The most robust framework for understanding the evolution and consequences of copyright statutes in the United States is the dynamics of interventionism. I apply the framework of Kirzner's (1985) perils of regulation to the general revision of copyright law in 1976, and explore its effects on...

I describe an assignment for a history of economic thought (HET) course, "The Most Interesting Economist in History," modeled off of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Students vote in head-to-head matchups between economic writers by era for whom they find to be more "interesting" and...

Public goods are traditionally classified according to an exogenous, technological definition of possessing the characteristics of nonrivalry and nonexcludability. This paper takes a more endogenous approach, where goods are defined by the political purposes that specific actors have revolving...

Traditional wisdom has long argued that copyright laws are necessary to ensure that expressive works, such as books, music, and films, are produced by deterring people from consuming them for free. Recently, a new method of financing expressive works has emerged, known as crowdfunding, where...

Economists often model the delicate relationship between production, innovation, and economic growth as a production function that exhibits increasing returns to scale (IRS). The existence of "knowledge spillovers" or "learning by doing" often implies conclusions about the optimal use of...

In recent years, many policymakers have pushed for a stronger international standard of copyright recognition and enforcement, as embodied in international agreements such as TRIPS. Proponents argue, in part, that stronger laws will encourage economic development in both developed and developing...