Economic Freedom

May 18, 2017

Hemingway, Hollywood and Communism

Red-phobia is once again all the rage. Today, the question asked by the media and politicians is whether Russia had a hand in turning the U.S. election in Donald Trump’s favor. Continue Reading...

May 16, 2017

The Social Capital Project: Reviving ‘associational life’ in America

Over the past few decades, America has experienced a wave of drastic economic and social disruption. In our search for solutions, we’ve tended to look either to ourselves or the State, resulting in a clash between individualism and collectivism that forgets or neglects the space between. Continue Reading...

May 12, 2017

Free trade propaganda from … Communist China?

In the wake of the last presidential election, the American people appear to be fracturing and shifting on the long-held consensus about the benefits of free trade. Meanwhile, state-owned television in the People’s Republic of China is churning out pro-trade propaganda such as this (HT Pethokoukis): Yet the underlying irony is a bit overstated, I’d suspect. Continue Reading...

May 05, 2017

How free trade creates economic and moral bonds

In our discussions about free trade, it can be easy to focus only on short-term disruptions or long-term material gains, using either to argue for or against it on behalf of the poor. Continue Reading...

May 05, 2017

Other people’s money: The real problem with Dallas’ public pension woes

When I was growing up, my brother and I would occasionally play something akin to penny poker, doling out an equal amount of “chips,” in whatever form they took, and playing until someone took the whole pile. Continue Reading...

May 05, 2017

Pope Francis’s attack on ‘libertarian individualism’ not about libertarians

The following essay appeared Friday, May 5, 2017, at Crux. In a recent message by Pope Francis to the Pontifical Academy of Social Science he outlines some moral concerns about a phenomenon he sees as invading (his term) “high levels of culture and education in both universities and in schools,” namely “libertarian individualism.” Continue Reading...

April 12, 2017

What Christians can learn from Utah’s economic success

How do we move closer to ending poverty and expanding opportunity in America? Does a single solution or road map even exist? In a widely cited study, the Brookings Institute’s Isabel Sawhill and Ron Haskins famously argued that at least one predictable path is evident. Continue Reading...

April 11, 2017

Why the rule of law matters for human flourishing

In our efforts to reduce poverty, spur economic growth, and cultivate the conditions for human flourishing, the conversation can quickly be consumed with debates over material wealth and the allocation of physical resources. Continue Reading...

April 03, 2017

Why protectionism harms human dignity

From an economic perspective, protectionism is one of the most foolish policies a country can adopt. It not only hurts the nation’s economy, but makes individual households poorer. Why then do so many people who are aware of this reality still support protectionist policies? Continue Reading...

March 23, 2017

Venezuelans find a hero in big business

“Big business” has become a favorite target of public scorn and contempt in the United States, constantly decried for its impersonal forces, cronyist lobbying efforts, and supposed greed. In Venezuela, however, the country’s largest privately owned company has become a leading face of anti-government resistance. Continue Reading...

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