Are Uber and Lyft the next jitney?
This July marks the 100-year anniversary of the American Jitney. An early incarnation of Uber and Lyft, it was an enormously popular service that was at one point found in 175 U.S. cities. Haven’t...
View ArticleWould cutting Ex-Im’s ties to the U.S. Treasury amount to “unilateral...
Before winning this year’s World Cup championship, Germany faced a dilemma during its qualifying match against the United States. Both teams could ensure their advancement in the tournament by...
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Ex-Im’s Dead Weight Loss
To hear defenders of Ex-Im talk, you’d think that export subsidies are ALL upside and no downside. Economic theory suggests otherwise. Clearly, some benefit from export subsidies. The most-obvious...
View ArticleEx-Im in 5 Minutes
What is Ex-Im? What does it do? Is it, on net, a good deal for the U.S.? Here is my attempt to answer these questions in five minutes. Many thanks to the multi-talented Charles Blatz for making this...
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North Carolina Reconsiders its Rejection of Corporate Welfare
A couple of weeks ago, something surprising happened in North Carolina. As the Carolina Journal explained: RALEIGH — Twenty-eight House Republicans bolted party ranks Tuesday, joining 26 Democrats to...
View ArticleThe Sharing Economy
Over at the Tech Liberation Front, my colleague Adam Thierer has sketched out a few themes in the debate over the sharing economy. His discussion of leveling the regulatory playing field is...
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An interesting development in state regulation of wine shipment
Can one state enforce another state’s laws that prohibit direct-to-consumer wine shipment from out-of-state retailers while allowing it by in-state retailers? That’s the question posed in a recent...
View ArticleThe Sharing Economy and Consumer Protection
(It has been a busy few weeks and I haven’t had much time for blogging). In early December, my colleagues Chris Koopman, Adam Thierer, and I published a piece on the sharing economy and consumer...
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What is rent seeking? Ask the dino-hunters.
I haven’t had much time for blogging lately but I’m going to try to get back into the swing of things. Back in December, I had this to say in Real Clear Markets: The eminent political economist (and my...
View ArticleThree ways states can improve their health care markets
I have a new essay, coauthored with two of my former students, Anna Mills and Dana Williams. We just published a piece in Real Clear Policy summarizing it. Here is a selection of the OpEd: Liberals,...
View ArticleCorporate welfare spending is not transparent
Over a century ago, the Italian political economist Amilcare Puviani suggested that policy makers have a strong incentive to obscure the cost of government. Known as “fiscal illusion,” the idea is that...
View ArticleNo, bailouts are not something to celebrate
Robert Samuelson at the Washington Post is celebrating the auto bailout. Last December I had a piece in the Post in which I argued that “pro-business” policies like bailouts are actually bad for...
View ArticleThe Wrath of CON
I made a movie. Okay, not really. My superb Mercatus colleagues actually made it. And they were kind enough to let me do the voice over. Here it is. If you like it, please share.
View ArticleRent seeking, illustrated by dinosaur hunters
I just made my first LearnLiberty video. To be more precise, the stellar talent at The Institute for Humane Studies at George Mason University made the video and they let me tag along for the fun. It...
View ArticleWhy regulations that require cabs to be painted the same color are...
A few weeks ago, my colleagues Chris Koopman, Adam Thierer and I filed a comment with the FTC on the sharing economy. The comment coincided with a workshop that the FTC held at which Adam was invited...
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Does the New Markets Tax Credit Program work?
Location-based programs that provide tax credits to firms and investors that locate in particular areas are popular among politicians of both parties. Democrats tend to support them because they are...
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New York’s Buffalo Billion initiative has been underwhelming
New York’s Buffalo Billion plan has come under fire amidst an ongoing corruption probe looking into whether some contracts were inappropriately awarded to political donors. The investigation has led to...
View ArticleHigh-speed rail: is this year different?
Many U.S. cities are racing to develop high speed rail systems that shorten commute times and develop the economy for residents. These trains are able to reach speeds over 124 mph, sometimes even as...
View ArticleMutant Capitalism rears its ugly head in Arlington
Confectionery-giant Nestlé plans to move its U.S. headquarters from California to 1812 North Moore in the Rosslyn area of Arlington in the next few years. This should be great news for the people of...
View ArticleThe unseen costs of Amazon’s HQ2 Site Selection
Earlier this year Amazon narrowed down the list of potential cities to site its second headquarters. Applicants are now waiting out the selection process. It’s unclear when Amazon will make its choice,...
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