Greatest Hits of 2012

Which articles on the Independent Institute’s websites and blogs received the most views last year? We thought you might be wondering! To satisfy your curiosity, we’ve put together two lists—each one shedding light on what most attracts the attention of our Internet audience.

The first list of “articles” includes blog posts from The Beacon and the MyGovCost blog, journal articles, and event transcripts that received the greatest number of “pageviews” in 2012—even if that material was posted prior to last year. This list shows that several pieces that were written many years ago still attract a relatively large number of readers—which is great news for an organization that takes pride in producing material of lasting relevance!

The second list of “articles” was compiled the same way—except that it includes only pieces that were actually written and posted in 2012. In both lists, you’ll often see the names of third-party periodicals in which a piece was published, although the rankings below reflect only the relative viewership of the piece on the Independent Institute’s websites. (And neither list reflects the number of “likes” or “shares” that a piece received via Facebook and other social media.)

Articles with the Most Pageviews in 2012 (including content posted in previous years)

1. Insinuation as War Propaganda, by Anthony Gregory (The Beacon, 2/23/12)
2. Sweatshops and Third World Living Standards: Are the Jobs Worth the Sweat?, by Benjamin Powell and David B. Skarbek (Independent Institute Working Paper #53, 9/27/04)
3. The Killing Machine: Che Guevara, from Communist Firebrand to Capitalist Brand, by Alvaro Vargas Llosa (The New Republic, 7/11/05)
4. How U.S. Economic Warfare Provoked Japan’s Attack on Pearl Harbor, by Robert Higgs (The Freeman, 5/1/06)
5. Is Walmart Good or Bad for America? A Debate Featuring Richard K. Vedder and Ken Jacobs (Independent Policy Forum, 7/8/07)
6. Do Freedom of Information Act Files Prove FDR Had Foreknowledge of Pearl Harbor?, by Robert B. Stinnett and Douglas Cirignano (3/11/02)
7. To Whom Does the U.S. Government Really Owe Money?, by Craig Eyermann (MyGovCost Blog, 2/11/11)
8. The Culture of Violence in the American West: Myth versus Reality, by Thomas J. DiLorenzo (The Independent Review, Fall 2010)
9. Does Globalization Destroy Culture?, by Art Carden (Daily Sun News, 7/8/08)
10. Wartime Prosperity? A Reassessment of the U.S. Economy in the 1940s, by Robert Higgs (The Journal of Economic History, March 1992)

Articles with the Most Pageviews Written in 2012

1. Insinuation as War Propaganda, by Anthony Gregory (The Beacon, 2/23/12)
2. Who Is Most Likely to Oppose Totalitarianism?, by Robert Higgs (The Beacon, 3/29/12)
3. Who Really Owns The U.S. National Debt (Spring 2012 Edition!), by Craig Eyermann (MyGovCost Blog, 4/2/12)
4. Secular Theocracy: The Foundations and Folly of Modern Tyranny, by David J. Theroux (To the Source, Patheos, Bastiat Institute, and Ignatius Insight, 1/11/12)
5. Did Federal Grant Bankroll Colorado Gun Rampage?, by K. Lloyd Billingsley (MyGovCost Blog, 7/27/12)
6. “War Is Horrible, but . . .”, by Robert Higgs (The Independent Review, Fall 2012)
7. Why Your Dog Doesn’t Own Your Entire House, and the Government Doesn’t, Either, By Robert Higgs (The Beacon, 1/6/12)
8. You Call This a War? I’ll Show You a War, by Anthony Gregory (The Beacon, 3/20/12)
9. Jack of No Trade, Masters of War, by Joseph R. Stromberg (The Independent Review, Summer 2012)
10. Federal Debt Climbs Past Annual GDP, by Emily Skarbek (MyGovCost Blog, 1/14/12)

[This item first appeared in the Jan. 3, 2013, issue of The Lighthouse. To receive this weekly newsletter of the Independent Institute, please enter your email address here.]