Cato on Campus - Economics: Microeconomics

Mexicans and Machines: Why It's Time To Lay Off NAFTA

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 15:13:00 EDT

"Like technology, trade gives us more good stuff than bad�yet Americans are likely to cheer technology and fear trade. No doubt TV talkers and White House wannabes will keep stoking our fears of foreigners until voters and viewers stop buying it�or until robots snag their jobs, too."

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.

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."

Munger on Fair Trade and Free Trade

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 15:07:00 EST

"Mike Munger, frequent guest and longtime Econlib contributor, speaks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about fair trade coffee and free trade agreements. Does the premium for fair trade coffee end up in the hands of the grower? What economic forces might stop that from happening?"

Robert Frank's Strange Case for Taxing "The Rich"

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 10:23:00 EST

By David R. Henderson: "At one time, critics of economic freedom justified high taxes on high-income people on the grounds of ability to pay. They at least admitted that those taxes hurt those people. But the growing availability to even the poor of goods that were only recently thought of as luxury goods has weakened that argument. Now, Robert Frank argues for higher taxes on high-income people on the grounds that it is good for them."

Adam Smith - A Primer

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 15:30:00 EST

"Despite his fame, there is still widespread ignorance about the breadth of Adam Smith�s contributions to economics, politics and philosophy. In Adam Smith � A Primer, Eamonn Butler provides an authoritative introduction to the life and work of this �founder of economics�. "

Discover Your Inner Economist: Use Incentives to Fall in Love, Survive Your Next Meeting, and Motivate Your Dentist

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 13:15:00 EST

"The economist and blogger Tyler Cowen provides quirky and insightful advice for life based on his signature urbane style of economic reasoning."

Why We Trade

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 10:14:00 EST

By Russell Roberts: "We�re used to shrugging off all sorts of rhetorical gobbledygook from our politicians. But when you hear U.S. presidential candidates start to mouth off about free trade, watch your wallet: A discredited 14th-century theory of economics is enjoying a dangerous renaissance in the 2008 campaign. "

Fat on the Farm Bill

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 19:23:00 EST

By Dr. Sallie James: The Farm Bill is the ultimate example of concentrated benefits and diffused costs. Farm subsidies are hard to justify on their merits, and even harder to justify when they go to massive corporate farms.

In Defense of Scalpers

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 10:55:00 EDT

By David Harsanyi: "In the end, I�m not sure why it�s fair to allow monopolies to sell tickets and not individuals. Turning a profit on your investment doesn�t sound like a crime to me. It sounds like America."

So You Want to be a Masonomist

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 10:40:00 EDT

By Arnold Kling: "Years from now, perhaps people will be saying that something big got started recently at the George Mason University department of economics. Maybe if you become a Masonomist now, you will be getting in early on a trend that will soon catch on much more widely."

Robert Frank on Economics Education and the Economic Naturalist

Wed, 17 Oct 2007 15:35:00 EDT

"Frank argues that the traditional way of teaching economics via graphs and equations often fails to make any impression on students. In this conversation with host Russ Roberts, Frank outlines an alternative approach from his new book, where students find interesting questions and enigmas from everyday life. They then try to explain them using the economic way of thinking."

Community-Run Fisheries: Avoiding the "Tragedy of the Commons"

Wed, 29 Aug 2007 00:00:00 EDT

By Donald R. Leal: "Community-Run Fisheries: Avoiding the "Tragedy of the Commons" presents case after case of communities that have effectively protected their fishing territories and preserved fish for the future."

Unintended Consequences

Wed, 29 Aug 2007 00:00:00 EDT

By Rob Norton: "The law of unintended consequences, often cited but rarely defined, is that actions of people - especially of government - always have effects that are unanticipated or "unintended." Economists and other social scientists have heeded its power for centuries; for just as long, politicians and popular opinion have largely ignored it."