The Domestic Purposes Benefit has been variously described as a “disaster” (David McLoughlin 1995), an “economic lifeline” (Jane Kelsey 1995) and “an unfortunate experiment” (Muriel Newman 2009).Its effect on family formation can never be definitively ascertained. But the growth of the sole parent family dependent on welfare has correlated with more poverty, more child abuse…
On the 50th anniversary of the DPB
On the 50th anniversary of the DPB
16 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
in economics of education, gender, labour economics, labour supply, occupational choice, poverty and inequality, welfare reform Tags: economics of fertility, marriage and divorce
Boys are faster
15 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
in discrimination, economics of education, gender, sports economics Tags: political correctness, regressive left, sex discrimination
Does learning te reo make you virtuous?
14 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
in economics of education Tags: economics of languages
Graham Adams writes: A week before election day, TVNZ’s John Campbell went to a polling station in Ōtara, South Auckland, to lie in wait for voters. When he encountered a young Māori woman who was about to vote for the first time, his trademark gushiness was unleashed: “Mere is nineteen. She speaks fluent te reo […]
Does learning te reo make you virtuous?
Jennifer Burns on Milton Friedman 11/13/23
14 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, Austrian economics, business cycles, comparative institutional analysis, econometerics, economic history, economics of education, economics of regulation, fiscal policy, great depression, history of economic thought, labour economics, liberalism, libertarianism, macroeconomics, Milton Friedman, monetarism, monetary economics Tags: monetary policy
Econ Duel: Is Education Signaling or Skill Building?
11 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
in economics of education, economics of information, human capital, labour economics, labour supply, occupational choice Tags: signaling
Bari Weiss proposes ending DEI
11 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
in discrimination, economics of education, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA Tags: affirmative action, free speech, political correctness, racial discrimination, regressive left, sex discrimination
Bari Weiss, head of the Free Press, just published this article on her website, but it appeared in Tablet, in identical form, a few days ago. You can click on the headline below to read it, or go here to see it on her site. As the subheader on her FP article says, “It’s not […]
Bari Weiss proposes ending DEI
Roland Fryer on Race, Diversity, and Affirmative Action
11 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, comparative institutional analysis, discrimination, economic history, economics of education, human capital, labour economics, labour supply, occupational choice, poverty and inequality Tags: affirmative action, racial discrimination
Science denial
10 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
in economics of education, environmental economics Tags: Anti-Science left, conjecture and refutation, philosophy of science
GRAHAM ADAMS: Does learning te reo make you virtuous?
10 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
in economics of education, economics of media and culture Tags: economics of languages
A week before election day, TVNZ’s John Campbell went to a polling station in Ōtara, South Auckland, to lie in wait for voters. When he encountered a young Māori woman who was about to vote for the first time, his trademark gushiness was unleashed: “Mere is nineteen. She speaks fluent te reo Māori and English.…
GRAHAM ADAMS: Does learning te reo make you virtuous?
MIKE GRIMSHAW: It’s about critiquing power, stupid!…
08 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
in economics of education, liberalism, Marxist economics
Or the societal necessity to support (yet critique) Academic Freedom and Free Speech. Mike Grimshaw writes – The other day I attended the Free Speech Union AGM and was on the Academic Freedom panel. It was an interesting experience because while I am a committed supporter of Free Speech and Academic Freedom, in many ways […]
MIKE GRIMSHAW: It’s about critiquing power, stupid!…
07 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
in development economics, economic history, economics of education, growth disasters, growth miracles, human capital, labour economics
They’re going to change the common names of all birds named after people
06 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
in economics of education, liberalism, Marxist economics Tags: Age of Enlightenment, political correctness, regressive left
The American Ornithological Society has issued a Diktat that all common bird names derived from a person’s name, or “eponyms,” are going to be discarded and replaced with descriptive names. The Latin binomials or “scientific names”, however, are not going to be changed. Below is the order from on high; click on headline below to […]
They’re going to change the common names of all birds named after people
Caplan-Singer Debate Video
05 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
in economic growth, economics of education, entrepreneurship, history of economic thought, human capital, income redistribution, labour economics, labour supply, macroeconomics, occupational choice, poverty and inequality, Public Choice, public economics Tags: taxation and entrepreneurship, taxation and investment, taxation and labour supply
A year ago, Jonah Franks, who runs Public Intellectuals for Charity, organized a debate between me and Peter Singer on “Do the rich pay their fair share?” I already posted my opening statement, my reflections on the debate, along with two follow-ups on Singer’s “Noble Lie.” The debate video itself, however, was gated for paying…
Caplan-Singer Debate Video
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
Convincing evidence for human evolution
04 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
in economics of education, liberalism Tags: evolutionary biology
I occasionally get questions like this one: “What do you consider the most convincing evidence for evolution?” My answer is usually “the fossil record combined with dating methods,” but I often add that “the evidence from biogeography is so convincing that I’ve never seen a creationist even try to rebut it.” (You can see some […]
Convincing evidence for human evolution
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
Recent Comments