Tag: inequality
How minimum wage laws harm and exclude
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…
Why trade wars are wars on the poor
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.
Think school choice mainly benefits rich families? Think again
October 13, 2023 | Post
In the debate about school choice, one argument pops up again and again from those who oppose it: that school choice primarily benefits more affluent families, leaving working-class and lower-income families behind. But this argument neglects the advantages that school choice offers to those who need it most. Here are seven ways school choice benefits poorer students…
Why some countries succeed and others don’t
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?
What’s wrong with being a rich kid with rich parents?
September 22, 2017 | Post
In partly free societies, more intergenerational mobility isn’t always a good thing.
How taxing the rich paradoxically resulted in more inequality for all
August 24, 2017 | Post
Whenever we have raised taxes on the rich, we have seen horrible offenses against inequality and economic growth.
What should we do about luck?
March 17, 2017 | Post
What should we do about the fact that some people are able to earn more money than others? Should government redress the resulting disparities in income? The answer is often believed to hinge upon our conclusion about the role of luck in affecting income-earning abilities. Those on the political left emphasize factors beyond the individual’s […]
Does inequality make us miserable?
December 28, 2016 | Post
Indeed, classical liberals are usually much more concerned with the alleviation of poverty, rather than hand-wringing about who might have a larger slice of an ever-widening pie.
Is culture the key to poverty?
December 20, 2016 | Post
A personal story about Vance’s climb from poor, white Appalachia to a Yale law degree and a white-collar career, Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis will make you laugh, cry, and think carefully about the importance of culture for economic wellbeing.
Reasons to be optimistic
October 17, 2016 | Post
Beneath the surface there’s a lot of progress occurring that should make us all feel a little more optimistic about the future.
Is Mobility a Right or a Privilege?
October 1, 2016 | Post
Rather than invent new human rights, people who are concerned about poverty should first ask what kind of barriers government creates that prevent social mobility. Those barriers should all be removed before any thought is given to taxing some people in order to give money or resources to others.
A Proposal to Reform Welfare and Rebuild American Community
September 26, 2016 | Post
Local communities have a better understanding of their communities’ needs than far off centralized government anti-poverty directives.
Shouldn’t Big Businesses Just Be Nicer?
May 16, 2016 | Post
A small group of workers walked out at Walmart on Black Friday 2012, and the company has been for a few decades now a leading emblem of what is supposedly wrong with the modern global economy. Shouldn’t Walmart just be more generous? Not necessarily. First, the managers of corporations are answerable to their shareholders. This […]
Racial discrimination in the U.S. criminal justice system: did you know?
February 25, 2016 | Post
You’ve probably heard about racial disparity in the U.S. criminal justice system. With the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson and Eric Garner in New York in the last few years, national attention has been brought to racial injustice in policing. But it’s not just the police who are responsible for racial discrimination in the […]
What’s Not Being Said About the Wage Gap
January 20, 2016 | Post
The gap in wages between men and women has been a topic of debate for years. With candidate Hillary Clinton shining light on the issue with promises for a Paycheck Fairness Act, Diana Furchtgott-Roth has addressed what’s not being addressed in conversations about the wage gap: choice. Furchtgott-Roth notes that the differences in wages for […]
Featured On Demand Program of the Week: Does Inequality Matter?
November 9, 2015 | Post
If you want to get the full picture of the topic of income equality check out this Learn Liberty On Demand program. We’ve pulled together a list of mind-blowing videos, featuring professors like Sean Mulholland, Steve Horwitz and others who explore the subject from many perspectives. We’ve made sure that each video builds on what […]
Inequality For Some
October 12, 2015 | Post
At tonight’s presidential primary debate, the topic of income inequality is almost guaranteed to come up. The widening gap between the rich and the poor is shaping up to be one of the defining themes of this election cycle. A recent, high-profile documentary called “Inequality for All” makes the case that this is a foremost […]