“We do not bully our teachers, and we will sue any who say that we do!” It sounds like a headline from the Onion, but these words of Orwellian doublespeak also could have come from Queen’s University Belfast. In response to an article in the summer 2012 issue of The Independent Review, the university...
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On May 8th, five economists, including our Research Fellow Peter Klein, appeared in testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services Domestic Monetary Policy and Technology Subcommittee, chaired by Congressman Ron Paul. The panelists included two economists from the Austrian School, two Keynesians, and one monetarist: Peter G. Klein, Research Fellow, The Independent...
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This article from The Globalist argues that the welfare state in the United States is roughly the same size as in Europe, where Americans tend to think the welfare state has spiraled out of control. The main reason the US welfare state is closer in size to the welfare states in EU countries than...
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We are delighted to announce the publication of the Spring 2012 issue of the Independent Institute’s peer-reviewed journal, The Independent Review. This issue’s articles and book reviews deal with the following questions: What does evidence from hunter-gatherer societies suggest about whether human beings are better adapted for individualism or collectivism? Read the article. What...
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Further to my post, “Two Wolves and a Sheep,” a new poll out yesterday from The Hill disputes other polls showing a majority favoring taxing the rich more. According to The Hill’s poll, when asked the specific percentage “the rich” should pay, most provide a number lower than the current tax rate on the...
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Some of you may recall that Lord Wolfson (of Next stores fame) launched a contest in Britain asking European economists to put forward proposals for an orderly exit of one or more members from the European Monetary Union—i.e. the euro. Now that the deadline for submissions is passed, some of the participants (620 teams...
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Residents of Hawaii were dismayed to see this recent front-page headline: “Hawaii Solar Savings Spark Higher Electric Bills.” Since so many consumers have sought electrical savings from installing solar panels, the state-monopoly electric utility is losing revenue and now needs to make it up in higher rates. At least Hawaii’s perennially sunny weather will...
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In Ayn Rand’s novel, Atlas Shrugged, published in 1957, businesses push government to pass law after law that aids weaker businesses by penalizing successful ones. There’s the “Anti-Dog-Eat-Dog Rule” to prevent destructive competition among firms in an industry, and the “Equalization of Opportunity Bill” that limits the number of businesses one person can own....
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After EU leaders agreed on a new bailout plan for Greece, Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou has called for a national referendum on the plan, which has appeared to upset the EU leaders who crafted the bailout, and financial markets reacting to the uncertainty. Why? The people with the most at stake are the...
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The Fall 2011 issue of The Independent Review is hot off the press! We have posted selected articles and all book reviews online, as indicated below. This issue addresses a host of fascinating questions on topics as diverse as intellectual history, economic development, political theory, and government policy: Why do progressives and social democrats...
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