Religion & Liberty Online Archives

Acton Occasional Series

September 12, 2017

7 Figures: Income and poverty in the U.S.

The U.S. Census Bureau released its latest report on income and poverty in the United States today. Here are seven figures from the report you should know about: 1. Real median household income increased 3.2 percent between 2015 and 2016—from $ 57,230 to $59,039. Continue Reading...
September 12, 2017

The monopoly markup

Note: This is post #48 in a weekly video series on basic microeconomics. Ever wonder why pharmaceuticals are so expensive? In this video by Marginal Revolution University, Alex Tabarrok shows how low elasticity of demand results in monopoly markups. Continue Reading...
September 11, 2017

5 Facts about the 9/11 aftermath

Today marks the 16th anniversary of the worst terrorist attack ever on American soil. Here are five facts you should know about what happened in the aftermath of the events on September 11, 2001: 1. Continue Reading...
September 06, 2017

5 Facts about Antifa

Throughout 2017 a group known as Antifa has engaged in riots and violent protests at events across the country. Here is what you should know about the black-clad activists: 1. Antifa is a radical and often violent protest movement organized around “anti-fascism.” Continue Reading...
August 29, 2017

The balance of industries and creative destruction

Note: This is post #46 in a weekly video series on basic microeconomics. Why are price signals and market competition so important to a market economy? When prices accurately signal costs and benefits and markets are competitive, the Invisible Hand ensures that costs are minimized and production is maximized, explains Alex Tabarrok. Continue Reading...
August 24, 2017

Explainer: What you should know about the debt ceiling

What just happened? In two tweets posted earlier today, President Trump attacked Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan for not tying an increase in the debt limit to a recent Veterans Affairs bill that passed Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support. Continue Reading...
August 15, 2017

Entry, exit, and supply curves: Constant costs

Note: This is post #45 in a weekly video series on basic microeconomics. Industries that have a flat supply curve are called “constant cost” industries. An example is domain name registration: to increase the supply of domain names, we must only increase the inputs by a negligible amount. Continue Reading...