Category:Poverty & Inequality

December 21, 2023 | Post

For the first time since the Great Depression, a majority of young adults in the U.S. aged 18-29 live with their parents. 

The intensifying housing crisis across the United States and worldwide is a pressing concern, particularly for Millennials and Gen Z, who are often priced out of getting their own place for far longer than what has been the norm for previous generations.

Such a crisis inevitably prompts a blame game. But who or what is really to blame?

December 19, 2023 | Post

Imagine having to pay and jump through hoops for the government to allow you to work. That’s essentially how occupational licensing works.

Occupational licensing is a system that disproportionately burdens and oppresses the economically disadvantaged, hindering social mobility.

December 18, 2023 | Post

Looking at inequality doesn’t tell us anything substantial about prosperity in a given country. Is inequality the real problem, or is it poverty?

December 1, 2023 | Post

Instead of elevating living standards and safeguarding workers from poor conditions and low pay, minimum wage laws lead to unemployment and limit job opportunities. Let’s look at how…

November 14, 2023 | Post

In the not-so-distant past, political leaders from both sides of the aisle in the United States held a general consensus on the benefits of free trade.

During their presidential campaigns in 2000, Al Gore and George Bush, despite their differences, at least agreed on the merits of fostering open markets.

Fast forward to the present day and we find Joe Biden and Donald Trump endorsing staunchly protectionist policies.

Let’s explore what caused this complete 180 and who bears the brunt when trade is restricted.

June 16, 2023 | Post

“Colonization is why Africa is so poor” is something I hear all the time. But it was not until recently that I realized: This impulsive defense of Africa is far from the full truth.

June 13, 2023 | Post

Certain forms of taxation are simply unjustifiable. One especially problematic example is the taxation of menstrual hygiene products, such as tampons. Here’s why the tampon tax is fundamentally regressive and must be scrapped…

June 5, 2023 | Post

In this first piece of a series addressing myths about the Soviet Union, we will focus on the issues of poverty, inequality, and quality of life…

May 24, 2023 | Post

In a world dominated by numbers and equations, one economist dared to challenge the status quo and unveil the true power of persuasive language. Meet Deirdre McCloskey, a visionary economist, historian, and writer whose groundbreaking ideas have reshaped the way we understand economic progress.

March 6, 2023 | Post

Why are some countries successful while others aren’t? Is it down to natural resources, colonialism, or can it be better explained by something else?

January 16, 2023 | Post

Soylent Green (1973), a dystopian sci-fi movie, depicts a world suffering from overpopulation, climate change, and extreme inequality, where the rich exploit and own the poor, who survive on the evil Soylent Corporation’s processed plankton. As 2022, the year in which Soylent Green was set, has now passed, the movie’s grim predictions of overpopulation have proven misguided.

October 17, 2022 | Post

Economic competition in functioning market economies it the best surefire way to reduce global poverty. That, and letting people leave poor countries for rich ones.

July 5, 2022 | Post

According to a survey from the American Farm Bureau Federation, the cost of an average 4th of July feast is up by 17 percent from 2021. Why is this?

April 26, 2022 | Post

What lessons can we learn about the importance of property rights from examples such as rental cars and Brazil’s favelas?

December 11, 2021 | Post

The Build Back Better Act is an attempt by the Biden administration to distribute handouts for specific sets of voters ahead of the 2022 midterms

November 11, 2021 | Post

Last week, we wrote about Frederic Bastiat, the king of communicating economic and philosophical ideas in simple, direct (and often funny) ways.

Of course, in the 19th century, Bastiat’s medium was the printed word. But if you had to find an heir to his throne in the social media era, Thomas Sowell would be a leading contender.

November 6, 2021 | Post

If levied, the “billionaire tax” targeting unrealized capital gains would penalize entrepreneurship and have unprecedented destructive potential

September 7, 2021 | Post

When a worsening economic crisis saw anti-government protests erupt in Cuba, the regime was quick to blame U.S. sanctions instead of its own policies

April 28, 2021 | Video

Ahead of his panel on Corruption and Poverty in Latin America at LibertyCon Europe, Juan Carlos Hidalgo, former policy analyst at the Cato Institute talks about why Latin America has so many cases of corruption, the recent protests in Chile and other countries around the world.

January 29, 2018 | Video

Is it fair that CEOs get paid millions—even billions—while there are so many people still in poverty? Well, it depends! Watch the second entry in our question and answer series with Prof. Howie Baetjer.

October 30, 2017 | Video

What’s the evidence that economic freedom is beneficial for society? Prof. Antony Davies shows charts of the free market’s effects on unemployment, inequality, poverty, and even child labor.

September 13, 2017 | Post

Why did poverty decrease so much over the past 200 years, and especially over the past 30 years? Let’s look at one key example; then we’ll zoom out to the broader research.

August 21, 2017 | Video

Today’s welfare system discourages aspiring for the American dream. What if we tried a universal basic income instead? Watch the full interview with Prof. Munger 

August 9, 2017 | Video

Why do people keep saying the ‘50s were more “equal” than today? Perhaps they forget how many people were in poverty — or what the major unions did to African-Americans.