Economists don’t normally think of ourselves as having superpowers, but if we did, it would probably be the power to … Continue reading “An economist’s take on ‘Wonder Woman’”

Black Friday has continued to expand in recent years, one response to its orgy of discounts and deals has been … Continue reading “The left’s ‘economic localism’ is no better than Trump-style ‘economic nationalism’”

It is a constant struggle to persuade people that the market is not an arena of battle where one side … Continue reading “The double thank you of the market”

Critics of liberalism and the market economy have made a long-standing habit of inventing terms we would never use to … Continue reading “There is no such thing as ‘Trickle-Down Economics’”

Over Labour Day weekend, I saw many friends arguing that labour unions and government intervention “humanised capitalism” by giving us … Continue reading “We didn’t humanise markets, markets humanised us”

“The motives of fear and greed are what the market brings to prominence,” argues G.A. Cohen in Why Not Socialism? … Continue reading “Competition is not unique to capitalism – it exists in all economic systems”

One thing that has always struck me about behavioural economics are the parallels to arguments about market failure (such as … Continue reading “Behavioural economics and human imperfection: A bad case for government control”

The recent signals by the Obama Administration that they might wish to normalise relations with Cuba should be welcomed by … Continue reading “Free trade, not sanctions, is the key to helping the world’s poor”

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, the New York and New Jersey areas of the US suffered shortages of gasoline … Continue reading “Why prices should be allowed to rise after a disaster”

Many believe that the housing boom and Great Recession were the result of human greed and the supposed deregulation of … Continue reading “What government broke, government cannot fix”

Executive Summary: For many, the Great Recession and the boom that preceded it are evidence of the failure of the … Continue reading “Causes and Cures of the Great Recession”