Voluntary Exchange Sources

01 Jul Fast grants and the economics of subsidizing science

Posted at 07:52h in Voluntary Exchange Sources by one80Admin

One of the great insights of modern growth theory -- Paul Romer's Nobel Prize -- is that ideas are the foundation of economic growth. Ideas are also "nonrivial." If you use my car, I can't use it, but if you use our family recipe for...

01 Jul The Truth about Excess Deaths

Posted at 07:52h in Voluntary Exchange Sources by one80Admin

One of the most controversial and heavily debated responses to the pandemic, and one that was and continues to be used by various governments, is Shelter in Place (SIP) orders, commonly referred to as lockdowns. This week saw Australia institute another SIP for the Greater...

01 Jul The Fed’s Power over Inflation and Interest Rates Has Been Greatly Exaggerated

Posted at 07:50h in Voluntary Exchange Sources by one80Admin

It is widely held that the central bank is a key factor in the determination of interest rates. By popular thinking, the Fed influences the short-term interest rates by influencing monetary liquidity in the markets. Through the injection of liquidity, the Fed pushes short-term interest...

01 Jul Much Ado about Nothing in the Art Market

Posted at 07:50h in Voluntary Exchange Sources by one80Admin

The recent sale of an invisible statue for £13,000 is symptomatic of the thoroughgoing financialization of our economy. Investors have become ever more obsessed with the symbols of economic reality and less concerned with underlying economic facts. Original Article: "Much Ado about Nothing in the Art...

01 Jul Famous Investor: The Homeschooling Boom Is Just Beginning

Posted at 07:49h in Voluntary Exchange Sources by one80Admin

Speculation abounds over whether or not the pandemic-induced growth in homeschooling is temporary. While there are several signs indicating that parents won’t be sending their children back to public schools this fall, and homeschooling continues to be a popular choice, the question remains: for how...

01 Jul The Right to Bear Arms

Posted at 07:45h in Voluntary Exchange Sources by one80Admin

Why are 58% of new gun owners Blacks, and 40% women? Would carrying a gun make you feel safer?Robert Nash and Brandon Koch thought so. But the state of New York denied them gun permits, saying they hadn’t demonstrated a “special need.”Why did they have to prove...

28 Jun Sebastian Junger on Freedom

Posted at 20:46h in Voluntary Exchange Sources by one80Admin

Journalist and author Sebastian Junger talks about his book, Freedom, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. The book and conversation are based on a 400-mile walk Junger took with buddies along railroad rights-of-way, evading police, railroad security, and other wanderers. Junger discusses the ever-present tension between...

28 Jun Cancel Hardware Stores, Not Amazon Prime

Posted at 20:45h in Voluntary Exchange Sources by one80Admin

Local hardware stores have to go. They reliably stock their shelves with various tools at relatively lower prices, but they come with a host of demoralizing and consumerist side effects from discouraging people from making their own tools to a dependency on local owners and...

24 Jun How the Market Drives Down Costs

Posted at 15:27h in Voluntary Exchange Sources by one80Admin

One of the greatest features of modernity is that living standards tend to gradually improve rather than remain largely stagnant – as they did for millennia before 1750 or so. Today, ordinary people have access to goods and services that the royalty of centuries past...

24 Jun Do We Need Patents? A Look at Biological Innovations in 19th Century America