Introduction The relationship between poverty and crime has long been a topic of social studies, with many assuming that poverty is a major driving force behind criminal behavior. This essay argues that this perspective oversimplifies the complexities of both poverty and crime, presenting a misleading narrative about their correlation. By acknowledging that the majority of poor […]
Poverty and crime
Poverty and crime
23 Dec 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, law and economics Tags: crime and punishment, criminal deterrence, law and order
My Submission On The Treaty Principles Bill
22 Dec 2024 Leave a comment
in comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, economic history, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights Tags: constitutional law
Sent in a few minutes ago. Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill I thank you for the opportunity to make a Submission on this very important Treaty Principles Bill which I support very strongly for a number of reasons – not least of those being the undemocratic way the the Labour Government in the […]
My Submission On The Treaty Principles Bill
The British Free Corps: A Historical Analysis of Propaganda, Treason, and Coercion
22 Dec 2024 Leave a comment
in defence economics, economics of crime, law and economics, laws of war, war and peace Tags: World War II

The British Free Corps (BFC) stands as one of the more peculiar episodes of World War II, symbolizing Nazi Germany’s propaganda-driven attempts to exploit discontent and division among Allied prisoners of war (POWs). Though numerically insignificant and operationally negligible, the BFC has drawn historical interest as a study in the intersection of ideology, coercion, and […]
The British Free Corps: A Historical Analysis of Propaganda, Treason, and Coercion
Eminently Overdue: The Supreme Court Considers New York Case That Could Overturn the Infamous Kelo Decision
21 Dec 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of regulation, law and economics, politics - USA, property rights Tags: constitutional law, takings

As an academic and a legal commentator, I have sometimes disagreed with the United States Supreme Court, but I often stress the good-faith differences in how certain rights or protections are interpreted. One case, however, has long stood out for me as wildly off-base and wrongly decided: Kelo v. New London. The case allowed the […]
Eminently Overdue: The Supreme Court Considers New York Case That Could Overturn the Infamous Kelo Decision
Unpaid Life Insurance
21 Dec 2024 Leave a comment
in defence economics, economic history, International law, law and economics, property rights, war and peace Tags: Netherlands, The Holocaust

The Foundation for Individual Insurance Claims Sjoa (Stichting Individuele Verzekeringsaanspraken Sjoa) pays out life insurance policies of individuals who were persecuted as Jews during the Second World War in the Netherlands to their rightful beneficiaries. They have a list of approximately 2,500 individuals with life insurance policies that were likely not paid out to the […]
Unpaid Life Insurance
Blood in the snow-The Malmedy massacre
19 Dec 2024 Leave a comment
in defence economics, economics of crime, law and economics, laws of war, war and peace Tags: World War II

The Malmedy Massacre: A Tragedy of War and the Story of Survival The Malmedy Massacre, which occurred during the Battle of the Bulge on December 17, 1944, stands as one of the most heinous war crimes committed by German forces during World War II. This event, marked by the ruthless execution of unarmed American prisoners […]
Blood in the snow-The Malmedy massacre
The Danger of White Knight Pardons: Biden Could Fundamentally Change Presidential Power
19 Dec 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, law and economics, politics - USA Tags: 2024 presidential election

