Ideas Matter

Stuff Cronies Say

Here's a Friday funny that nails the Washington DC termite-industrial complex. Enjoy.

The Economic Way of Thinking and Politics Without Romance

Okay, now that you've watched this video, ask yourself: what if you apply the economic way of thinking to political action? In other words, even though we don't need politicians to get the "good orders" we see around us, we nevertheless have to live with these characters. So what do actions, interactions and consequences have to do with the results we see in the public sphere (that we're so often troubled by)?

Rules of Power Politics - Machiavelli Meets Tullock

This video is not just an outline for aspiring politicians. Bruce Bueno de Mesquita actually describes, however indirectly, the architecture of power. I can't wait to read his book. It sounds to me like what you get when you marry Machiavelli with Buchanan and Tullock (public choice theory). So what do we mean by the architecture of power?

Where Communism Still Lives

Around the world, pockets of communists still cling to power. They're either smaller regimes run by a cadre of strongmen, or they have evolved into what has come to be known as "state capitalism." In this latter form, cronyism is considered a feature not a bug. The question for me is: will these pockets of communism linger? Or will they linger for a while, but eventually evolve into another form? And is state capitalism becoming the dominant form for the globe?

Licensing: Hurdles for Entrepreneurs, A Leg-up for Cronies

Most people just assume that occupational licensing protects consumers. The truth is, most licensing is a veneer. But it's really designed to create barriers to entry. What's clever about IJ's comparative analysis is that it holds up states with licensing to states without. If you can't find any trouble in the states without them, it's probably not doing any good for the states that have them. In those states, it's probably time to scrap them. But wouldn't that anger cronies?

Keynes's Magic Dipping Ladel

John Maynard Keynes probably didn't mean to supply justification for any road to serfdom. But he did. We're left with a mythology of job creation that only creates phantom jobs -- namely visible jobs contrived from the largess (but corresponding invisible job losses somewhere else). This is what happens when you divert resources from productive uses to less productive uses -- all in the name of "stimulating" the economy.

A Crony's Tax Code

If you think we could soon have a flat tax, you're kidding yourself. Do you know how many parasites are nestled in the byzantine recesses of the U.S. tax code? Enough to make an army. That army would swarm out of the woodwork if we ever had a serious conversation about simplifying the internal revenue code. And guess who would be leading the charge: the IRS bureaucrat-H&R Block-tax lawyer complex. Don't believe me? Witness the parasites...

Inspired Individualized Education in ... Israel

Since having a child -- and since my wife decided to start her own school -- I can't help but be fascinated by education. In fact, I'm always scanning for interesting educational models that you won't find in the government schools, which -- as you know -- enjoy a virtual monopoly that forces people like my wife to compete with "free." The above comes all the way from Israel. 

Your College is Part of a Cartel

This is an eye-opening talk. Most people don't realize that the U.S. system of higher education is in desperate need of reform. We take it for granted that these hoary old institutions need to be changed. But when one turns a business lens on higher ed, one comes to realize that the system is a cross between a guild and a cartel.

Light Rail: Sit Your A$$ Down, America

If you live in or near a city of more than 100,000, you've probably heard some noisy group of politicians and smart growthers talk up "light rail" -- the 18th century travel technology that gets started in the 20th century and you'll pay through the nose for in the 21st. Does light rail make any sense at all? Consider the data and come to your own conclusions.