Religion & Liberty Online Archives

Economics

August 26, 2013

The Reason Markets Fix Mistakes

Pro-market advocates often talk about how markets are self-correcting. But why do businesses in free markets fix their own mistakes? Because if they don’t, customers and other stakeholders will punish them: Lululemon, which produces yoga and other athletic apparel, provoked outrage from its devoted customer base when it released a flawed product earlier this year: see-through yoga pants. Continue Reading...
August 23, 2013

Beyond Gardening and Governance: Cities Need Business

[This post was co-authored with Chris Horst, director of development at HOPE International. He is a This is Our City fanboy and is grateful that Christianity Today has given him freedom to write about manufacturers, mattress sellers, and solar product designers, all working for the common good in Denver, where he lives with his family. Continue Reading...
August 23, 2013

The Economics of Profiling

I ran across this video yesterday (courtesy of ESA), which I thought presented some interesting challenges and issues: The video was presented on Upworthy as an example of something “all white people could do to make the world a better place,” that is, use their white privilege to address injustices. Continue Reading...
August 22, 2013

Pro-Market is Anti-Zombie

Economist Luigi Zingales provides a helpful explanation on the difference between being pro-market and pro-business: A pro-market strategy rejects subsidies not only because they’re a waste of taxpayers’ money but also because they prop up inefficient firms, delaying the entry of new and more efficient competitors. Continue Reading...
August 22, 2013

Creativity Vs. Productivity

We need both of course. But do we Americans put too much emphasis on productivity? And is it hurting us? Jeff DeGraff, professor at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, thinks this might just be the case. Continue Reading...
August 22, 2013

Prudent Stewardship and the Cappadocian Fathers

Today at Ethika Politika, I examine a few rules of prudent stewardship that follow from the teachings of the Cappadocian fathers on poverty, almsgiving, and fasting. One of the great challenges in this area today is how best to live out in our present context the statement of St. Continue Reading...
August 20, 2013

Why a ‘Living Wage’ Can Hurt the Poor

Near the top of my long and ever-growing list of pet peeves is articles titled, “The Conservative Case for [Insert Proposal Usually Rejected by Conservatives Here].” It’s almost an iron-clad rule that before you even read the article you can be assured of that the case being made will use words that appeal to conservatives while being based on principles that are contrary to conservatism and/or reality. Continue Reading...