Learn Liberty Blog
We tackle big questions about what makes society free or prosperous and how we can improve the world we live in.
Blog Posts in Focus
Free trade lets us turn corn into cars.
January 25, 2018 | Bryan Caplan
From the American point of view, technology and trade are the same. From the human point of view, trade is better.
The organic industry is a case study in rent-seeking.
February 5, 2018 | Henry I. Miller
If businesses get government subsidies to make their products cheaper, or “capture” regulation to hurt their competitors, that’s rent seeking.
The politics of "The Last Jedi"
December 20, 2017 | Ilya Somin
One Resistance fighter says that the movement will win “not by fighting what we hate, but by saving what we love.” But what do they love?
Blog Posts
Ilya Somin on Game of Thrones and voter ignorance — highlights from his AMA
September 26, 2017 |
Professor Ilya Somin recently joined us on Reddit for an “Ask Me Anything” conversation as part of our Learn Liberty Reddit AMA Series. He answered your questions about Game of Thrones, voter ignorance, and the prospects for bipartisan reforms in the direction of liberty. Fans of Learn Liberty will recognize Professor Somin as the star of our popular video, I Can’t Breathe: […]
Stop saying that! Limited liability does not mean what you think it means.
September 25, 2017 |
The next time someone starts explaining to you how government regulation is needed because corporations have the special privilege of limited liability, please channel Count Rugen.
What’s wrong with being a rich kid with rich parents?
September 22, 2017 |
In partly free societies, more intergenerational mobility isn’t always a good thing.
Who are the most generous helpers in the wake of Hurricane Irma?
September 21, 2017 |
The media rarely celebrate ordinary people doing jobs for which they get paid. But the man selling several generators can be more impactful than the man giving one away.
The real reason young people can’t get jobs in Africa
September 20, 2017 | Karol Boudreaux
Given that Africa has the world’s youngest population, the lack of steady, formal-sector jobs is an enormous political and economic risk factor. Unemployed youth are more likely to be criminals, may be lured into militant groups, and contribute to political unrest.
Permissionless innovation: The fuzzy idea that rules our lives
September 19, 2017 |
People sometimes ask me, “What is the most important concept in political economy?” The answer is easy, but subtle …
What politicians really mean when they say they're pro-business
September 18, 2017 |
Whenever a politician claims to be pro-business, stop to look at what they actually mean by it. The approach makes all the difference.
FEMA should not favor zoos over houses of worship
September 15, 2017 |
It is a bedrock American principle that governments cannot discriminate against religious citizens and institutions.
Of Confederate monuments and tinfoil Christmas trees
September 14, 2017 |
The current controversy over the removal of Confederate monuments from public spaces is producing a great deal of rancor and strife.
What most Americans have never heard about extreme poverty
September 13, 2017 |
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.
Reddit AMA with Professor Ilya Somin of George Mason University
September 12, 2017 |
Ilya Somin is Professor of Law at George Mason University. His research focuses on constitutional law, property law, and the study of popular political participation.
How the government makes natural disasters so much worse
September 11, 2017 |
Many of the most expensive flood and storm disasters in US history have occurred in recent decades. The glib response is to blame the severity of these catastrophes on climate change, but are we looking in the wrong direction?
Will voters punish Republicans for not changing health care?
September 8, 2017 |
President Donald Trump claimed Senators who voted against Obamacare’s replacement, the AHCA, had “let down Americans.”
Most benefits of eating local are wildly exaggerated, and this is why
September 7, 2017 |
The locavore movement, like many parts of environmentalism, has an unfortunate tendency to dress itself in the clothing of science before lapsing into mysticism.
How this screwy IRS policy kickstarted the American health care crisis
September 6, 2017 | Howard Baetjer
As a believer in small government, I usually favor anything that reduces taxes. But this tax break has wreaked havoc on American health care.
Will capitalism kill its own culture?
September 5, 2017 |
To gain a proper appreciation of the free market and its benefits, we need to also become aware of its weaknesses. I have written previously at Learn Liberty about how 20th-century economist Wilhelm Röpke argued that while the free market has the capacity to encourage morality, other institutions—like families and churches — are a more […]
Why some people think Hurricane Harvey is good for the economy (and why they are wrong)
September 1, 2017 |
In times of disaster it’s natural to try to find a silver lining — but don’t go looking for it in broken windows. Not only is this line of thinking flawed, but it’s also patronizing to those whose lives have been affected by this tragedy.
Will the Warriors win forever? The NBA's problem with team balance
August 31, 2017 |
Over the last several seasons, top-tier players like LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Chris Paul appear to be self-selecting themselves onto teams with other top-tier players.
How “price gouging” could help Houston right now
August 29, 2017 |
The invisible hand of the market reaches out to help people in a disaster, but anti-gouging laws cut it off at the wrist.
Why a Canadian city tore down the staircase its residents had always wanted to build
August 29, 2017 |
Toronto city officials recently threatened a man with fines for building an unlicensed staircase in a local park.
Why the state hurts parents and kids — and how to make it stop
August 28, 2017 |
A toddler screaming about time-out prompts a neighbor to summon the authorities, but months of relentless bullying are laughed off by neighbors and ignored by the authorities.
Breaking the wheel of Westeros: why heroes aren't enough
August 25, 2017 |
As much as we love Daenerys and Jon, they and their real-world counterparts are unlikely to give us a better wheel on their own.
How taxing the rich paradoxically resulted in more inequality for all
August 24, 2017 |
Whenever we have raised taxes on the rich, we have seen horrible offenses against inequality and economic growth.
Millennials are in a love triangle with capitalism and socialism
August 23, 2017 |
Millennials may talk the socialist talk, but this look at the evidence shows they also walk a rather capitalist walk.