Below is my column in the New York Post on the news reports that President Joe Biden is seriously considering preemptive pardons for political allies. In granting what I have called “White Knight pardons,” Biden would achieve more of a political than legal purpose. Democrats are worried about the collapsing narrative that President-elect Donald Trump […]
The Danger of White Knight Pardons: Biden Could Fundamentally Change Presidential Power
So will they call the Supreme Court racist names now?
19 Dec 2024 Leave a comment
in discrimination, law and economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights Tags: free speech, political correctness, racial discrimination, regressive left
The Herald reports: The Supreme Court has ruled the majority of the Court of Appeal “erred” in a major decision that ultimately eased the test for Māori to gain customary rights for use of the foreshore and seabed. Its just-issued ruling allows an appeal by the Attorney-General against the Court of Appeal’s decision last October, at a time the […]
So will they call the Supreme Court racist names now?
GARY JUDD KC: SUBMISSION ON TREATY PRINCIPLES BILL
18 Dec 2024 Leave a comment
in law and economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights Tags: constitutional law
Support for the bill 1. I support the bill. My primary reason is the need for robust affirmation of the twin pillars of our constitution: New Zealand’s commitment to the rule of law and to the sovereignty of Parliament (Senior Courts Act 2016, s 3(2)). I wish to be heard in support of my submission.…
GARY JUDD KC: SUBMISSION ON TREATY PRINCIPLES BILL
Some Simple Economics of the Google Antitrust Case
17 Dec 2024 1 Comment
in applied price theory, economics of information, entrepreneurship, industrial organisation, law and economics, politics - USA, Public Choice, survivor principle, theory of the firm Tags: competition law
The case is straightforward: Google pays firms like Apple billions of dollars to make its search engine the default. (N.B. I would rephrase this as Apple charges Google billions of dollars to make its search engine the default–a phrasing which matters if you want to understand what is really going on. But set that aside […]
Some Simple Economics of the Google Antitrust Case
Call in the Bailiffs: How the NZ Government’s Green Investment Fund Turned Itself Into an Unpleasant Predatory Lender and Debt Collection Agency.
16 Dec 2024 1 Comment
in applied price theory, comparative institutional analysis, energy economics, entrepreneurship, environmental economics, law and economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights Tags: solar power
The just resigned Chair of the NZ Green Investment Fund (NZGIF) and Chancellor of Auckland University, Cecilia Tarrant, previously worked at Morgan Stanley Bank in New York, starting in 1997 and finishing in 2009. She’s a very nice person, a lawyer by training, and Structured Products expert, in particular on Mortgage Backed Securities. The collapse of…
Call in the Bailiffs: How the NZ Government’s Green Investment Fund Turned Itself Into an Unpleasant Predatory Lender and Debt Collection Agency.
Proportionality in war
16 Dec 2024 Leave a comment
in defence economics, economics of crime, International law, law and economics, laws of war, war and peace
The principle of proportionality in war, which suggests that the use of force should be commensurate with the objectives sought and the harm avoided, is rooted in humanitarian concerns. However, in the brutal realities of war, this concept is often impractical and can even prolong conflict, resulting in greater suffering. History and military strategy suggest […]
Proportionality in war
Warren’s “Warning”: Democratic Senator Explains Thompson was Murdered Because “You Can Only Push People So Far.”
13 Dec 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, law and economics, politics - USA Tags: crime and punishment, criminal deterrence, law and order

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., is under fire for her statement to Joy Reid on MSNBC explaining why Luigi Mangione allegedly murdered UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Warren explained that this was a “warning ” that “you can only push people so far.” After a public outcry, Warren walked back her statement. Yet, the statement captures the […]
Warren’s “Warning”: Democratic Senator Explains Thompson was Murdered Because “You Can Only Push People So Far.”
Greene Case Could Trigger New Georgia Law on Swatting
13 Dec 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, law and economics, politics - USA Tags: crime and punishment, criminal deterrence, law and order

On Monday, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., was again the victim of a swatting call at her north Georgia home. This call, however, had a lethal difference: an officer was involved in a crash in rushing to the scene to join the bomb squad. A woman was killed. The incident will trigger a new Georgia […]
Greene Case Could Trigger New Georgia Law on Swatting
“This is Not the Time for Balance”: LA Times Columnist Resigns in Protest . . . Over Balanced Commentary
13 Dec 2024 Leave a comment
in entrepreneurship, financial economics, industrial organisation, law and economics, politics - USA, property rights, survivor principle Tags: media bias

When now President-Elect Donald Trump was convicted, the thrill-kill atmosphere around the courthouse and the country was explosive, but no one was more ecstatic than liberal columnist and former prosecutor Harry Litman. The then L.A. Times columnist told MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace that it was a “majestic day” and “a day to celebrate.” A lawfare advocate, […]
“This is Not the Time for Balance”: LA Times Columnist Resigns in Protest . . . Over Balanced Commentary
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