Cato on Campus - Foundations of Liberty: Free Markets

Kidneys for Sale: Iranian Organ Donation

Tue, 13 May 2008 13:19:00 EDT

By Kerry Howley: "'What can Iran teach us about good governance?' is not a question often posed in Washington. But according to Benjamin Hippen, a transplant nephrologist in North Carolina, the Iranians have managed to do something American policy makers have long thought impossible: They�ve found kidneys for every single citizen in need."

The Biofuel Brew Ha-Ha

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:58:00 EDT

By Peter Suderman: Reason contributor Peter Suderman writes that the biofuels craze is boosting the price of beer, because farmers are shifting away from barley to biofuel crops made more lucrative by mandates and subsidies.

If I Were a Shill For Industry ...

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:37:00 EDT

By Donald J. Boudreaux: "A blogger recently complained that I (along with my fellow bloggers from George Mason University's Department of Economics) "seem to be shills for industry." This lazy accusation is as familiar as it is mistaken, for if I were truly a shill for industry ..."

The Five Dumbest Product Bans

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 15:07:00 EDT

By Eli Lehrer: "Even as the array of consumer products available to the average American expands each day, a bewildering variety of government regulations serve to limit consumer choice. From the aircraft on which Americans fly to the food they buy in the grocery store, government regulation limits product choice at every turn."

Health, Africa�s struggle

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 08:04:00 EST

By Thompson Ayodele: "Foreign aid in the form of hard currency is flowing in unprecedented quantities into the ministries of health of many African countries.

"But despite this generosity things are not improving: medical staff are demoralised, access to essential medicines remains low and corruption remains a serious problem."

(D) All of the Above

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 08:19:00 EST

By Daniel Ikenson: "As an advocate of free trade, I feel slightly vindicated by reports that the Obama campaign quietly assured the Canadian government that the Senator�s strident words about NAFTA in last week�s debate were merely political rhetoric. We�ve long been saying that opposition to trade is mostly an artifice of politics. But the story begs the question: Is Obama (a) economically illiterate; (b) dishonest, or; (c) na�ve. The answer is (d), all of the above."

Ohio Needs More Foreign Trade

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 08:17:00 EST

By Daniel T. Griswold: "But tinkering with a 14-year-old trade agreement [NAFTA] will not bring an industrial renaissance to Youngstown and other Rust Belt cites. The relative decline of those regions dates back to the 1960s and 1970s, when the American economy began a transition from heavy industry toward an information-based service economy."

Orders and Organizations

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 09:39:00 EST

By Don Boudreaux: "More generally, it seems difficult for some people to grasp the fact that society and government are not identical -- or, more precisely, to grasp the fact that civil society can and does often thrive outside of government influence and, indeed, very often (I would say most often) in spite of such influence."

Atlas Hugged

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 15:07:00 EST

Brian Doherty: "As executive vice president of the Cato Institute, Boaz is one of the media's primary go-to guys on libertarian thought and policy. And in his new book, "The Politics of Freedom," a collection of his short-form journalism from the past 25 years, Boaz pushes an interesting and counterintuitive belief about American politics. The political spectrum, he argues, contains a lot more libertarians than the two major party's stances would lead you to believe."

Living Large: America's Middle Class

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 18:48:00 EST

"To hear the Lou Dobbses and Bill O'Reillys of the world--not to mention politicians ranging from Ron Paul to Hillary Clinton--the middle class of America (however you define that term) has never had it so tough. Between credit squeezes, out-of-control immigration, rising costs of education and health care and everything else, it's all darkness out there for those of us who are neither millionaires nor welfare cases, right?
In 'Living Large,' Drew Carey and reason.tv examine the plight of the American middle class. What do they find? "

The Economics of Tolerance

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 08:18:00 EST

With Will Wilkinson: "When the economy's good, Americans tend to act better toward their fellow citizens. But commentator Will Wilkinson says in a sliding economy, we tend to slam the gates of opportunity."

Super Tuesday Winners and Losers

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 13:52:00 EST

Michael D. Tanner: "A few thoughts in the wake of last nights elections:"

Flex-Fuel Nonsense

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 15:51:00 EST

By Jerry Taylor: "Congress can no more guarantee that fuel prices will go down from now until the end of time than it can guarantee a robust sex life for fat, balding, middle-aged men. Fuel prices are subject to supply and demand curves that do not answer to Congress � particularly in global energy markets."

