Economic Policy

A growing chorus of technologists and futurists now argue that scarcity is ending. The future may be post-old-scarcity but it will not be post-scarcity.

Bob uses Trump’s call to ban congressional insider trading as a springboard to explain why, from an Austro-libertarian perspective, insider trading and speculation could help markets work, while still justifying special rules for government employees.

The substitution of economic and moral principles by emotional imperatives does not represent a technical failure, but a profound philosophical divergence about human nature and the function of the state.

Understanding economics is the key to preserving civilization. This is because civilization itself is a consequence of choices.

Ryan McMaken traces the rise and squeeze of America’s small business economy, showing how tariffs, industrial policy, the Fed, and “too big to fail” bailouts systematically tilt the field toward big corporations and away from independent entrepreneurs and the middle class.

Jonathan Newman tackles the new “Federal Reserve Simulator” game in which players try to match wits against the Fed. As Newman found out, however, the same outcomes occur no matter what information one feeds the simulator. In short, it’s rigged.

Whatever positive economic changes the Milei government might have made in Argentina, the country is still not attractive for new capital investment.

Great Britain’s economy clearly is underperforming from what it could be. Unfortunately, the damage is self-inflicted and change is not likely in the future, especially with a socialist government.

Italian economist Bernardo Ferrero joins Ryan McMaken to discuss the state of European politics over taxes, spending, inflation, and fiscal and monetary policy. 

True prosperity cannot be measured by aggregate spending totals prone to manipulation and malinvestment, but by private-sector health, wage gains across income levels, and genuine productive investment.