The House believes that the Sun should never have set on the British Empire Don Brash says – Mr/Madame President, I speak in opposition to the motion. But I also want to acknowledge at the outset that the British Empire did more good things for more people than any other empire in human history.
Don Brash’s Oxford Union speech
Don Brash’s Oxford Union speech
11 Nov 2025 1 Comment
in defence economics, development economics, economic history, history of economic thought, law and economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights Tags: economics of colonialism
The Costs and Benefits of British Colonialism
20 Oct 2025 1 Comment
in comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, development economics, economic history, growth disasters, growth miracles Tags: age of empires, economics of colonialism
The British Empire, which at its height ruled over a quarter of the world’s population and landmass, remains one of the most consequential forces in global history. Its legacy is deeply contested: defenders emphasize the spread of law, education, and infrastructure, while critics highlight the violence, exploitation, and cultural destruction it entailed. A balanced assessment […]
The Costs and Benefits of British Colonialism
Colonisation was liberation
25 Sep 2025 1 Comment
in constitutional political economy, development economics, economic history, politics - New Zealand Tags: Age of Discovery, age of empires, economics of colonialism
It is striking how often the loudest voices in New Zealand’s race debate come from those who have the faintest connection to being Māori. The same individuals who enjoy cushy jobs and generous salaries often exploit a sliver of Māori ancestry to advance themselves, however they spend their days decrying colonisation as if it were…
Colonisation was liberation
The British War on Slavery
13 Sep 2025 1 Comment
in defence economics, economic history, international economics, law and economics, liberalism, war and peace Tags: age of empires, economics of colonialism, economics of slavery
In August of 1833 the British passed legislation abolishing slavery within the British Empire and putting more than 800,000 enslaved Africans on the path to freedom. To make this possible, the British government paid a huge sum, £20 million or about 5% of GDP at the time, to compensate/bribe the slaveowners into accepting the deal. […]
The British War on Slavery
Trade
25 Feb 2025 Leave a comment
in development economics, economic history Tags: age of empires, economics of colonialism
RODNEY HIDE: Schooling Through a Te Ao Maori Lens
16 Feb 2025 Leave a comment
in discrimination, economics of education, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - New Zealand Tags: age of empires, Age of Enlightenment, conjecture and refutation, economics of colonialism, free speech, political correctness, racial discrimination, regressive left
Last week my 13-year-old at Wakatipu High studied in English “An introduction to culture and identity in literature”. The class guide was as follows: Below are some links to helpful clips that may be useful for understanding ‘The Why’ when it comes to teaching and learning about all things culture and identity through a Te…
RODNEY HIDE: Schooling Through a Te Ao Maori Lens
THE LUMUMBA PLOT: THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE CIA AND A COLD WAR ASSASSINATION by Stuart A. Reid
01 Feb 2025 Leave a comment
in defence economics, development economics, economic history, economics of crime, growth disasters, International law, law and economics, politics - USA, war and peace Tags: Congo, economics of colonialism
The early 1960s was a period of decolonization in Africa. European countries had come to the realization that the burden of empire no longer warranted the cost and commitment to maintain them, except in the case where it was suspected that the Soviet Union was building a communist base. One of the countries which was […]
THE LUMUMBA PLOT: THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE CIA AND A COLD WAR ASSASSINATION by Stuart A. Reid
Before the scramble (1876)
08 Jan 2025 Leave a comment
in defence economics, economic history, war and peace Tags: Africa, age of empires, economics of colonialism
Reflections on India
16 Oct 2024 1 Comment
in applied price theory, comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, development economics, economic growth, economic history, economics of bureaucracy, growth disasters, growth miracles, history of economic thought, income redistribution, law and economics, macroeconomics, Marxist economics, property rights, Public Choice, public economics, regulation, rentseeking Tags: economics of colonialism, India
I’m back from my first trip to India, where I visited Mumbai, Delhi, Agra, and Amritsar. I enjoyed fine company in all four cities. In Mumbai, my new friend Sachin Aggarwal, head of the local EconTalk Club, rolled out the red carpet — and ACX Mumbai joined the festivities. (Thank you, Scott Alexander, for creating…
Reflections on India
Historian Anthony Comegna reviews Marc-William Palen’s book Pax Economica: Left-Wing Visions of a Free Trade World
23 Sep 2024 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, development economics, history of economic thought, international economics Tags: economics of colonialism, free trade, tariffs
See When Leftists Were Free Traders: In Pax Economica, historian Marc-William Palen chronicles the left-wing history of free trade. From Reason magazine.Dr. Marc-William Palen is a historian at the University of Exeter. His Ph. D. is from The University of Texas.The review is very good. Here is the Amazon link for the book: Pax Economica:…
Historian Anthony Comegna reviews Marc-William Palen’s book Pax Economica: Left-Wing Visions of a Free Trade World
Easter Island Ecological Collapse Debunked
21 Sep 2024 Leave a comment
in economic history, law and economics, liberalism, war and peace Tags: Easter Island, economics of colonialism, economics of slavery
Jared Diamond is a polymath (biochemistry, physiology, ornithology, ecology; MacArthur Genius Grant; etc.) perhaps best known for his Guns, Germs and Steel (1997). In that book (which I read) he proposed that shared learnings and practices across the vast Eurasian continent led to optimized food crops and agricultural practices for Eurasian peoples, which in turn […]
Easter Island Ecological Collapse Debunked
“A Symbol of Imperial Violence and Colonialism”: Activists at UPenn Deface Statue of Benjamin Franklin
19 Sep 2024 Leave a comment
in comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, economic history, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - USA, Public Choice Tags: age of empires, economics of colonialism, free speech, political correctness, regressive left
Benjamin Franklin once wrote “Love your Enemies, for they tell you your Faults.” Yet, Franklin might be a bit confused by his critics at the University of Pennsylvania. Anti-Israel activists vandalized his statue as a symbol of colonialism. The man who was instrumental in the Declaration of Independence against the British Empire is being denounced […]
“A Symbol of Imperial Violence and Colonialism”: Activists at UPenn Deface Statue of Benjamin Franklin
Africa
14 Sep 2024 Leave a comment
in defence economics, economic history, war and peace Tags: Africa, age of empires, economics of colonialism, maps
Did the British Empire REALLY Drive the Industrial Revolution? IEA Debates
06 Jun 2024 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, economic history, economics of bureaucracy, growth disasters, growth miracles, income redistribution, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: Age of Discovery, age of empires, economics of colonialism
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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