Cato on Campus - Economics: Political Economy

New on Free Will: Bruce Caldwell on Hayek

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:44:00 EDT

"This week, I talk with Bruce Caldwell, author of Hayek�s Challenge, a wonderfully lucid, comprehensive, and penetrating account of the development of Hayek�s economic and methodological ideas. Hayek is one of my enthusiasms, so I had a great time talking to Bruce, who knows as much about Hayek as anyone." - Will Wilkinson

FARC Politics, FARConomics

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 19:48:00 EDT

By Ibsen Martinez: "Shortly after noon, on Wednesday, I finally sat down to write my monthly column when I received news that 15 hostages, including three U.S. defence contractors, held for years by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, the infamous drug-trafficking guerrilla, branded a terrorist organization by the United States and European Union, had been rescued by a successful army operation. Most eminent among the hostages was the 46-year-old former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt."

Munger on the Political Economy of Public Transportation

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 19:39:00 EDT

"Mike Munger and Russ Roberts deliver one of the best podcasts ever. Munger describes the way in which moving from a private bus system to a public system in Santiago Chile made essentially everyone in the city worse off. The puzzle that Roberts keeps pushing Munger to resolve is why the political incentives do not work to abolish the public system and revert to a private system." - Bryan Caplan

In Defense of "Sweatshops"

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 12:20:00 EDT

Benjamin Powell: "Because sweatshops are better than the available alternatives, any reforms aimed at improving the lives of workers in sweatshops must not jeopardize the jobs that they already have."

Everyone in Favor, Say Yargh!

Mon, 12 May 2008 15:34:00 EDT

By Joanna Weiss: "Long before they made their way into the workings of modern government, the democratic tenets we hold so dear were used to great effect on pirate ships. Checks and balances. Social insurance. Freedom of expression. So Leeson, an economics professor at George Mason University, will argue in his upcoming book, The Invisible Hook: The Hidden Economics of Pirates."

Bernstein on the History of Trade

Thu, 01 May 2008 09:18:00 EDT

"William Bernstein talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the history of trade. Drawing on the insights from his recent book, A Splendid Exchange: How Trade Shaped the World, Bernstein talks about the magic of spices, how trade in sugar explain why Jews ended up in Manhattan, the real political economy of the Boston Tea Party and the demise of the Corn Laws in England."

Incentives, Incentives, Incentives

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 09:10:00 EDT

By Allen R. Sanderson: "If incentives work so well, maybe there are ways to improve public sector outcomes through the application of these same 'incentives matter' principles."

Tim Hartford on BHTV

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 10:52:00 EST

Cato's own Will Wilkinson speaks with author and economist Tim Hartford about his new book, The Logic of Life. "Tim�s book isn�t just another foray into pop econ. It�s a fascinating and entertaining overview and synthesis of a good deal of the most important recent research in economics." - Will Wilkinson

Don Boudreaux on Globalization and Trade Deficits

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 15:02:00 EST

"Don Boudreaux, of George Mason University, talks about the ideas in his book, Globalization. He discusses comparative advantage, the winners and losers from trade, trade deficits, and inequality with EconTalk host Russ Roberts."

Boettke on Austrian Economics

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 20:51:00 EST

Pete Boettke, of George Mason University, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the origins and tenets of Austrian economics.

Pigs Don't Fly: The Economic Way of Thinking about Politics

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 15:05:00 EST

By Russell Roberts: "Politicians are just like the rest of us. They find it hard to do the right thing. They claim to have principles, but when their principles clash with what is expedient, they often find a way to justify their self-interest."

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?"

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�. "

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. "

The Political Economy of Force-Feeding

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 10:33:00 EST

By Anthony de Jasay: "Compulsory education is delivering contestable results. Governments seek a remedy by providing more of it."

The Tragedy of the Commons and the Implications for Environmental Regulation

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 18:58:00 EDT

Bruce Yandle of Clemson University and George Mason University's Mercatus Center looks at the tragedy of the commons and the various ways that people have avoided the overuse of resources that are held in common.

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."

Democracy and Other Failures

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 15:32:00 EDT

By Doug Campbell: "The theory of public choice helps explain why we get stuck with so many bad economic policies. Or does it?"

Rent Seeking Behind the Green Curtain

Wed, 29 Aug 2007 00:00:00 EDT

Jonathan H. Adler explains that "due to the cost and complexity of environmental rules, the environmental policy arena presents an extremely attractive target for those who wish to seek rents in Washington. Indeed, if there is one consistent interest group, it is the inside-the-beltway consultants, lobbyists, and litigators, who benefit from the continuation of a Byzantine regulatory structure, the intimate knowledge of which is incredibly valuable and rare."

The Fundamentals of Rent Seeking

Wed, 29 Aug 2007 00:00:00 EDT

By Gordon Tullock: "Once the concept of rent seeking was discovered - and defined as the outlay of resources by individuals and organizations in the pursuit of rents created by government - there followed a flourishing of research as relevant ideas began to disseminate throughout economics. It is now rare to find an issue of an economics journal that does not refer at least implicitly to the concept of rent seeking."