Various presidential candidates over the years have promised to reduce the U.S. trade deficit. Such arguments are based on the mistaken belief that trade deficits are bad. This paper explains why the United States is doomed to have trade deficits, and why it doesn't matter.The paper also...

Donald Trump has stated that he is in favor of free trade, but that he wants it to be fair. He has said that, if elected president, he would renegotiate NAFTA and other trade deals that he views as unfair to the American worker. When Ford recently announced that it would move a portion of its...

One might think that bribery is always unethical. Studies by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development discourage the practice and a number of other studies have viewed bribery in negative terms. However, a closer examination of the issue reveals that the question of whether...

The common view is that insider trading is always unethical and illegal. But such is not the case. Some forms of insider trading are legal. Furthermore, applying ethical principles to insider trading causes one to conclude that it is also sometimes ethical. This chapter attempts to get past the...

This paper explores some legal and philosophical issues surrounding the practice of dwarf tossing, the sport by which dwarfs are thrown for fun and profit. Part I provides an overview. Part II provides some background information regarding the sport. Part III analyzes the body as property...

Insider trading has received a great deal of bad press in recent decades. Nearly every article in the popular press that has been written about it views the practice in a negative light. However, the economics and legal literature are mixed on the issue. This article examines the economics and...

This paper takes the position that trade deficits are irrelevant from a policy perspective and that any attempt to reduce them is counterproductive and violative of individual rights. Hardly a day goes by that the media do not mention some international trade problem such as the trade deficit....

The issue of ethics seldom arises in discussions involving international trade. Talks generally revolve around a particular policy or how a particular policy affects this or that sector of the economy, industry, country or region. When ethical issues are discussed, it is usually from a...