg. One of the biggest and most contentious issues in climate politics is the provision of money to help poorer countries cut emissions and protect themselves from climate impacts. In […]
Follow the Climate Money Updated
Freer Indian reservations prosper more
28 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, comparative institutional analysis, development economics, growth disasters, growth miracles
Several disciplines in social sciences have shown that institutions that promote cooperation facilitate mutually beneficial exchanges and generate prosperity. Drawing on these insights, this paper develops a Reservation Economic Freedom Index that classifies institutions on a sample of Indian reservations concerning whether these intuitions will enhance the prosperity of Indians residing on these reservations. The…
Freer Indian reservations prosper more
Pro Dollarization
25 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
in development economics, growth disasters, monetary economics
With President Milei’s election in Argentina, dollarization is suddenly on the table. I’m for it. Here’s why. Why not? A standard of valueStart with “why not?” Dollarization, not a national currency, is actually a sensible default. The dollar is the US standard of value. We measure length in feet, weight in pounds, and the value of…
Pro Dollarization
A Libertarian Landslide in Argentina
21 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
in development economics, economic history, growth disasters, liberalism, libertarianism, macroeconomics, Marxist economics, monetary economics Tags: Argentina, dollarisation
After a libertarian candidate took first place in Argentina’s presidential primary back in August, I wrote that the runoff would be the most important election of 2023 (even more important than the fortunately failed referendum to weaken TABOR in Colorado). Amazingly, Argentinian voters opted for the libertarian by a strong 56-44 margin. To understand President-Elect […]
A Libertarian Landslide in Argentina
South Africa’s Economy: 30 Years Since Apartheid
21 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
in development economics, economic history, growth disasters Tags: South Africa
In April 1994, almost 30 years ago, Nelson Mandela was elected as the first black president of South Africa. The hopes at the time went beyond developing a representative political process, and included the idea that policies of inclusive growth would raise the standard of living for whose who had been excluded. How is that…
South Africa’s Economy: 30 Years Since Apartheid
Quantity theory of money, or fiscal theory of the price level?
16 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
in defence economics, development economics, economic history, growth disasters, history of economic thought, law and economics, macroeconomics, monetary economics, property rights Tags: monetary policy, Somalia
The rebel-controlled Yemeni rial is made up entirely of a fixed supply of notes printed prior to 2016. In the chart below you can see it appreciating in value (the blue line) against the dollar, issued by the world’s most powerful state. pic.twitter.com/vioXHmz2wQ — John Paul Koning (@jp_koning) November 15, 2023
Quantity theory of money, or fiscal theory of the price level?
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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