The evolution of global warming scepticism
05 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in economics of education, environmental economics, global warming, rentseeking Tags: academic bias, climate alarmism, global warming, green rent seeking, publish or perish
Corruption index for south-east Asia
04 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in development economics, growth disasters, growth miracles, rentseeking Tags: bribery and corruption, China, Indonesia, Philippines
Corruption in Indonesia: Jokowi’s arduous task in cleaning up the government econ.st/1FJ3sS0 http://t.co/1myuRbwoXK—
The Economist (@EconBizFin) June 11, 2015
Doing business in the PIGS (Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain) – World Bank rankings
03 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, currency unions, economic growth, economics of bureaucracy, economics of regulation, Euro crisis, health and safety, income redistribution, industrial organisation, labour economics, law and economics, minimum wage, occupational regulation, property rights, Public Choice, rentseeking, survivor principle, unions, welfare reform Tags: cost of doing business, Eurosclerosis, Greece, Italy, PIGS, Portugal, Spain
Figure 1: Doing Business rankings, PIGS, 2014
Source: World Bank Doing Business 2015.
All in all, Italy and Greece are a dog of a place to enforce a contract. The long-suffering taxpayer is better off paying taxes in Greece than in Italy! Not surprisingly, trading across borders is the greatest strength in doing business in the PIGS. The European Union does have some benefits.
Figure 2: Doing Business rankings, Greece and Italy, 2014
Source: World Bank Doing Business 2015.
All in all, Italy and Greece are equally bad places to do business and Italy is much worse when it comes to taxes. About the only saving graces of Italy is the registration of property and the protection of minority interests in companies.
Figure 3: Doing Business rankings, Spain and Portugal, 2014
Source: World Bank Doing Business 2015.
Spain and in particular Portugal are much better places to do business than Italy and Greece.
The evolution of the scientific method in climate science
03 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in economics of bureaucracy, economics of education, environmental economics, global warming, rentseeking Tags: academic bias, climate alarmism, global warming, green rent seeking, philosophy of science, publish or perish, scientific fraud
The media history of climate change scares
03 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in economic history, economics of media and culture, energy economics, entrepreneurship, environmental economics, global warming, industrial organisation, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA, rentseeking, survivor principle Tags: climate alarmism, global cooling, global warming, media bias
A blow to Director’s Law?
03 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in constitutional political economy, income redistribution, Public Choice, public economics, rentseeking Tags: British economy, British politics, Director's Law, expressive voting, growth of government, median voter theorem, size of government
No, most U.K. homes do not get more in benefits than they pay in tax ow.ly/3y0nEo http://t.co/LaXvGa8ro2—
Bloomberg VisualData (@BBGVisualData) July 02, 2015
…the poorest 30 percent of households receive significantly more in cash benefits than they pay in tax. The next 10 percent receive on average £596 pounds a year more in cash benefits than they pay in tax, and the top 60 percent all pay more in tax than they get back in cash benefits.
New data from the ONS show the huge growth in state dependency under New Labour. Analysis at cps.org.uk/files/factshee… http://t.co/OLjRoxt3eg—
CPS Think Tank (@CPSThinkTank) June 29, 2015
Political donors back winners just before they start winning
01 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in constitutional political economy, economics of bureaucracy, politics - USA, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: campaign finance reform, campaign finance regulation, political lobbyists, pressure groups, voter demographics
Several major industries have shifted their political donations to Republicans from Democrats: nytimes.com/interactive/20… http://t.co/qYgOdbeZAp—
NYT Graphics (@nytgraphics) June 29, 2015
Top marginal income tax rate throughout the 20th century
29 Jun 2015 Leave a comment
in economic history, entrepreneurship, income redistribution, politics - USA, Public Choice, public economics, rentseeking Tags: Eurosclerosis, taxation and entrepreneurship, taxation and investment, taxation and the labour supply, top 1%
Piketty presents the changes in the top marginal income tax rate throughout the 20th century… #GCLIS http://t.co/sFpV0ypC5C—
LIS (@lisdata) April 16, 2014
Greece (61st) is ranked one above the Russia in the World Bank’s Doing Business Survey 2015
29 Jun 2015 Leave a comment
in economics of bureaucracy, economics of crime, economics of regulation, industrial organisation, labour economics, law and economics, property rights, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: cost of doing business, Euroland, Greece, Russia, sovereign defaults, transitional economies, World Bank
Figure 1: Greek and Russian Doing Business sub-rankings, 2015
Source: World Bank Doing Business 2015.
As long as you’re not in a construction or export business, and don’t mind waiting for your electricity, it’s better to do business in Russia than in Greece! The main difference between Russia and Greece is its membership of the European Union makes it easy to export?
In Russia, it’s easier to start a business, register property and enforce contracts than it is in Greece!
Dealing with the Spanish bureaucracy
28 Jun 2015 Leave a comment
in comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, economics of bureaucracy, economics of regulation, industrial organisation, Public Choice, rentseeking, survivor principle Tags: cost of doing business, endogenous growth theory, Eurosclerosis, Spain
Donald Trump explained
27 Jun 2015 Leave a comment
in international economic law, international economics, politics - USA, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: 2016 presidential election, antiforeign bias, antimarket bias, crony capitalism, Donald Trump, expressive voting, left-wing populists, populists, right-wing populists
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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