Rent control is an economic abomination. It diverts investments away from residential rent units, it leads to their deterioration, it is responsible for urban decay such as in the South Bronx, it does not help poor tenants, it is a horrendous means of income redistribution. Yet this economic...

This paper attempts to answer the question of whether or not government is needed to build walkways near bodies of water such as rivers and lakes, or whether private enterprise can supply such needs. In it we argue that the market is indeed capable of instituting such amenities, despite the fact...

It is a truism among economists that only if the full costs and benefits of economic activity are taken into account by the entrepreneur, will resources be allocated in a Pareto Optimal manner. Under present economic conditions, however, some manufacturers are able to impose costs, particularly...

This discussion is divided into two parts. The first, which addresses takings of private water rights, makes the following points: government regulation of private property for a public purpose, such as protection of species, raises important constitutional questions concerning whether a...

Rent Control is a policy that still bedevils modern society. Tucker (1990) goes so far as to lay the blame for homelessness almost entirely on this policy. British Columbia is the only jurisdiction in the entire world in the last 30 years which has eliminated its rent control. It has done so,...

The article commences with a discussion of the Title VI issues that arise when a member of industry contemplates locating a facility in a community. Since the early 1990's there has been an increase in the claims that poor minority communities bear a disproportionate amount of the negative...

Should the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) be used to drill for oil, or should this type of economic development be forbidden, in favor of protecting environmental amenities? In economics, this is a classical question of the allocation of resources, and we propose to answer it in a...

In practically all of its various forms, petroleum is potentially hazardous to the environment. As a result, virtually every activity engaged in by the petroleum industry can have profound environmental implications. For many years, environmental considerations have played a role in decisions...