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In a country supposedly infected by “white supremacy,” “white privilege” and “systemic racism” how did all of these non-white minority groups get to be SO successful in the US, outearning the typical White American household?
13 Dec 2023 Leave a comment
in discrimination, human capital, labour economics, labour supply, occupational choice, politics - USA, poverty and inequality Tags: racial discrimination
European Passenger Train Travel Declining
13 Dec 2023 Leave a comment
in transport economics, urban economics
The media treat Americans to a constant drumbeat of how much better European passenger trains are and why we need to spend hundreds of billions or trillions improving our train system. The latest is a report that overnight trains are proving they can replace air travel by “play[ing] an important … Continue reading →
European Passenger Train Travel Declining
An Upside-Down Economic History of Argentina
13 Dec 2023 Leave a comment
in budget deficits, business cycles, development economics, economic growth, economic history, economics of bureaucracy, fiscal policy, growth disasters, growth miracles, history of economic thought, income redistribution, labour economics, macroeconomics, Public Choice, public economics, rentseeking, Ronald Coase Tags: Argentina
Argentina has a very interesting, but also rather tragic, economic history. During first half of the 20th century, it was one of the world’s richest nations. But thanks to dirigiste economic policies (known locally as Peronism) starting after World War II, Argentina has suffered a dramatic decline in relative living standards. However, something shocking has […]
An Upside-Down Economic History of Argentina
Can Argentina Be Rescued, Part III
12 Dec 2023 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, budget deficits, comparative institutional analysis, development economics, economic growth, economic history, economics of regulation, fiscal policy, growth disasters, income redistribution, international economics, labour economics, liberalism, libertarianism, macroeconomics, Marxist economics, Milton Friedman, monetary economics, Murray Rothbard, Public Choice Tags: Argentina
My trip to Argentina last year motivated me to write Part I of this series, which focused on whether things might get better in that tragic country for the simple reason that they couldn’t possibly get any worse. In Part II of this series, I analyzed whether a libertarian candidate’s surprisingly strong performance in Argentina’s […]
Can Argentina Be Rescued, Part III
LINDSAY MITCHELL: Does the Māori Party really speak for all Māori?
12 Dec 2023 Leave a comment
in liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - New Zealand Tags: regressive left
Over the past week New Zealand has seen the Māori Party forcefully assert that it is the true and authentic voice of Māori, and other parties equally strongly assert the Māori Party does not own Māori. Neither faction has provided factual evidence for their position although Shane Jones moved in that direction with an off–the-cuff…
LINDSAY MITCHELL: Does the Māori Party really speak for all Māori?
CNN: ‘It’s time to limit how often we can travel abroad – ‘Carbon Passports’ may be the answer’ – ‘Drastic changes to our travel habits are inevitable’ – Suggests restrictions will be ‘forced’ upon public
12 Dec 2023 Leave a comment
in energy economics, environmental economics, global warming, transport economics
Dear Citizen 1138, we regret to inform you that your request to travel has been denied as you have reached the limit of your carbon allowance for this period.
CNN: ‘It’s time to limit how often we can travel abroad – ‘Carbon Passports’ may be the answer’ – ‘Drastic changes to our travel habits are inevitable’ – Suggests restrictions will be ‘forced’ upon public
CHRIS TROTTER: Contested ground
12 Dec 2023 Leave a comment
in comparative institutional analysis, economic history, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - New Zealand Tags: Age of Enlightenment, constitutional law, free speech, political correctness, regressive left
LAST WEEK The Waitangi Tribunal released Tino Rangatiratanga me te Kāwanatanga: The Report on Stage 2 of the Te Paparahi o Te Raki Inquiry (Wai 1040). For the sake of brevity, I shall refer to this spawling document as the Northland Report. Sadly, the Report seems destined to make the already fraught relationship between Māori…
CHRIS TROTTER: Contested ground
Lessons from Fighting 100 Inflations Since the 1970s
12 Dec 2023 Leave a comment
in budget deficits, business cycles, development economics, economic growth, economic history, fiscal policy, growth disasters, history of economic thought, inflation targeting, macroeconomics, monetarism, monetary economics, unemployment Tags: monetary policy
Inflation rates have come down since their peak in mid-2022. Does the Federal Reserve need to continue its inflation-fighting ways, keeping interest rates high? Anil Ari, Carlos Mulas-Granados, Victor Mylonas, Lev Ratnovski, and WeiZhao of the IMF look to historical and international experience in “One Hundred Inflation Shocks: Seven Stylized Facts” (September 2023, WP/23/190). As…
Lessons from Fighting 100 Inflations Since the 1970s
Economic Euthanasia: Wind & Solar ‘Transition’ Means Energy Poverty Everywhere
12 Dec 2023 Leave a comment
in energy economics, environmental economics, global warming
Once upon a time, the object was delivering power to everyone, everywhere, all the time. Not anymore. Chaotically delivered and heavily subsidised wind and solar have another object, and it is not one that their proponents dare speak of. If delivering reliable and affordable power were the object, then no one would be talking about […]
Economic Euthanasia: Wind & Solar ‘Transition’ Means Energy Poverty Everywhere
Shit or go blind? You did neither.
12 Dec 2023 Leave a comment
in economics of media and culture, television, TV shows Tags: Age of Enlightenment, free speech, political correctness, regressive left
The Woke are increasingly reminding me of this classic Far Side cartoon, in that their “solutions” are exactly the same for every problem, including also being a single word,. The Veternarian pictured below also obviously doesn’t believe in fixing disabilities – although she’s at least not prepared to leave them to suffer in order to […]
Shit or go blind? You did neither.
The University of Chicago’s Students for Justice in Palestine justify the terrorism and barbarity of Hamas on October 7, tout other forms of antisemitism
12 Dec 2023 Leave a comment
in economic history, International law, law and economics, laws of war, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - USA, war and peace Tags: Gaza Strip, Israel, Middle-East politics, useful idiots, war against terror, West Bank
The campus climate of hate and divisiveness is not limited to MIT, Harvard, Princeton, or Columbia; it’s now metastasized to the University of Chicago. It’s largely promoted by the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and UChicago United for Palestine (UCUP), who are constantly demonstrating on campus and have had its members arrested for trespassing […]
The University of Chicago’s Students for Justice in Palestine justify the terrorism and barbarity of Hamas on October 7, tout other forms of antisemitism
Russia Reels From -60°C Cold Blast… And Munich Breaks December Snow Record
11 Dec 2023 Leave a comment
in energy economics, environmental economics, global warming Tags: climate alarmism
In early December, the Arctic practically spread to Russia (and Europe), see following chart:
Russia Reels From -60°C Cold Blast… And Munich Breaks December Snow Record
Unprecedented mass gain over the Antarctic ice sheet between 2021 and 2022 caused by large precipitation anomalies
11 Dec 2023 1 Comment
in environmental economics, global warming Tags: climate alarmism
During this period, the mass gain over the East AIS and Antarctic Peninsula was unprecedented within the past two decades
Unprecedented mass gain over the Antarctic ice sheet between 2021 and 2022 caused by large precipitation anomalies
Wellington
11 Dec 2023 Leave a comment
in politics - New Zealand, urban economics
Yesterday’s Sunday Star-Times had an article built around some comments from me and from Infometrics economist Brad Olsen on the economic prospects of Wellington. The headline captured the gist of my contribution, “Sorry, Wellington, things could get worse and they probably will”. The question the journalist, Kevin Norquay, had posed to me a week ago […]
Wellington
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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