Unintended Consequences

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 09:51:00 EST

By Stephen J. Dubner and Steven D. Levitt: "But with a government that is regularly begged for relief � these days, from mortgage woes, health-care costs and tax burdens � and with every presidential hopeful making daily promises to address these woes, it might be worth encouraging the winning candidate to think twice (or even 8 or 10 times) before rushing off to do good. Because if there is any law more powerful than the ones constructed in a place like Washington, it is the law of unintended consequences."

The Foolishness of Economic 'Stimulus'

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 09:20:00 EST

By Donald J. Boudreaux: "The best way for policymakers to foster such growth is to avoid panicking over any current economic downswing. Instead, they should focus on getting the economic fundamentals right. Such emphasis might not make things better � or even make things appear to be better � today, but it will make our tomorrows as bright as possible."

Dismal Science Sees Upbeat Future

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 16:16:00 EST

By Alexander Tabarrok: "Forget the talk of recession. The world is about to enter a new era in which miracle drugs will conquer cancer and other killer diseases and technological and scientific advances will trigger unprecedented economic growth and global prosperity."

What to Expect When You�re Free Trading

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 12:29:00 EST

By Steven E. Landsburg: "All economists know that when American jobs are outsourced, Americans as a group are net winners. What we lose through lower wages is more than offset by what we gain through lower prices. In other words, the winners can more than afford to compensate the losers. Does that mean they ought to?"

The Real Key to Development

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 10:22:00 EST

By Mary Anastasia O'Grady: "The Index [of Economic Freedom] also reports that the freest 20% of the world's economies have twice the per capita income of those in the second quintile and five times that of the least-free 20%. In other words, freedom and prosperity are highly correlated."

An Empirical Analysis of Street-Level Prostitution

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 11:30:00 EST

By Steven D. Levitt and Sudhir Alladi Venkatesh: "Unlike most other crimes, prostitution is based on markets, and thus potentially of special interest to economists. It is thus surprising that amidst the burgeoning literature on the economics of crime, there is little analysis of prostitution."

The Failure of U.S. Organ Procurement Policy

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 13:43:00 EST

By T. Randolph Beard, John D. Jackson, and David L. Kaserman: "In this article, we calculate how many lives will be lost if the United States continues in its current policy course. We do this to motivate policymakers to stop implementing one ineffectual policy action after another and attack the organ shortage with more effective weaponry in the form of financial incentives."

The Micromagic of Microcredit

Wed, 09 Jan 2008 16:03:00 EST

By Karol Boudreaux and Tyler Cowen: "If a poor family is able to keep a child in school, send someone to a clinic, or build up more secure savings, its �well-�being improves, if only marginally. This is a big part of the reason why poor people are demanding greater access to microcredit loans. And microcredit, unlike many charitable services, is capable of paying for �itself��which explains why the private sector is increasingly involved. The future of microcredit lies in the commercial sector, not in unsustainable aid programs."

Paths to Property

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 12:24:00 EST

By Karol Boudreaux and Paul Aligica: "The study finds that the �easy option� of agencies entering less-developed countries and using blueprints to try to recreate institutions in Africa that work effectively in the West often fails miserably. Indeed, the failures of such approaches can give the whole privatisation and property rights process, vital for sustainable economic growth, a bad name."

Raw Deal

Wed, 02 Jan 2008 15:23:00 EST

By Sallie James: "Hollywood had better hope that a services liberalization deal reached Dec. 17 between the United States and the European Union holds. Without a successful resolution to the long-running Internet gambling dispute, American movies, music and software could be vulnerable to copyright infringement."

Regulatory Competition: A Primer

Sun, 30 Dec 2007 17:55:00 EST

By Jennifer Smith-Bozek: "A given government jurisdiction�local, state, or federal�can provide regulatory alternatives to compete with those of another government. Regulatory competition can attract more businesses and jobs, yield regulations that are more efficient and less expensive, and thereby provide more options to consumers."

What to Be Thankful For

Sat, 22 Dec 2007 16:36:00 EST

By David Boaz: "Not long ago a journalist asked me what freedoms we take for granted in America. Now, I spend most of my time sounding the alarm about the freedoms we're losing. But this was a good opportunity to step back and consider how America is different from much of world history -- and why immigrants still flock here."