It’s become a nearly standard claim that economics inequality makes people feel worse-off, or perhaps even leads to mental illness. However, Nicolas Sommet, Adrien A. Fillon, Ocyna Rudmann, Alfredo Rossi Saldanha Cunha and Annahita Ehsan did what is called a “meta-analysis” of the available studies–that is, they went back and looked at the underlying data, methods, and findings…
Economic Inequality Does Not Cause Lower Subjective Ratings of Well-Being
Economic Inequality Does Not Cause Lower Subjective Ratings of Well-Being
03 Jan 2026 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, labour economics, poverty and inequality
The world’s three best cuisines
03 Jan 2026 1 Comment
in economics of media and culture Tags: China, India
In light of the absence of news as well as my recurring insomnia, which has made me unable to brain, I’m posting a list of what I consider the three best cuisines in the world. What I mean by this is that if I were constrained to eat only one nation’s cuisine for the rest…
The world’s three best cuisines
Recognition: Somaliland edition
02 Jan 2026 Leave a comment
in International law Tags: Somaliland
In the past week, the government of Israel became the first to formally recognize Somaliland as a state. This is a good development, and I hope there will be more such declarations forthcoming. Somaliland has existed as a de facto independent entity, very much state-like, since 1991. It even has held regular multiparty elections for […]
Recognition: Somaliland edition
Six Impossible Climate Things to Believe
02 Jan 2026 Leave a comment
in economics of climate change, energy economics, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming Tags: climate alarmism
Javier Vinós provides the list in his yearend Clintel post Six Impossible Things to Believe. Excerpts in italics with my bolds and added images. Like Alice’s White Queen, European and Spanish authorities want us to believe six impossible things about climate change and the energy transition. In Alice Through the Looking-Glass, a character by Lewis […]
Six Impossible Climate Things to Believe
Miliband Claims High Energy Bills Due To Fossil Fuels
02 Jan 2026 1 Comment
in economics of climate change, energy economics, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming Tags: British politics, climate activists, climate alarmism, solar power, wind power
Ed Miliband has been caught telling porkies again
Miliband Claims High Energy Bills Due To Fossil Fuels
So much for overpopulation
02 Jan 2026 Leave a comment
in development economics, economic history, labour economics, labour supply, population economics Tags: ageing society, population bust
Own goal by Stamer
01 Jan 2026 Leave a comment
in defence economics, economics of crime, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics Tags: British politics, war against terror
Alaa Abdel Fattah has been a prisoner in Egypt on dubious charges, and may have been tortured there. It is right and proper for the UK Government to advocate (as he gained British citizenship) for his human rights to be respected. But Starmer did a huge own goal by going beyond that and declaring that…
Own goal by Stamer
What Star Wars AND Star Trek can teach us about economics
01 Jan 2026 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, comparative institutional analysis, defence economics, economics of regulation, international economics, labour economics, labour supply, movies, television, TV shows, unions
This is not a “Star Wars vs Star Trek” post. I’m non-partisan. I enjoy both Star Wars and Star Trek about equally. And it turns out that I am not alone. Last December, John Hawkins (University of Canberra) wrote in The Conversation about what Star Wars can teach us about economics. This year, Hawkins (with Tesfaye…
What Star Wars AND Star Trek can teach us about economics
Top Five Climate Science Scandals 2025
01 Jan 2026 Leave a comment
in economics of climate change, energy economics, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming Tags: climate alarmism
Bad science, Trump vengeance, USNCA, “climate risk,” and the top holds steady!
Top Five Climate Science Scandals 2025
Climate activists v. the U.S. energy industry: Cases to watch in 2026
01 Jan 2026 1 Comment
in economics of bureaucracy, economics of climate change, economics of regulation, energy economics, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming, law and economics, politics - USA, property rights, Public Choice Tags: nuisance suits
Anti-oil and gas advocates across the country have pursued litigation in recent years attempting to force the fossil fuel industry to pay for decades of financial damages the advocates claim were caused by climate change.
Climate activists v. the U.S. energy industry: Cases to watch in 2026
Swalwell Pledges to Arrest ICE Agents and Take Away Their Driver’s Licenses
01 Jan 2026 Leave a comment
in law and economics, politics - USA Tags: constitutional law, economics of immigration
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D., Cal.) will not be outdone again. Recently, Swalwell was outvoted in Congress by a colleague who…
Swalwell Pledges to Arrest ICE Agents and Take Away Their Driver’s Licenses
Hybrid Horror – You are 3x More Likely to Die in a Hybrid Vehicle than a Gasoline Vehicle
31 Dec 2025 1 Comment
in energy economics, transport economics Tags: hybrid cars
Recently released UK government stats suggest Hybrid vehicles are significantly more dangerous to vehicle occupants than gasoline vehicles.
Hybrid Horror – You are 3x More Likely to Die in a Hybrid Vehicle than a Gasoline Vehicle
New York Times Rewrites History Again With Nikole Hannah-Jones
31 Dec 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, law and economics, politics - USA Tags: crime and punishment, regressive left, war against terror
Former New York Times reporter and Howard University professor Nikole Hannah-Jones has long been controversial as a writer who expressly…
New York Times Rewrites History Again With Nikole Hannah-Jones
Why not leave rubbish collection to the private sector?
31 Dec 2025 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, comparative institutional analysis, economics of bureaucracy, environmental economics, industrial organisation, politics - New Zealand, privatisation, Public Choice, urban economics
Radio NZ reports: Auckland Councillors have voted not to proceed with a six-month trial of fortnightly kerbside rubbish collections in parts of the city, after considering public feedback. The proposed trial would’ve halved the number of kerbside collections in Te Atatū, Panmure, Tāmaki, Clendon Park and Weymouth, with the intention of reducing waste to landfill.…
Why not leave rubbish collection to the private sector?
The Macroeconomic Effects of Tariffs: Evidence From U.S. Historical Data
31 Dec 2025 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, econometerics, economic history, international economics Tags: free trade, tariffs
We study the macroeconomic effects of tariff policy using U.S. historical data from 1840–2024. We construct a narrative series of plausibly exogenous tariff changes based on major legislative actions, multilateral negotiations, and temporary surcharges– and use it as an instrument to identify a structural tariff shock. Tariff increases are consistently contractionary: imports fall sharply, exports…
The Macroeconomic Effects of Tariffs: Evidence From U.S. Historical Data
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
Recent Comments