Category Archives: Economics

Michael Huemer: Trade, Tariffs, & Make-Work Bias

Philosopher Michael Huemer writes: Trade is in the news because of the Trump tariffs. I’ve finally given in and written this post, in case any of you still don’t know why free trade is good. Free trade is always good? … Continue reading

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Are there too many variables with global trade for anyone to be an expert?

Normally in professional ethics, your obligations are clear — they are to your client. An attorney primarily has ethical obligations to his client, an accountant to his client, and a doctor to his patient. In journalism, however, ethical obligations are … Continue reading

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The Case For Economic Nationalism

Historian Adam Rowe writes: “Commerce” within a community is almost always salutary, an extension of the associations and collaborations that are essential to all human flourishing. But “trade” between separate communities, particularly communities with drastically different economic, legal, and cultural … Continue reading

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The best case I’ve read for Trump’s trade policies

I’m not arguing that Trump’s trade policies are good. I’m arguing that there’s close to an even chance they will be good for America. Economist Stephen Miran (Harvard PhD) said April 7: Today I’d like to discuss the United States’ … Continue reading

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What is Stephen Miran’s standing among his peer economists?

Grok says: Stephen Miran’s standing among his peer economists is difficult to definitively assess due to the lack of a comprehensive, unified metric like a public ranking or survey of economists’ opinions specifically about him. However, based on available information, … Continue reading

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Any good news regarding Trump’s tariffs?

Grok says: For those who support the “America First” agenda, a key piece of good news is that the tariffs are projected to generate significant revenue and encourage domestic manufacturing. For instance, the White House has claimed that a 25% … Continue reading

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Give This Sheila A Shot

I never gave this sheila Gillian Tett (FT) a chance because I thought what am I going to learn about money and politics from a 57 yo sheila with a PhD in Anthropology but I was wrong. She’s great. She … Continue reading

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Why Most Things Fail: Evolution, Extinction and Economics (2007)

Paul Ormerod writes: * Despite enormous increases in the number of air travellers in the second half of the twentieth century, the combined profit made by airlines over the period 1955 – 2000 was less than the losses they incurred … Continue reading

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Optimally Irrational: The Good Reasons We Behave The Way We Do

Lionel Page wrote in this 2022 book: * the brain represents only 2% of an average adult body’s weight, but 20% of its consumed energy. * In a famous study, Schkade and Kahneman (1998) found that while people tend to … Continue reading

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Their Friendship Dissolved Over Monetarism

“Betrayal” is the hyperbolic term we often use when we find out that other people have different priorities from what we expected. The best book I’ve read on this topic is Betrayals: The Unpredictability of Human Relations by Gabriella Turnaturi: … Continue reading

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