Deirdre McCloskey on the Samaritan’s dilemma
30 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, development economics, economic history, economics of regulation, entrepreneurship, growth disasters, growth miracles, history of economic thought, income redistribution, industrial organisation, liberalism, Public Choice, rentseeking, survivor principle Tags: Age of Innovation, bourgeoisie deal, capitalism and freedom, Deirdre McCloskey, The Great Enrichment, The Great Escape, The Great Fact
Jane Kelsey opposes handcuffs on the democratic choices of future governments! Does she oppose labour and environmental standards in trade agreements too?
30 Jul 2015 6 Comments
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, economics of regulation, environmental economics, health economics, industrial organisation, international economic law, international economics, International law, law and economics, property rights, Public Choice Tags: climate treaties, copyrights, customs unions, environmental standards, free trade agreements, free trade zones, intellectual property law, ISDS, Jane Kelsey, Labour standards, Left-wing hypocrisy, neocolonialism, patents, preferential trading agreeents, regional trade agreements, regulatory harmonisation, TPA, TPPA, WTO
Jane Kelsey in a television interview said she opposes the reductions in sovereignty in trade agreements that result from investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) provisions because they limit the democratic choices of future governments.
If so, she must oppose environmental and labour standards in trade agreements and, more importantly, binding the hands of future governments with climate treaties. All international treaties are about restrictions on sovereignty.
Environmental and labour clauses in trade agreements and climate treaties all limit the powers of governments to legislate on environmental and employment law in accordance with the will of the people as expressed in the most recent election and change of government. Power to the people.
https://twitter.com/rorymccourt/status/625540621457960960
Jane Kelsey would do better focusing on those parts of the TPPA deal that lowers the net value of the deal such as those extending the term of patents over the drugs. All international treaties are about trade-offs.
The most important reason for focusing on intellectual property law in trade agreements is Kelsey is likely to actually win people over that are not on the far left, including many on the right of politics over to her cause. Kelsey is too busy rounding up the usual suspects.
Ranting about big corporate conspiracies and the investor state dispute settlement clauses puts people off.
As copyright duration's at play in #TPPA, a reminder of the costs when copyright's too long.
offsettingbehaviour.blogspot.co.nz/2014/03/orphan… http://t.co/tOtihpDmSU—
Eric Crampton (@EricCrampton) July 29, 2015
These gusts of paranoia lose support on issues where there is common ground to be suspicious about the growing scope of trade agreements and their reach behind borders.
Regulatory harmonisation is advisable only when there are compelling reasons such as the prevention of hazards or technical compatibility of products – do the plugs fit into each other? As Sykes argues:
as a normative matter, harmonization is inferior to a legal system that tolerates regulatory differences subject to legal constraints, and that relies on mutual recognition where appropriate (the exception to this claim being matters of technical compatibility between products).
Related, as a positive manner, harmonization will often lack any political constituency and thus instances of true harmonization will be rare.
The first Paul Krugman (1997) on what trade negotiators negotiate about
29 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, international economics, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: customs unions, free trade agreements, free trade zones, game theory, Paul Krugman, preferential trading agreements, regional trade agreements, WTO
#TPPA The first Paul Krugman on trade agreements that level the playing field behind the border
29 Jul 2015 2 Comments
A map of countries Britain never invaded
29 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in economic history, rentseeking, war and peace Tags: British empire, British imperialism, colonisation
A world map according to the countries Britain never invaded i100.io/8YNMkgK http://t.co/l5BO1hehEf—
i100 (@thei100) April 28, 2015
Congress is more polarized than any time since the 1970s
29 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in constitutional political economy, economic history, politics - USA, Public Choice Tags: political polarisation
And it's not just the public – Congress is more polarized than any time since the 1970s: pewrsr.ch/SCAUr3 http://t.co/ccjXByaTdY—
Drew DeSilver (@DrewDeSilver) June 12, 2014
State legislators’ salaries vary wildly across the USA
29 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in constitutional political economy, politics - USA, Public Choice Tags: politician's pay
State legislators’ salaries vary wildly across the country. vox.com/2014/7/30/5949… (via @TheEconomist) http://t.co/i8ZsplNST6—
Vox Maps (@VoxMaps) July 10, 2015
Democracy in Africa
29 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in constitutional political economy, development economics, growth disasters, growth miracles, Public Choice Tags: Africa, capitalism and freedom
#Africa is turning democratic.
