Cancel culture has emerged as one of the most prominent features of the digital age, celebrated by some as a form of grassroots justice but increasingly criticised as a destructive force. Far from fostering accountability, cancel culture corrodes civil discourse, punishes disproportionately, and undermines the very values of free expression and fairness it claims to […]
Against Cancel Culture
Against Cancel Culture
02 Oct 2025 1 Comment
in economics of education, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA Tags: Age of Enlightenment, free speech, political correctness, regressive left
Understanding Financial Instability in Argentina
01 Oct 2025 Leave a comment
in business cycles, economic growth, fiscal policy, international economics, liberalism, libertarianism, macroeconomics, monetary economics, politics - USA Tags: Argentina
Earlier this month, shortly after some depressing results in a regional election in Argentina, I was interviewed by Patrick Young. In this clip, I express concern Argentine voters will backslide to Peronism. As one might expect, some people are concerned the Peronist victory in the Buenos Aires regional election could be a harbinger of bad […]
Understanding Financial Instability in Argentina
Bill Maher’s latest monologues (one of them superb)
01 Oct 2025 Leave a comment
in liberalism, politics - USA, television, TV shows
Here’s the latest from Bill Maher’s Friday “Real Time” show. First, the “New Rule” segment called “Let’s make a deal.” This is perhaps the best Maher bit I’ve ever heard. It’s funny, but the main point is not its humor but its message, which is deadly serious. The guests you see (one of whom Maher […]
Bill Maher’s latest monologues (one of them superb)
“Let Your Rage Fuel You”: Politicians and Pundits Embrace Rage Politics
30 Sep 2025 Leave a comment
in liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - USA Tags: free speech, political correctness, regressive left
Below is my column in the Hill on the rise of rage politics. There was barely a respite from the rage rhetoric after the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the sniper attack on the ICE facility. Gov. Gavin Newsom is back this week to calling his opponents “fascists” while other Democratic politicians are back to […]
“Let Your Rage Fuel You”: Politicians and Pundits Embrace Rage Politics
“Scientific truth must prevail”
29 Sep 2025 1 Comment
in discrimination, economics of education, gender, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - USA, property rights Tags: free speech, political correctness, regressive left, sex discrimination
Evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins is standing up for science against trans ideology: The slogan “trans women are women” is scientifically false and harms the rights of women, Richard Dawkins has said. In a new book, the evolutionary biologist warns that scientific truth must prevail over “personal feelings” and argues that academic institutions must defend facts above emotion. […]
“Scientific truth must prevail”
H1-B visa fees and the academic job market
28 Sep 2025 1 Comment
in applied price theory, economics of education, international economic law, international economics, politics - USA, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: free trade, tariffs
Assume the courts do not strike this down (perhaps they will?). Will foreigners still be hired at the entry level with an extra 100k surcharge? I would think not,as university budgets are tight these days. I presume there is some way to turn them down legally, without courting discrimination lawsuits? What if you ask them […]
H1-B visa fees and the academic job market
Not-so-killer acquisitions
27 Sep 2025 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, economic history, economics of regulation, industrial organisation, law and economics, politics - USA, theory of the firm Tags: competition law
Eric Crampton writes – A lot of changes are coming in competition policy. Last week, the government announced a package of reforms that, overall, set the Commerce Commission on a more activist tack. One proposed reform will align New Zealand more closely with Australia’s regime, guarding against so-called ‘killer acquisitions’.
Not-so-killer acquisitions
Michael Clemens on H1-B visas
24 Sep 2025 1 Comment
in applied price theory, econometerics, economic growth, economic history, entrepreneurship, human capital, international economics, labour economics, labour supply, macroeconomics, politics - USA Tags: economics of immigration
From 1990 to 2010, rising numbers of H-1B holders caused 30–50 percent of all productivity growth in the US economy. This means that the jobs and wages of most Americans depend in some measure on these workers. The specialized workers who enter on this visa fuel high-tech, high-growth sectors of the 21st century economy with skills like computer […]
Michael Clemens on H1-B visas
Climate Alarmism: Not Science, But Superstition
24 Sep 2025 1 Comment
in economic history, economics of climate change, energy economics, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming, politics - USA Tags: climate alarmism
Brian C. Joondeph writes at American Thinker, CO2 Alarmism: Science or Superstition? Excerpts in italics with my bolds and added images. When Americans hear about carbon dioxide (CO2), it’s often shown as a harmful pollutant that threatens the planet. Politicians, activists, and media outlets warn that if we don’t reduce emissions right away, disaster will […]
Climate Alarmism: Not Science, But Superstition
Two bits from Bill Maher’s latest show
23 Sep 2025 Leave a comment
in defence economics, economics of crime, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - USA, television, TV shows
Here are two short (ca. 7 minutes each) clips from Friday’s “Real Time” show with Bill Maher; watch ’em before they take them down. They’re both good–and larded with humor. The first is his opening monologue about the censorship and fear of American media. Maher points out that Jimmy Kimmel’s firing occurred exactly 24 years […]
Two bits from Bill Maher’s latest show
Families and friends on opposite sides in a war
23 Sep 2025 Leave a comment
in defence economics, politics - USA, war and peace Tags: American Civil War
This has some relevance to today’s wars. Families and friends who ended up on opposite sides in the U.S. Civil War (1861–1865) experienced some of the most painful consequences of the conflict. The war was not just between North and South—it cut across states, towns, and even households. Here’s what happened in different situations: Families […]
Families and friends on opposite sides in a war
California Dems Scramble To Boost Oil Production After Running Refiners Out Of Town
22 Sep 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of climate change, economics of regulation, energy economics, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming, politics - USA
“After years of pushing radical climate policies that punished working families, Governor Newsom is finally waking up to what Californians need, he’s now scrambling to secure the very fossil fuels he tried to eliminate,” CEO of the American Energy Institute Jason Isaac told the Daily Caller News Foundation previously. “This sudden embrace of petroleum isn’t leadership, it’s survival. California’s energy future depends on realism, not green delusions.”
California Dems Scramble To Boost Oil Production After Running Refiners Out Of Town
Better Permitting and More Building: Possible?
20 Sep 2025 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, comparative institutional analysis, economics of regulation, environmental economics, law and economics, politics - USA, property rights Tags: housing affordability, land supply, zoning
It seems natural enough, at least based on US experience, to believe that building and permitting are in a natural opposition: that is, stronger permitting means less building. Zachary Liscow has been looking for a way out of this opposition. He spells out some of his thoughts in “Reforming Permitting to Build Infrastructure” (Hutchins Center…
Better Permitting and More Building: Possible?
No Friend of the Left
19 Sep 2025 Leave a comment
in liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - USA
Charlie Kirk exposed the “achievements” of the Woke Left for the paltry performative parodies of politics they have always been. Chris Trotter writes – HE LOOKS LIKE the son most professional middle-class parents would be proud to call their own. There’s an ease about him, a confidence, that speaks to a background of near universal […]
No Friend of the Left
Alarmists Fail to Refute Realistic Climate Report
17 Sep 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of climate change, energy economics, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming, politics - USA Tags: climate activists, climate alarmism
They shoot, they miss, we score. David Wojick reports on the laughable failure of alarmists in his CFACT article Attack on DOE Climate Report is a comedy of criticism. Excerpts in italics with my bolds and added images. The DOE science report saying the impact of CO2 on climate is exaggerated was quickly followed by […]
Alarmists Fail to Refute Realistic Climate Report
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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