Crony Capitalism

February 20, 2019

Democrats proposed subsidies do not make the rent any less high

Democratic Senators and Presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Cory Booker have both recently proposed legislation to address the issue of rising housing costs. Senator Harris’ bill ‘The Rent Relief Act’ and Senator Booker’s bill ‘Housing, Opportunity, Mobility, and Equity Act’ both focus on assisting people who pay more than 30% of their gross income on rent or, in the case of Senator Harris’s bill, rent and utilities. Continue Reading...

February 12, 2019

Crushing the poor: agricultural tariffs and subsidies

There are a lot of campaigns and organizations dedicated to alleviating extreme poverty found in the developing world. These same groups advocate for the provision of what the material poor often lack: clean water, decent housing, financial capital, nutrition, etc. Continue Reading...

February 07, 2019

Cronyism and conservatives

A major problem with America’s economy is what’s often called “crony capitalism” or simply “cronyism.” In other places, I’ve defined cronyism as the situation in which free markets are hollowed out and replaced by political markets. Continue Reading...

February 05, 2019

Murray Rothbard explains the Progressive roots of the deep state

More than 20 years after his death, Murray Rothbard continues to surprise us with his unique interpretations and insights that go far beyond the realm of economics. Rothbard’s The Progressive Era, (Mises Institute, 2017) is the latest example of this genial mind ranging over U.S. Continue Reading...

November 14, 2018

Amazon’s HQ2: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is right, and wrong

After much anticipation, Amazon announced yesterday that it will open its new headquarters, HQ2, in two locations: Queens, New York, and Crystal City, Virginia. It will also open a third “Operations Center of Excellence” in Nashville. Continue Reading...

October 12, 2018

Samuel Gregg: What is crony capitalism?

In an interview for Guatemala’s Universidad Francisco Marroquin, Samuel Gregg, the Director of Research here at the Acton Institute, answered questions about crony capitalism, mentioning how it works and his worries about this problem. Continue Reading...

August 23, 2018

How ‘democratic socialism’ disempowers minorities

Progressives are known for their blanket denunciations of “big business” and consolidated corporate power. Yet amid their sweeping disdain, such critics somehow manage to maintain a peculiar affection for the consolidation of much, much more. Continue Reading...

August 16, 2018

Sen. Elizabeth Warren brings government muscle to corporate ‘accountability’

It was in Godfather III where Al Pacino as Michael Corleone said it first and said it best: “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!” Before we were able to put away our party hats after celebrating the Supreme Court’s Janus decision in June, Missouri rejected a right-to-work measure at the state’s primary ballot box last week. Continue Reading...

June 29, 2018

Economist Anne Rathbone Bradley pulls no punches at Acton University

During her packed June 20 lecture at Acton University, Anne Rathbone Bradley wrestled with the complicated topic of crony capitalism. The audience was hushed as she laid out why this economic disease destroys the long-term incentive for companies and governments to exercise good-stewardship. Continue Reading...

June 21, 2018

What can I possibly (and practically) do to help fight human rights violations?

My head is swimming with thoughts, my heart filled with emotion, and my coffee is getting cold next to me. I opened my social media this morning and no matter where I go, all my feeds are bursting with news of violations of human rights and dignity taking place in all corners of the globe – far away and right next door. Continue Reading...

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