From my project: bit.ly/1DkpYjW http://t.co/WX0sTQPTv9—
Max Roser (@MaxCRoser) July 26, 2015
62 years ago North and South Korea signed a truce
28 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, Austrian economics, comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, development economics, economics of bureaucracy, growth disasters, growth miracles, income redistribution, liberalism, Marxist economics, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: collapse of communism, economics of central planning, failed states, North Korea, South Korea
https://twitter.com/TheEconomist/status/625658259861598209/photo/1
Truce is signed and the fighting ends in Korea on this day in 1953. nyti.ms/1D1Yswe http://t.co/O9a8iJgE99—
NYT Archives (@NYTArchives) July 27, 2015
Hong Kong and Venezuela compared
27 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, development economics, economics of bureaucracy, growth disasters, growth miracles, income redistribution, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: capitalism and freedom, Hong Kong, Latin American crony capitalism, Venezuela
Socialism works -Venezuela twice as rich as Hong Kong!
No, wait, that was in 1960. http://t.co/sqwVnMc19t—
Screwed by State (@ScrewedbyState) July 26, 2015
John Howard’s birthday – what I admire most about him
26 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in defence economics, economic history, politics - Australia, Public Choice, Thomas Schelling, war and peace Tags: Australian national security policy, East Timor, game theory, Indonesia, John Howard
What I admire most about John Howard was his decision to intervene in East Timor to stop massacres, which were a by-product of succession struggles within TNI. Howard didn’t have to do that. He didn’t.
If there ever was a prime directive in Australian national security policy, more so than have a great and powerful friend (first the UK, than the USA, dumping Britain like a stone in 1941 when a better great and powerful friend became available), it’s never put Australian military forces in a position risking an exchange of fire with TNI.
That did happen during the East Timor intervention. There were armed stand-offs at roadblocks between the Australian Army and TNI. Platoon leaders in the Australian Army had to keep their cool with guns drawn on both sides otherwise it would be a real shooting war that could spiral out of control.
That is why there is a genuine risk of major war not from accidents in the military machine but through a diplomatic process of commitment and escalation that is itself unpredictable. Schelling also argues that nations, like people, are continually engaged in demonstrations of resolve, tests of nerve, and explorations for understandings and many misunderstandings.
In Schelling’s view, many wars including World War 1 were products of mutual alarm and unpredictable tests of will. When people discuss the futility of World War 1, they under rate the role of unintended consequences and the dark side of human rationality in situations involving collective action.
Indonesia and its politically ambitious and corrupt military wing are next door to Australia forever. A pragmatic approach is a necessity of survival along such a volatile border.
That’s actually why Whitlam did what he did, and sat on his hands over the East Timor massacres in 1975. Australia had no credible capability of intervening, particularly against a country with such a large military and unstable politics. In 1975, the Indonesian military most certainly would have shot back.
I thought America’s poor never had health insurance cover!? I’ve watched too much American TV?
26 Jul 2015 1 Comment
in applied welfare economics, economic history, economics of media and culture, health economics, industrial organisation, politics - USA, Public Choice, rentseeking, survivor principle Tags: adverse selection, expressive voting, health insurance, Leftover Left, media bias, medicaid, Medicare, moral hazard, Obamacare, rational ignorance, rational irrationality
#Medicaid expands access to health coverage and supports work: bit.ly/1RKHQ2x #Medicaidat50 http://t.co/mydZMggcXg—
Center on Budget (@CenterOnBudget) July 20, 2015
6.4 million seniors get the vital support & care they need thanks to Medicaid: bit.ly/1HqYvNG #Medicaidat50 http://t.co/onWMiYj301—
Center on Budget (@CenterOnBudget) July 23, 2015
Reminder: #Medicaid helps millions of babies: bit.ly/1RS7ME5 #Medicaidat50 http://t.co/SeJ7MFPGWE—
Center on Budget (@CenterOnBudget) July 20, 2015
#Medicaid help millions of children across the country live healthier lives. #Medicaidat50: bit.ly/1RS7ME5 http://t.co/LT6rXhNzUg—
Center on Budget (@CenterOnBudget) July 16, 2015
50 years of coverage that every American deserves. #Medicare http://t.co/uRtERV2k9K—
American Progress (@amprog) July 30, 2015
Mann: Celebrating historic gains in coverage for kids CCF#2015 http://t.co/g7CYQ7DuwN—
Georgetown CCF (@GeorgetownCCF) July 22, 2015
#Medicare has been keeping seniors insured and healthy for 50 years. http://t.co/mXW4x12Rhi—
American Progress (@amprog) July 30, 2015
The majority of Americans of all ages don't recognize that gov subsidizes their health care: vox.com/2015/3/1/81257… http://t.co/ivq5eLThsi—
(@SocImages) April 22, 2015
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