Why Is the US Economy Surging Ahead of the UK?
09 May 2025 1 Comment
in applied price theory, economic growth, macroeconomics, politics - USA, technological progress Tags: British politics
The US economy has emerged from the pandemic growing at a faster pace than the UK and other high-income countries. Simon Pittaway tackles the question of why in “Yanked away: Accounting for the post-pandemic productivity divergence between Britain and America” (Resolution Foundation, April 2025). The average standard of living in any economy, over time, will…
Why Is the US Economy Surging Ahead of the UK?
A Critique of the Apocalyptic Climate Narrative
08 May 2025 1 Comment
in economics of climate change, economics of natural disasters, energy economics, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming Tags: climate alarmism
by Judith Curry and Harry DeAngelo We have a new paper published in the Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, entitled “A Critique of the Apocalyptic Climate Narrative.” The paper reflects the JACF’s ongoing interest in publishing articles that analyze important Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) issues in ways that are useful for investors, money managers, […]
A Critique of the Apocalyptic Climate Narrative
Why contempt needs to be met with contempt
08 May 2025 Leave a comment
It is clear Te Pati Maori holds Parliament in contempt. I don’t just mean in the technical sense of breaching the rules of the House, but in the more general sense of behaving with contempt. To publish the draft Privileges Committee report on the actions of three of their MPs on their social media feed […]
Why contempt needs to be met with contempt
EV Sales Stuck At 20%
08 May 2025 1 Comment
in economics of climate change, energy economics, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming Tags: electric cars
By Paul Homewood EV sales remain stuck around the 20% mark, way short the government’s target of 28% for the year. It’s hard to see what carmakers can do to lift the EVs back to ZEV target levels. https://www.smmt.co.uk/vehicle-data/car-registrations/
EV Sales Stuck At 20%
Korea’s Low Fertility Rate
08 May 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of love and marriage, human capital, labour economics, law and economics, population economics Tags: ageing society, South Korea
Fertility rates are falling around the world, but Republic of Korea is the outlier, with a fertility rate of 0.72 in 2024. The International Monetary Fund, in its report on Korea’s economic situation (generally quite good), thought that Korea’s low fertility justified adding an “Annex” to its most recent report on Korea’s economy: “Addressing Korea’s…
Korea’s Low Fertility Rate
Net Zero Watch warns of growing grid instability
08 May 2025 1 Comment
in economics of climate change, energy economics, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming Tags: celebrity technologies, solar power, wind power
With more than 50 million EU electricity consumers suffering blackouts yesterday, campaign group Net Zero Watch has reiterated its warning that the UK power grid is also becoming increasingly unstable.
Net Zero Watch warns of growing grid instability
Turley Testifies on Over-Criminalization Before the House Judiciary Committee
08 May 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, law and economics, politics - USA Tags: crime and punishment, law and order
Today, I will be testifying on the over-criminalization of federal law before the Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Committee on the Judiciary. The testimony (linked below) is part of a hearing titled “Criminalizing America: The Growth of Federal Offenses and Regulatory Overreach.”
Turley Testifies on Over-Criminalization Before the House Judiciary Committee
Does he know what a woman is now?
07 May 2025 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, discrimination, economics of education, gender, health and safety, human capital, labour economics, labour supply, occupational choice, politics - New Zealand, poverty and inequality, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: gender wage gap, sex discrimination
Labour leader Chris Hipkins has joined the chorus of those opposing changes to pay equity legislation. Does this mean he knows what a woman is now? It is easy for opposition parties and their allies to criticise proposed changes but Heather du Plessis-Allan points out the problem with existing legislation: . . . Those pay […]
Does he know what a woman is now?
Extreme measures by democratic governments
07 May 2025 1 Comment
in defence economics, health economics, law and economics, war and peace Tags: constitutional law, economics of pandemics, war against terror, World War II
Democratic governments, despite their commitment to rule of law, civil liberties, and political accountability, have occasionally undertaken temporary extreme measures when facing grave national crises. These actions are typically justified as necessary to preserve the state or protect the population, though they can be controversial or later seen as overreach. Here are several notable examples: 1. Suspension […]
Extreme measures by democratic governments
Casting blame for the blackout in Spain, Portugal, and parts of France
07 May 2025 1 Comment
in economics of climate change, energy economics, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming Tags: solar power, wind power
It has long been predicted that replacing conventional synchronous generators, which rotate together with the grid, with asynchronous inverter-based resources like wind, solar, and batteries will increase the risk of blackouts. Grid planners recognize that unanticipated adverse events—such as line outages, generator trips, substation failures, and major faults—will continue to impact power grids.
Casting blame for the blackout in Spain, Portugal, and parts of France
Tabarrok on the Movie Tariff
07 May 2025 1 Comment
in applied price theory, international economics, movies, politics - USA, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: 2024 presidential election, free trade, tariffs
The Hollywood Reporter has a good piece on Trump’s proposed movie tariffs: Even if such a tariff were legal — and there is some debate about whether Trump has the authority to impose such levies — industry experts are baffled as to how, in practice, a “movie tariff” would work. “What exactly does he want […]
Tabarrok on the Movie Tariff
The best tariff threat is one you do not have to use
06 May 2025 1 Comment
in applied price theory, international economics, politics - USA Tags: 2024 presidential election, free trade, game theory, tariffs
Following up on an earlier post, Reciprocal tariffs as a tit-for-tat strategy in a repeated prisoners’ dilemma From NY Times:Trump imposed, quickly withdrew and then threatened to bring back huge tariffs on dozens of countries. Immediately, they began calling and asking what they could do to stop him. “More than 100 countries have already come to…
The best tariff threat is one you do not have to use
A new chapter in Canadian constitutional history? The King’s return to Parliament
06 May 2025 1 Comment
in economic history, politics Tags: British politics, Canada, constitutional law
Mark Carney announced last week that the King will open the Canadian Parliament in person later this month. It’s unusual for the Canadian Monarch to give the Speech from the Throne. The last time this happened was in 1977 when Queen Elizabeth II opened Parliament during her Silver Jubilee tour. Carney’s invitation is notable because […]
A new chapter in Canadian constitutional history? The King’s return to Parliament
Squatter Syndrome: How the Inefficiencies of Our Legal System Are Making a Mockery of Our Immigration Laws
06 May 2025 Leave a comment
in Economics of international refugee law, International law, labour economics, labour supply, law and economics, politics - USA Tags: economics of immigration
It was once said that possession is nine-tenths of the law, an acknowledgement that the possessor of property generally has the advantage in keeping it. This principle has been taken to absurd extremes in some squatter cases, where people invade homes and then demand the right to stay pending long legal challenges. Today, under both […]
Squatter Syndrome: How the Inefficiencies of Our Legal System Are Making a Mockery of Our Immigration Laws
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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