International labour rights organisations pay considerable attention to the working conditions in less developed countries. For labour rights activists, labour standards such as collective bargaining rights and maternal leave promote economic progress. We argue that this perspective has the...

We summarise Bryan Caplan's defence of economists from "The Myth of the Rational Voter", in which he argues that economists undersell the benefits of markets. We also elaborate on his conclusions and discuss applications to specific topics, such as the minimum wage, as well as how Caplan's...

We survey perspectives on the economic differences between countries and argue that economic freedom is the key to prosperity. We close by outlining the policy implications. Specifically, removing obstacles to the exercise of economic freedom is an important step towards prosperity. Copyright...

This essay applies some of the key insights in Bryan Caplan's "The Myth of the Rational Voter." We discuss the relevance of cheap signals in political systems as well as the relevance of ideas in public policy with 'rationally irrational' voters. We add a fifth bias, 'stick-it-to-the-man bias',...

This article surveys and synthesises some of the research on the political economy of natural disasters. While people tend to support government intervention to reduce prices or otherwise aid disaster recovery, research shows that government organisations are often corrupt and ineffective....