“Your capitalist attitude towards women is not there under communism.” These were the words of Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev to Vice President Richard Nixon at the opening of the American National Exhibition in Moscow in 1959. Nixon was there, representing not only the American government, but also General Mills, Whirlpool …
More »The information economy isn't killing capitalism; it's driving it
Julian Adderney[1] People who believe that capitalism is about huge, powerful, multinational corporations miss some of the key elements of free markets. Information, capitalism and open source In a surprisingly influential article in The Guardian, Paul Mason argues that the sweeping changes taking place in the economy are early symptoms of so-called “post-capitalism.” But …
More »Visible and invisible hands
Douglas Rasmussen[1] It is often said that markets are guided “as if by an invisible hand” to create order and cooperation among people. Markets achieve this harmonious result through the motives and mutual interest of each person. But there is another, “older” method of organizing people, namely the way of building …
More »How student loans create demand for useless degrees
Josh Grossman Last week, former U.S. Senator and Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander wrote in the Wall Street Journal that college degrees are both cheap and an excellent investment. He repeated the usual argument about how a degree increases the holder’s income by a million dollars “on average.” It is the use of …
More »Greece's biggest problem is its anti-capitalist culture
Russell Lamberti It is considered politically incorrect these days to criticize culture, but whether it uses euros or drachmas, whether it is in the European Union or not, Greece needs to somehow correct its cultural dysfunction. I am not talking about the customs of the people of the country, about their traditions, about the architecture, …
More »Technology needs capital to drive economic growth
Frank Shostak In his article “The Big Meh,” Paul Krugman laments that despite all the advances in information technology, its effect on economic growth has so far been negligible. He writes: “The entire digital era, now more than four decades old, seems like a disappointment. New technologies have led to great discoveries, but …
More »The Gift of Truth
David Shellenberger If your eyes are open and you see the truth, then you know that freedom means having no master. You know that democracy is not a goal, because it is simply a form of government. You know that constitutional government is simply government, and the constitution does not really limit it. You know that politics …
More »Child Labor and the Industrial Revolution in England
Lawrence Reid The decade after 1750 saw a huge economic shift in Britain. It was the era of the Industrial Revolution, marked by a colossal number of technical innovations, a huge increase in productivity, a renaissance of world trade, and a rapid increase in urban population. Historians and other analysts have struggled to interpret …
More »No, tax breaks are not subsidies
There is a widespread misconception that tax breaks for an industry are no different from subsidizing it. Unfortunately, like many other economic myths, this one just won’t die. The video game industry is one recent example. For years, critics have argued that game developers are given an unfair advantage…
More »Thanksgiving - the great deception
Every year at this time, students across America are taught the official story of Thanksgiving. Newspapers, radio, television, and magazines devote an enormous amount of time and space to the holiday. It's all quite colorful and fascinating. But it's also quite misleading. The official story has nothing to do with...
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EKIP– Expert Club for Economics and Politics A Different Opinion