Tag: Prices
How Government Spending Fuels Inflation
November 1, 2024 | Post
Inflation hurts our spending capacity, diminishes our quality of life, dashes our hopes of upward mobility, and damages our trust in the cornerstone institutions of banks, dollars, and government. Yet inflation is all around us. After purchasing my usual burrito bowl at Chipotle recently, I had to review my receipt to ensure I had been […]
This Christmas, blame supply and demand for your expensive gifts
December 13, 2023 | Post
Even Santa’s elves can’t repeal the laws of supply and demand.
Harmful natural monopoly: the myth that keeps on giving
August 17, 2023 | Post
Understanding that it is governments – not free markets – that create harmful monopolies is monumentally essential in order to harbor a comprehension of basic economic principles.
Why classical liberals need a research program
March 28, 2017 | Post
The first task of classical liberalism is to understand social order; normative conclusions must follow and flow from that understanding.
Famine is about freedom, not just food
March 26, 2017 | Post
How can people still starve in a world overflowing with food and a vast international aid apparatus?
Healthcare will never be affordable without action on prices
March 25, 2017 | Post
Republican reformers have repeatedly promised affordable healthcare for all Americans — doubly affordable, in fact. They promise sufficient subsidies to put premiums and out-of-pocket costs within reach of low- and middle-income consumers. At the same time, they promise that the plan will be affordable to the federal budget, even given the constraints their most conservative […]
Airport economics: The tragedy of the overhead bins
March 20, 2017 | Post
Here are three economic principles you’ll see between security and takeoff.
What interest rates really are and what happens when governments change them
February 1, 2017 | Post
The first thing to clarify is what an interest rate is not.
5 weird ways Prohibition still exists today
January 25, 2017 | Post
Prohibition was repealed more than 80 years ago, but we’re still feeling its policy hangover.
Making college “free” will only make it more expensive.
January 3, 2017 | Post
Making higher education free of charge won’t make it free to provide.
The supply curve explained — with cookies
December 23, 2016 | Post
At what price would you hand over your homemade Christmas cookies?
An economic analysis of protectionism clearly shows that Trump’s tariffs would make us poorer, not greater
December 17, 2016 | Post
Trump’s base will be hurt the most by his wealth-destroying and punitive trade policy.
Markets make your holiday feast bigger, better, and cheaper than ever
December 16, 2016 | Post
Market economies have continually driven down the real cost of food, enabling more and more people to consume more calories and a wider variety of higher quality food.
The imperfect assumptions of perfect competition
December 13, 2016 | Post
“I learned in economics that in ‘perfect competition’ profits are zero, so any actual profits come from some kind of monopoly power. So how could profits be good?”
Getting prices right for the Dakota Access Pipeline
November 24, 2016 | Post
One great benefit of markets is that prices tell us what to do. Not through orders, which often don’t work, but through incentives.
What happens when you raise the minimum wage?
November 13, 2016 | Post
California’s minimum wage is set to rise to $15 an hour by 2022.
Why don’t we allow markets to dictate parking policy?
November 10, 2016 | Post
A market for parking free of government manipulation would reduce inequality, improve the environment, and make cities more livable.
The best person to plan your next flight is you
October 24, 2016 | Post
There’s more to travel than the sticker price of different ways of getting from point A to point B.
The co-bots are coming to fast food factories
October 16, 2016 | Post
“We’re going to need to see your birth certificate,” the manager said, making a notation on my employment application, “But you’re hired. Show up a 10 a.m. on Thursday for training.” I was too young and dumb to realize he was calling my bluff. I had to be 16 to take the job and I […]
Tired of expensive football tickets? Blame yourself
October 10, 2016 | Post
Can you really blame universities for charging high prices for football tickets when so many people are willing to pay for them?
The Unspoken Truth About Government Policies That Are Supposed to Help People
September 15, 2016 | Post
Economics can be counterintuitive and abstract, but it is also essential for understanding how the world works—especially when we’re trying to make policies in the spirit of good intentions.
The Obamacare Horror Stories Aren’t Slowing Down
September 11, 2016 | Post
Without young, healthy individuals buying insurance and thereby paying into the system, the government is finding itself saddled with the responsibility for supporting the healthcare of the older, sicker population.
Why Chairs Are Cheap and EpiPens Are Expensive
September 2, 2016 | Post
Imagine that the government creates the Furniture and Desk Association, an agency which declares that only IKEA is allowed to sell chairs.
How Far Does $100 Get You In Your State?
August 24, 2016 | Post
The relative worth of a dollar is dependent on a range of factors that vary from state to state.